In the recent past, the problem of choice did not even arise. The ceiling in the bathroom just had to be whitewashed and that's it. But today, the variety of building materials allows you to show remarkable imagination. To make it easier for you to decide which ceiling to choose in the bathroom, we propose to consider all possible options, their advantages and disadvantages.
After that, you can independently analyze all the pros and cons to make an informed decision.
To decide on the design and type of ceiling, which will decorate your bathroom for a long time, you need to clearly understand how this room differs from other rooms of the dwelling:
- High humidity. The presence of water is an integral feature of this room. It flows from the tap when you wash, evaporates when you take a bath or shower, and collects as condensation on different surfaces.
- Possible risks. If you prepare about the risks of flooding, then it is the bathroom that is most often exposed to leaks from the neighbors upstairs. An emergency situation lies in wait both during washing and during bathing. Water gushing from neighbors can seep through the ceiling or be stopped by it.
- Difficulties in leaving. As a rule, a lot of objects are collected in this small room, which make it difficult to use the ladder. If the ceiling is high, then getting to it will be quite difficult. It is desirable that the hygiene procedures regarding the care of its surface are as simple as possible.
- Style matching. The bathroom is a relatively small room, which means that even the ceiling should participate in the implementation of the overall design idea. It should not only be functional, but also correspond to a single style solution to which the interior of the whole house is subordinated.
As you can see, the approximate requirements for the specifics of the premises for the future coverage have been determined. Now let's see what options we have.
Pay attention to how the ceiling is able to match the general art deco style in which this bathroom is sustained.
The ceiling covering also has a protective function. Protected against dust and larger particles or water - as in the photo below:
Human leaks are most common in the bathroom or kitchen. Stretch ceiling will help contain the brewing water extravaganza
Ceiling design options
Using modern innovative technologies for surface finishing and an incredible amount of various finishing materials, you can get not only functional and affordable, but also a truly luxurious ceiling that can delight your eyes for many years.
Option # 1: finishing the main ceiling
Consideration of all sorts of options can start with the classic: as a basis, we will choose the main or base ceiling. It can be plastered and painted. All materials that will be used during these repairs must be moisture resistant - putty, primer and paint.
Typically water-based acrylic paint is used.
The processing of the base ceiling can be completed at the stage of applying plaster to it, if it is decorative. Here is an example of using decorative plaster on walls and ceilings
To get a smooth ceiling of the desired color, you can apply paint tint. A painted ceiling will look very creative if you use more than one color. Various combinations and patterns are possible.
Polka dots, stripes or abstractions can make the interior cheerful and extraordinary. The finished look of the work will come with a polystyrene baseboard.
Advantages and disadvantages:
- we get a high-quality ceiling at a relatively low cost of materials spent on work;
- It is difficult to surprise anyone with this option, but by showing imagination, you can create a unique ceiling pattern - a fresco;
- such a coating can last for 10 years, if you are not flooded by the neighbors from above;
- the use of built-in lamps in this case is impossible, but pendant light sources can be used in a variety of combinations;
- the simplicity of the coating is compensated by its remarkable maintainability: to renew the surface, you can simply walk over it with a roller or brush with fresh paint;
- paint can turn yellow over time, and, in addition, it is on the plaster that fungi and mold most often take root.
Since the ceiling is the main one, then communications cannot be hidden under it. For them, you will have to flush the channels in advance.
Another example of how the main ceiling can look spectacular if it is leveled, plastered, brought in line with the general style of the room and painted.
Sewn and suspended ceilings are united by the presence of a frame. It is mounted using metal or wood. Since in our case we are talking about a room with high humidity, we will give preference to a metal structure. Various cladding materials will be attached to the frame: panels, slats, suspended modules, drywall, etc.
Option # 2: Plasterboard ceiling
In this case, drywall is used as a facing material. For the bathroom, it is necessary to choose an extremely moisture-resistant material. You can distinguish it from the usual one by its color: as a rule, it is green, as well as by the special marking of gypsum plasterboard, which stands for moisture resistant gypsum plasterboard.
One of the advantages of a plasterboard ceiling is the ability to create absolutely fantastic and unusually attractive designs with its help.
In the manufacture of gypsum plasterboard, water-repellent and antifungal additives are used. Such a sheet should not crumble, damp and rot. As an additional protection of the plasterboard structure, the surface of the new ceiling is covered with moisture resistant paint. It is necessary to provide additional protection and as a finish.
The advantages and disadvantages of this option:
- a device of this design is not the cheapest idea;
- additional construction makes the ceiling lower, while reducing the total volume of the room;
- but you can make a very unusual design at different levels, highlight the bathroom area, for example;
- all irregularities in the ceiling and wires going to the light sources will be covered with sheets of drywall, which is convenient;
- like any painted surface, this one will need periodic renewal.
You will have to work hard on the implementation of this idea: it is only in theory that the installation and sheathing of the frame with sheets of drywall is an easy matter. In practice, you will also have to deal with putty, sanding, priming, painting the surface, and then only you can start installing the lamps.
Built-in lamps look very good in a ceiling structure made of drywall sheets, and the structure itself can be continued on the wall
Option # 3: Rack or modular ceiling
Obviously, after the installation procedure, you still have to tinker with drywall thoroughly. But you can use ready-made facing material. For example, these can be modules or rails. The module is a suspended ceiling tile. With its help, a cellular or cassette ceiling is created.
Slats are long slats that are most often made of plastic, steel, or aluminum. Modules for the bathroom, of course, are also selected from moisture-resistant material. Otherwise, working with modules and rails is not much different from installing drywall. The general installation principle remains the same.
The shiny surface of a slatted ceiling can sometimes look no worse than a mirrored one, without losing any of its advantages
If the bathroom does not have to correspond to the high-tech style, then a cassette or slatted ceiling may not be the best solution. After all, we are used to seeing such surfaces more often in public and office sanitary rooms.
Advantages and disadvantages:
- this ceiling, like any suspended ceiling, is capable of hiding wiring suitable for lamps on its rear surface and masking other flaws;
- the slats are flexible, which allows you to mount not only straight, but also curved structures;
- if the slats of the slatted ceiling are made of shiny metal and have a reflective surface, they can create a wonderful mirror effect, like modules, by the way;
- both of these options may look quite attractive, but for some reason the impression of home comfort does not arise;
- such ceilings are easy to install and do not require preliminary preparation of the surface that remains above them;
- caring for them is fast - they are washed, and they do not need updating, although they will last a long time.
The material that will need to be purchased for modular and slatted ceilings, as a rule, is not cheap.
Watch a video on the topic of installing a rack ceiling:
Option # 4: Ceiling made of plastic panels
As a finishing material, PVC panels or plastic siding, as they are also called, can be used. In fact, it is plastic, similar in shape to boards, with a tire of 25 mm, and a length of 2.7 - 3 meters.
To minimize waste when working with this material, it is necessary to carefully plan the location of the plastic panels in the ceiling space.
Plastic panels look like a single canvas on the ceiling, since they adjoin each other joint to joint
They will be fastened with a metal frame. They must be installed jointly to joint, without any seams. This feature of the fastening creates the illusion of a single ceiling sheet, since the seams between the panels are almost indistinguishable.
In order for the panel canvas to have a complete look, it is trimmed around the perimeter with a special ceiling plinth. The color of such a skirting board should match or contrast with the overall color scheme of this room.
Advantages and disadvantages:
- with very modest financial investments, you can get quite a decent result;
- it is quite easy to mount such a surface, especially with minimal experience;
- preparatory and periodic repair work is not needed;
- this ceiling is easy to clean, not afraid of moisture and steam;
- the complex configuration of the ceiling will have to be abandoned;
- the choice of color solutions in this case is rather modest.
The performance characteristics of plastic panels are also pleasing. High-quality products will last a long time and do not require special personal care. If the plastic you choose today gets bored with time, you can quickly replace it with a new one. With a strong and durable frame, this work will not take long.
Watch the video on this installation of a ceiling made of plastic panels:
Option # 5: Stretch ceiling
The stretch ceiling is in incredible demand today. Due to the small size of the room, the PVC covering, which forms the basis of the stretch ceiling, will not have seams.
The result is a smooth surface, fixed with special fasteners at some distance from the base ceiling.
The dark glossy stretch ceiling looks especially attractive: it visually doubles the volume of the room, more than "returning" to it those centimeters that were lost during installation
It can be matte and look very noble, or it can be glossy. The mirror finish of the glossy finish also has its advantages. Reflecting everything that is under it, it doubles the space of the bathroom, making this room visually much more spacious than it really is.
The advantages and disadvantages of this design:
- having the same advantages as suspended ceilings, the tension surface is able to withstand even the consequences of a serious flood caused by neighbors from above;
- the stretch canvas surprises not only with a wonderful set of colors that retain their original brightness for a long time, but also with a very realistic photo printing;
- ceiling care does not cause much trouble;
- the stretch ceiling is installed very quickly, but it is better to entrust this procedure to specialists;
- despite its strength, the PVC film can also tear;
- over time, the film around the luminaires may turn yellow, and the luminaires themselves need to be selected more carefully so as not to burn the coating.
Of course, such beauty cannot be completely budgetary, but technologies are improving, competition in the market is growing, some materials are falling in price over time. But such a ceiling will definitely attract attention. However, like those discussed below.
Several unusual solutions
We told you about those ceiling design options that are used often and everywhere, but there are also exclusive solutions, which literally a few dare to implement. Perhaps they will interest you.
Eco-friendly wood ceiling
If the wood is pre-treated with special compounds, you can be sure of its moisture resistance. With good ventilation, such a coating will surprise you both with its durability and excellent appearance.
Still, the natural coating has its own indisputable advantages: it seems that, having entered this bathroom, you are immersed in the healing aromas
Ready-to-use planks can be glued to the main ceiling or fixed to a frame to create another type of suspended ceiling.
Luxurious stained glass inserts
Of course, such a ceiling design is applicable only if it does not confuse the neighbors from above. However, there is another option, when the stained-glass window is only the front part of the panel, and the backlight is mounted behind it.
Stained glass is a very expensive pleasure, so imitation often replaces it. In this case, a pattern depicting a stained-glass window is applied to the glass surface using special paints or a film coating. Stained glass can be used as an insert or literally fill the entire ceiling surface.
How to make stained glass for ceilings, learn from the video:
Capricious mirror surface
We are not talking about metal surfaces with a reflective effect, but about the most real mirrors.
Modern mirrors weigh a little, tolerate high humidity well and have some other qualities that allow you to create ceiling surfaces from them.
The mirrored ceiling is a real find for small rooms: in such a situation, they "raise" the space, and it becomes easier to take care of them
The problem arises in the process of caring for the mirrored ceiling. In order for it to sparkle and shine, it must not only be cleaned, but rubbed until it shines. This procedure can be performed with high quality only in the presence of low ceilings.
Original painted ceiling
The base ceiling can be made extraordinary using just acrylic paint. Before creating such an exclusive fresco, it is necessary to ensure a completely flat base.
After the completion of the work, the drawing is covered with a special protective film, which will protect it from moisture for a long time.
Even a seemingly discreet fresco on the ceiling creates a mood, successfully connects and complements the entire composition, gives it integrity
When making a choice, each person is guided, first of all, by their financial capabilities. And he is guided by common sense and his own preferences. Since everyone has different tastes, we never cease to admire the small masterpieces, which more and more new masters delight us from time to time.
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