pros and cons, do-it-yourself installation

The ceiling in the design of the room plays a kind of final role, putting an end to the whole interior style. Among the modern variety of finishing materials, wooden lacquer ceilings are considered an innovation, although in fact they were widely used in ancient Greece. Today, caissons play not only a practical role, facilitating the construction and improving the acoustics, but also perform decorative functions, becoming the main element of the interior.

Caisson ceilings: pros and cons

These ceilings are indentations of regular geometric shape, which are created by means of intersecting beams. Among the positive qualities of such an overlap, the following should be noted:

1. Aesthetics is one of the main advantages of coffered floors. The beam construction of the ceilings will perfectly fit into the interior of a country house. At the same time, the space between the beams can be processed to your own taste: stick with wallpaper, paint, decorate with decorative plaster, etc. This option is well suited for rooms decorated in both classical and country style.
2. Naturalness. Caissons are made of natural wood, which is an environmentally friendly material with a large set of decorative properties.
3. Quality. Ready-made modules of wooden ceilings are of high quality and fully comply with all existing State standards.
4. Compatibility. One of the most important advantages of such a finish is its excellent compatibility with expensive classic furniture.
5. The cassette method of cladding allows you to hide almost all the shortcomings of the ceiling, so the owners of private houses will not need to perform time-consuming work on its alignment.
6. Ability to use different materials. This design can be made of wood, MDF, drywall, polyurethane, etc.

Caissons have some drawbacks:

1. High cost.
2. Installation difficulty. It will be rather difficult to carry out installation work on your own, and hiring specialists will increase the cost of such finishing even more. However, there is a way out of this situation - you can buy ready-made tapes and stick them on the ceiling.

Despite these shortcomings, wooden ceilings can be called quite a suitable type of finish for a private house. Such designs look unusually stylish and give the room a special atmosphere of antiquity and comfort.

Do-it-yourself installation of a coffered ceiling

To make a caisson-style wooden ceiling with your own hands, you need to prepare such tools and materials:

• saw;
• hammer;
• tape measure;
• square;
• roller;
• spatula;
• wooden beams, slabs or finished cells;
• wallpaper;
• deep penetration primer;
• putty;
• glue;
• pencil, paper;
• nails.

Do not forget that caisson ceilings can not be used in all buildings, because in houses with low ceilings they will be completely irrelevant. The ceiling height in the house should be at least 250 cm. If you have a great desire to create a wooden ceiling of this type in the apartment, and the ceiling height leaves much to be desired, then you can still risk it, but it should choose thin panels of light colors.

When constructing caissons, the general rule should be followed: the larger the space, the more beams should be used to design them. Usually, standard strips with a height and width of 120-150 mm are used for work, although the dimensions of the room should be taken into account.

First you need to prepare a project and draw a sketch of the future structure, which should take into account the individual preferences of each family member. When developing a project, the following factors should be taken into account:

• room illumination level, location of window and door openings;
• room dimensions;
• purpose of the room (bedroom, living room, kitchen or hall).

At the same time, it is better to seek help from designers who will be able to prepare a high-quality and clear sketch, where all the design features will be clearly indicated. But if you are able to draw a little and create schematic drawings, then this task will be on your shoulder.

Before installation, you should carefully inspect the finishing surface. If it is flat or has small height differences, then it can be safely used to install a wooden ceiling.If on the surface there are cracks and chips, then they need to be patched with a putty, and then ground.

After this, the surface should be well primed with a deep penetration primer and give it time to dry. Then the ceiling can be covered with wallpaper, which will be the background of the caisson. Pattern wallpaper is selected monophonic or with a slight structure. The glued canvas is carefully smoothed to avoid air bubbles or bruising.

After that, marks are created on the wallpaper, on which the grid construction will be installed. First of all, you should decide on the placement of the central plank, which can be placed in the center of the room or be slightly shifted to one side.

The main element of the coffered ceiling is the supporting beams (box-shaped timber), which are nailed to the base in a certain order, creating the required ornament. To create a box beam, you need to cut a bar, the length of which will be equal to the length of the ceiling. On its sides small boards are packed at the same distance from each other. After that, this timber is nailed to the ceiling. Then the strips are installed, covering the sides of the structure, after which the beam from the bottom is also covered with a strip.

Next, parallel beams are mounted according to a similar principle.

Transverse elements are installed when all the longitudinal beams are mounted.

Usually such constructions are fastened with nails, however, high-quality wood glue can be used to fix small elements.

Designer's Recommendations

1. If there are low ceilings in the room, the beams should be placed in the openings of windows and doors. Contrast with grooves optically increase the height of the room.
2. It is not recommended to install caisson ceilings in rooms with poor lighting and lots of dark furniture. Such a design will depress and evoke sadness.
3. Caissons are not suitable for interiors made in modern or high-tech style. They will harmoniously look in the style of country and classic.
4. If you chose a wooden ceiling whose color is as close to natural as possible, then you need to take care of the correct selection of the shade of the furniture. Ideally, the shade of the ceiling and furniture should match with each other. In the tone to them should pick up and finish the floor. This will get a complete picture.
5. There is no need to use expensive wood for the construction of light cellular ceilings. In this case, polyurethane and gypsum products are fully justified.

Caisson ceilings are a universal element of the decor, which will give a special elegance to any room. With their help, you can realize your most brilliant ideas concerning design and interior.