The question of where to carry out repair work earlier – on the walls or on the ceiling, began to be asked from the very appearance of stretch films.
I don’t want to dust off the fresh gloss that reflects the whole room. Expensive wallpapers are also a pity if they suddenly accidentally suffer while working with a stretch canvas. To understand this issue, let’s try to follow the process of repairing ceilings and walls in stages..
Process features
Whatever work you have to do first, each of them will be to the detriment of the other. When installing a baguette under a stretch canvas, holes are drilled in the wall, which generates a lot of dust, and fresh wallpaper can be damaged. In addition, the installation of the canvas itself takes place with the participation of high temperatures. Nobody knows if this wallpaper will like it.
There is a way out. Carefully prepare the walls for pasting and invite specialists to mount the baguette (do the dustiest work), then paste over the wallpaper and again invite workers to install the ceiling. The method is good, but there is one problem – the masters will not agree to such a protracted method of work.
To understand the features of the process, and at least get closer to solving what to do first, you need to try to figure out what a stretch ceiling and wallpaper are.
The canvas itself is a fabric base or a PVC product, which can be matte and glossy. Installed on a specially prepared metal or plastic frame.
If the ceiling was planned to be multi-level, all work with drywall should have been done in advance. First, the old finish is removed, the ceiling is cleaned well, otherwise in the future finishing debris will crumble onto the stretch canvas. Then comes the turn of the treatment of fungal stains (if any). Before installing the ceiling, all electrical work must be completed.
Wallpaper – rolled cloth of various types: paper, non-woven, vinyl. Many had to glue them. To begin with, the walls are leveled, and a layer of glue is applied to the dried surface (if the wallpaper is paper, the glue is also applied to the canvas). Then the coatings are placed on the base, glued well, air bubbles and excess glue are squeezed out with a roller.
There is nothing complicated about this, but there are two types of development of events: either the wallpaper is pasted over in front of the ceiling installation and pressed down by a baguette (in this case, they look neat), or after that, the top of the canvases will have to be carefully trimmed, trying not to damage the ceiling structure.
What is the sequence?
Let’s try to understand which is better: stretch the suspended ceiling before or after wallpapering. To do this, consider both options.
Wallpaper first, then ceiling
If a decision is made to act in this way, it is worth considering the need for a break of 4-5 days between pasting the walls and installing the ceiling. The wallpaper should dry well before the heat gun works..
Some experts believe that first you should work with the walls, align them perfectly, otherwise the ceiling sheet may turn out to be skewed.
The main danger of pre-pasting is the contamination of the walls when working with a hammer drill..
If traces of brick remain on the wallpaper, it will be quite difficult to remove them..
A hammer drill equipped with a vacuum cleaner would, to some extent, help solve this problem. Sticking the canvases before installing the ceiling frame will lead to their falling under the baguette. It will press down the upper edge of the canvases, which will make it difficult to dismantle the wallpaper at the next repair.. On the positive side – perfect top wall contour.
You can opt for liquid coatings. They are beautiful and modern, but the risk increases, working with a spatula, to stain the finished ceiling..
If you have to glue wallpaper for painting, the risk of staining the ceiling becomes even greater. On the other hand, high temperatures during installation can affect the quality of the paint at the base of the ceiling. The same problem can happen with liquid wallpaper..
First the ceiling, then the wallpaper
If the wallpaper is light and delicate, during the installation of the stretch ceiling, it can be irreparably damaged, so it is better to paste it over at the last stage of the repair. In addition, the lack of professionalism among those working with the ceiling can lead to mechanical damage to the wallpaper..
Pasting the walls, work carefully with the upper edge of the canvases so as not to break the ceiling plugs. Everything will work out if you show diligence, but the next time you repair the wallpaper, it can be easily dismantled..
Both options have their pros and cons, but the responsibility for the choice always lies with the owner..
Important nuances
The priority issue has not been clarified. What to do first, to mount stretch ceilings or deal with walls? Pasting wallpaper, as well as installing a ceiling, have their own nuances. When working with the walls, there is a possibility of damage or staining the stretch fabric, and in fact it is actually eternal, while the wallpaper can be re-glued every year.
When a profile is placed under a stretch ceiling, there is a possibility of wallpaper contamination, and there is also a fear that they will not withstand the high temperature. In this case it is possible to abandon the PVC surface in favor of a fabric cloth, cold mount.
And one more nuance – a profile for a woven ceiling requires shallower drilling, which means there will be less dust. However, well-dried wallpaper can easily withstand temperatures of 60-70 degrees..
It is necessary to warm up the PVC film to soften it. The prepared canvas is immediately tucked under the profile using special tools. The gap between the material and the wall is masked with plugs. They are the first to suffer from poor-quality work with wallpaper..
An important nuance: any stretch ceiling can be mounted with wallpaper, even in a room furnished with furniture. Sliding wardrobes and curtains are also not a hindrance to this process. You just have to work with a vacuum cleaner afterwards. But, if the repair has just begun, you need to ask yourself the question many times what to do first.
But what if the repair was done a long time ago and you need to re-glue the wallpaper without damaging the ceiling? Dismantling should be done very carefully, especially if the wallpaper was pasted over at the initial stage. and hit the ceiling profile. They will have to be freed without damaging the canvas..
To complete the work, you will need a spatula and a construction knife. Carefully slide the spatula between the ceiling and the knife. Moving them along the walls, they slowly cut off the old wallpaper. In this way, you can protect the material from being cut, even if the knife comes off..
It is much easier to remove the finish if you wet the walls with water and wait a while..
After examining the workflow, it was expected that we would immediately get an answer to our dilemma. There is no answer, you will have to contact the specialists.
Expert opinion
The renovation is coming to an end and it is hoped that the specialists will shed light on the sequence of construction works..
Craftsmen believe that it is better to paste over the walls, and then install the ceiling. The arguments are the same: there is a risk of damaging or staining the walls, in addition, high temperatures are unfavorable for fresh wallpaper. Perhaps these masters are afraid of responsibility for dusty walls..
Other experts, on the contrary, advise to mount the ceiling after pasting, fearing for the canvas, which can be damaged with a construction knife when cutting the wallpaper. And glue and paint, falling on the canvas, will spoil it forever..
There is no unequivocal opinion even among professionals, because the material for work, premises, various nuances – everything can be extraordinary, requiring an individual approach.
Successful examples and options
In conclusion, I would like to dwell on the aesthetic component of the work done. If you see how beautiful the ceilings and wallpaper have become, the answer to the question of what to do first can be simple. Or it may not work out.
Stretch ceiling has always been an interior decoration. It can be amazing and mysterious, like a country through the looking glass. With him, the room is filled with colors, it seems larger and brighter. Ceilings are of different types, have their own design and style..
Matte
Absolutely flat surface with no hint of reflection. The texture resembles a classically painted canvas. Suitable for large rooms.
The matte finish is so neutral that it suits any style. Soffits will become a good equipment of the ceiling., or other sources of bright light, because the matte canvas does not reflect light.
Glossy
A good option for small rooms. They get the opportunity to visually double in size.. Moreover, the dark gray canvas has a stronger reflectivity..
Spotlights (even of a weak glow) on such a ceiling look like stars. By building multi-level compositions using drywall, and placing a canvas in them, the effect of an almost natural image of water or sky is achieved.
Tissue
Despite the textile origin, the fabric is still processed with polymers and gains special strength..
Satin
They resemble satin in texture (the surface is slightly shiny), and if equipped with the appropriate pattern, it will be difficult to distinguish from fabric.
When choosing a stretch ceiling, you should take into account the environment. The style should match the design of the room.
Here are some examples.
Loft
A style that comes from industrial premises. He combines the incompatible: simplicity and exclusiveness, negligence and pragmatism. Searchlights could have arranged such a ceiling well. Favorite wall decoration is brickwork, work on which should be carried out before installing the ceiling.
High tech
Loves clear geometry and contrast. The ceilings are very flat and smooth. The same applies to plasterboard structures. Lighting works on the play of light and shadow. The walls are smooth, no frills.
Provence
The ceiling in this style is made of natural material. It should look perfect, but at the same time look simple. The colors are delicate, it is quite logical to decorate with an ornament. Wallpaper can be natural types and discreet tones. It’s good if the drawing matches the ceiling.
Pop Art
The style of cheerful youth. The ceiling will accept any, even chaotic images, as long as they are variegated. If the ceiling is bright, but monochromatic, all the riot of color should be taken over by the wallpaper..
Having familiarized yourself with the topic of the sequence of repair work, we can conclude that there are no universal recipes for this, and if there are, then the opposite. We’ll have to weigh the pros and cons and make a wise decision ourselves.
A few tips on this issue can be found in the following video..
