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One of the most effective design techniques is the use of lighting effects. Often it is the light that gives zest to the interior. Backlit plasterboard ceiling is one of the most common options. It is good because, if desired, you can make it yourself, with your own hands.
The main design differences
Plasterboard ceiling lighting can be hidden and open. Open – spotlights that are fully or partially visible. Hidden is called so because only its radiation is visible. Therefore, when installing a plasterboard ceiling with hidden lighting, the lower level boxes are made with a shelf on which the lighting fixtures are placed.
This shelf can be open or closed and, depending on this, and the position of the light sources changes the width and brightness of the strip of light on the ceiling.
Illumination box design
To make such a box for lighting the ceiling, two types of profiles are needed:
- UD – guides. They are mounted on the ceiling and on the wall, also in the middle of the structure and at the place where the side is attached, if provided.
- CD – bearing profile of greater rigidity. Racks and lintels are made of it, to which a drywall sheet is attached.
The design of the box for highlighting the plasterboard ceiling
In the version shown in the photo above, the shelf does not rest on anything. The rigidity of the GKL itself is enough to keep a light backlight. In this case, the weight of the lighting elements must be taken into account. The heaviest are fluorescent lamps, but they have been practically not used recently, as there are other options that are more economical in energy consumption and easier to install (LED strips, duralight).
There is a second design. Here the shelf extension rests on elongated crossbars. If the previous design seems unreliable to you, you can do this. Only in this case a little more carrier profile will be required. In the photo – an example of the organization of a two-level flow of plasterboard with backlight.
Exactly the same scheme can be implemented in a single-level version. If your main ceiling is in good condition, you can only make a box around the perimeter. An example of an assembled frame for highlighting is below. It remains to make the inner side, and hem the frame from the bottom.
A backlit plasterboard ceiling does not always have straight lines. They are simply the easiest to implement. But the same schemes are made with curved lines. Very beautiful false ceilings turn out.
Only at large distances from the load-bearing walls, it is necessary to additionally fix the load-bearing profile either to the ceiling or to the profiles of the previous level. It is more convenient to do this with suspensions.
Sources of light
When planning to highlight plasterboard ceilings, we must remember that this is not lighting at all, but only a way to decorate the room. The flow of light is scattered. Initially, it is welded onto the ceiling, and then into the room. And adds almost nothing to the overall illumination of the room. With its help, you can visually “raise” the ceiling, make it one of the components of the interior, but this element cannot be considered lighting. Lighting will have to be taken care of separately: install built-in lamps, wall or traditional chandeliers.
Backlighting can be done using different light sources, but recently three types have been used:
- LED
- tape;
- it lasts.
- Neon tubes.
LED strips and duralight
This is a series of LEDs mounted in series. Their peculiarity is that they are powered by 12 V or 24 V. This power can be provided using an adapter that converts the 220 V household mains voltage to a lower one. There are monochrome glow tapes (white, red, blue, green) which, when labeled, are designated SMD or universal RGB.
Monochrome always emit one color, the color of universal can change. RGB tapes work only with the controller and the control panel. On command from the control panel, they change the shade (the number of colors can be different – from tens to hundreds), in some models the intensity of the glow can also change.
According to the type of execution, LED strips are:
- Ordinary. They do not have a protective coating, they can only be used in dry rooms.
- Waterproof. Their surface is varnished. Can be used to illuminate wet areas – kitchens, bathrooms.
- Moisture resistant. They are sealed in a polymer tube (called duralight) or cases. They are rarely used to illuminate rooms, more often – in aquariums, pools, etc.
The choice is clear here. Choose the type of tape depending on the conditions of the room. You can read more about types, colors, markings, connections here, and we’ll talk about what good or bad LEDs are in the backlight.
First about the benefits:
- Small power consumption. They are very economical. Given that this is only decoration, I don’t want to lay out large sums for its maintenance.
- They don’t get warm. Only the power supply can heat up, the LEDs themselves do not heat up. This is important if the ceiling is wooden.
- Long service life. Counted in thousands of hours. With a normal power supply, they burn out very rarely (do not exceed the current for which they are intended).
- Low price. Tape SMD 35 * 28 5 meters long and 120 pcs / m density costs about $ 2-3. About the same amount you have to pay for the adapter. True, these are the prices of Aliexpress. In stores, everything is much more expensive (2-3 times), although you won’t go broke either.
- Easy installation. Adhesive is applied to the back of the tape. Remove the protective layer and stick in the right place. If the surface is rough, you can “shoot” with staples from a construction stapler, but it is better not to punch the tape itself.
Now for the disadvantages. First, and most important: LEDs hard highlight all the flaws in the surface. Therefore, the requirements for the quality of the ceiling finish are very high. The second minus: the presence of adapters. They need to be built somewhere. That’s probably all.
neon tubes
These are glass tubes filled with a mixture of inert and luminous gases. The brightness of the glow changes when the current strength changes, which is regulated by the convector. These devices are installed every 5 meters, their power consumption is about 100 W, they do not make noise during operation.
Also, a step-up transformer is needed for operation: normal voltage is not enough for neon to work. Transformers are installed every 6 meters. But they can hum during operation, and also get warm and electricity, of course, “pulls” pretty well. The whole system as a whole consumes a fairly large amount of electricity, which, combined with the fragility of the tubes and the rather high complexity of installation, makes it not very attractive compared to LEDs.
But neon cords have recently appeared. They come immediately with the controller and all you need is to press a button. They work on finger batteries. But the power of such lighting for the ceiling is definitely not enough. They can be used in tandem with LEDs to illuminate interior details.
Installation of ceiling lighting around the perimeter with step by step photos
The main ceiling in this version was puttied, so the first tier was not made. They attached only a box around the perimeter: the height is already small and 7-8 cm, which are necessary for the organization of the suspension, are critical.
A place for a cornice was left near the window, the width of the box is 60 cm, it is lowered by 12 cm relative to the main ceiling, the height of the side is about 5 cm, the protruding part is 6 cm, roundings are made in the corners.
The first method was chosen – a step under the backlight without support. Since the backlight is planned from a conventional LED strip, its carrying capacity is more than enough.
First make markings on the ceiling. All given dimensions are set aside, lines are drawn with a masking cord. Please note that the line on the ceiling is laid at a distance of 54 cm, and not 60 cm, as in the first diagram. It is obtained taking into account the fact that the step is advanced forward by 6 cm.
When drawing roundings, their center is made not in the place where the profile is attached, but taking into account the protruding step: this way the element turns out to be more expressive.
Profile guides (CD or PNP in the marking) are attached along the drawn lines. They fastened to the dowels in 50 cm increments. They drilled immediately, through the metal. Having installed the plug, they twisted the dowel-nail.
Where it is necessary to form a rounding, the walls (sidewalls) of the profile are cut, the back remains intact. After that, the profile can be laid out in a circle.
On the front side, to the guide profile on the ceiling, we fasten and fasten a strip of drywall 12 cm wide. This will be the back side of our box. We fasten it around the entire perimeter with self-tapping screws with a screw at a distance of about 10 cm.
On the back side of the installed side, we fix vertical racks from the CD (ceiling) profile. Their length is small – 9,8 cm (12 cm box height, minus 1 cm for the installation of profiles, and another minus 1,2 cm thickness of the plasterboard, screwed from below).
In each segment, the lower part is trimmed. The side walls are removed so that another guide profile can be screwed on. As a result, its lower shelf should be flush with the profile screwed to the wall. The step of installing vertical racks is about 40-50 cm.
The next step: we fasten the PNP profile that goes along the bottom of the boot. It is also installed on self-tapping screws in increments of 10-12 cm.
Next, we proceed to the installation of horizontal jumpers, on which the GKL sheet will be held, covering the box from below.
They connect two guide profiles: one that is screwed to the wall and one that is attached to the main ledge. They are made from a carrier profile in increments of 40-50 cm.
Let’s start making rounds. In order for the strip to bend along the required trajectory, we take a strip of drywall with a width of about 15 cm. We cut it in 5 cm increments and break the plaster. It turned out pieces of gypsum, which are held on cardboard.
Now we attach such pieces to the profile. For each fragment – one self-tapping screw, approximately in the middle of the width, so as not to burst.
Using a laser level, we transfer the height markings to the inside. If there is no laser level, use a water level and draw a line with a pencil.
Then we take a piece of the carrier profile 9,8 cm long, we just cut it both from above and below. Approximately in the middle of the arc, we start one edge behind the profile, fasten it with a self-tapping screw.
Then we take a piece of profile cut into fragments (as we did when forming a circle on the ceiling) and fasten it along the mark.
Now the extra pieces of drywall can be removed. They are cut to a level with the lower edge of the profile, carefully cutting the paper and breaking off small fragments.
The next step in making a backlit drywall ceiling is putty. The ceiling and the main side are puttied. This is the most convenient moment for this. Later, the filing from below and the protruding cornice will interfere.
Next, we begin to hem the box from the bottom. Strip width – 60 cm. We cut and fasten with self-tapping screws. The procedure for working with drywall is standard. Some explanations are required only for sewing corners.
It is most convenient to cut out a square, then cut it off on one side. First we screw it in straight lines. Then, gradually, in an arc, drawing the desired shape of the edge.
First you can draw, then bite off in small pieces along this line. Smooth out irregularities with a wallpaper knife.
Next, we fasten the guide profile. An additional side will be attached to it, which will cover the backlight.
No news: for rounding, we cut the sidewalls, bend them with the desired diameter and put them in place, fixing them with self-tapping screws.
If you plan to make LED lighting for a plasterboard ceiling, it’s time to attach the tape. Then it will be very uncomfortable. It is glued in the right place, if necessary, setting some kind of inclined plane.
Next, a strip of drywall 5 cm wide is attached to the profile. Of the features, the fastening is in the middle, and not above and below: the height is too small. Bends are also made familiar. We cut the strip every 4-5 cm, break the plaster and fasten it.
In this embodiment, to facilitate the work and give the ceiling a finished look, fillets (ceiling plinth) are glued to the side. Similar ones are glued at the junction of the box and the wall.
Now it remains to putty everything and achieve a smooth surface. Almost everything. The plasterboard ceiling with lighting is ready, it remains to install the backlight itself. And it can be different.
Another option can be seen in video format, but with working backlight.
The installation of a two-level stream is demonstrated in the following video. The steps are shown schematically, but the assembly of the first level is clear. So that might be helpful.