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If you need to quickly and inexpensively tidy up the ceiling, pay attention to the tiles made of foam or polystyrene. If you approach the matter correctly, you can get a very decent result. About how to glue the tiles on the ceiling correctly, what to use for this and we will talk further.
Types
If you look closely, for all its similarity, the tiles on the ceiling have significant differences. It’s not about the pattern and shape, but about the appearance – density, surface smoothness and other “little things” on which the appearance and service lines of this type of finish depend. This is explained by the use of different materials and technologies:
- extruded. The surface is smooth, without visible grains, the thickness is small 2-3 mm, the material itself is dense, it can be painted in different colors, including imitation of marble or wood. This type of tile is not painted on the ceiling – the paint “rolls off”. Made from expanded polystyrene. Easy to care for, easy to glue, but the cost of this type of ceiling tiles is high.
- Foam or stamped. It looks more loose, graininess is clearly visible. The surface is more porous, clogged with dirt, hard to care for. Therefore, after gluing, it is desirable to paint it, but not with a water-based emulsion, but with an acrylic dispersion. The thickness of the plates is 6-12 mm. The drawing is applied to a sheet of foam plastic under pressure – it is squeezed out. It is inconvenient to work with it – it often breaks, crumpled. When purchasing, take at least 10% of the stock. Its advantage is the lowest price.
Types of ceiling tiles by production method - Injection tiles. Expanded polystyrene is “baked” in a special form. The main difference is a clear pattern. For the price and characteristics – the average between those described above. It’s nice to work with and can be painted if desired.
The easiest way to glue and care for extruded polystyrene tiles. The second in quality is injection, and the most “capricious” in maintenance and installation is stamped. Now you can choose the type of tile yourself, but there is still an appearance.
Ceiling tiles are most often produced in the form of squares with a side of 5o cm. There are non-standard options – rectangular. According to the type of surface, there are tiles with a piping that forms a clear seam at the junction, there are seamless options. The edges of seamless slabs can be straight or curved.
The principle of gluing does not change depending on the type of edge, only the appearance of the product changes. There are a lot of design options for this type of finishing materials. There are geometric, floral, without a pattern, or with a variety of relief. In general, there are a lot of options.
Calculation of quantity and features of choice
Before gluing tiles to the ceiling, you need to calculate its quantity. It is not difficult. Most often, it is produced with a side of 50 cm. This means that there are 1 tiles per 4 square meter. If you know the area of the room, you can easily determine the required number of tiles: multiply the area by 4. For example, the room has dimensions of 3,2 m * 2,8 m. The total area is 8,96 m2. Rounding up, we get 9 m2. To calculate the number of tiles, multiply by 4: 4 pcs * 9 m2 = 36 pcs. It will take some more trimming, part may be broken. Therefore, we increase the total number by several pieces. How much specifically – you need to look at the layout, but usually 10-20% of the stock is enough.
To make foam board ceilings look beautiful, when choosing a material, pay attention not only to the appearance and type. Carefully evaluate the geometry: all tiles should be the same size, the same thickness, the corners should be exactly 90 °. The quality of the drawing should be stable, clear, there should be no sags or inhomogeneities on the side faces. If you choose pressed boards, pay attention to the size of the “grain”. The smaller it is, the better.
What to glue
Most often, ceiling tiles are glued to glue such as “Titan”, “Naset”, “Moment” or liquid nails. All of them are not bad, but with their use it is necessary to hold the tile for a while. You have to hold from 3-5 seconds to several tens, and this is not very convenient. The Moment “grabs” the fastest of all, but it is not ideal either: you have to withstand the applied glue in the air for some time.
In addition to these compositions, there are mastics for ceiling tiles. They are sold in small buckets, they are a paste. It is easier to work with this type of adhesive compositions, as they are more “sticky”. The tile smeared with this composition sticks to the ceiling, it does not need to be kept for as long as it is lubricated with ordinary glue.
All of the above options are for flat or nearly flat ceilings. Where there are differences (joints of plates), this method is not suitable. If the ceiling is uneven, you can glue the tiles on gypsum putty) or Perlfix type glue. Starting or finishing composition – depends on the required layer, the finish is suitable if the height difference is no more than 5 mm, with a larger layer, take the starting one, but it is better to pre-level such a ceiling or use another system (for example, Armstrong is also inexpensive and fast a way to clean up a frankly crooked ceiling).
Both of these materials allow you to simultaneously level the ceiling and glue the ceiling tiles. Only the method of gluing changes, and dramatically (more on this below).
Substrate preparation
Before gluing tiles to the ceiling, the surface must be prepared. To begin with, we remove everything that can fall off. If there is a significant layer of whitewash on the ceiling, it is better to remove it – the ceiling tile, although it weighs little, can eventually fall along with the whitewash. Therefore, we clean it with a spatula in a dry form or wash it off with water. If large “craters” have formed during the stripping process, it is better to repair them. It is easier to use the starting putty or the remains of any plaster composition for this.
If the base is loose, loose, you can not do without a primer. For concrete, it is better to choose “betonokontakt”, for a gypsum base – any composition of deep penetration. After drying, you can start gluing polystyrene or foam tiles to the ceiling.
Placement and layout methods
Squares on the ceiling made of foam or polystyrene are placed with edges along the walls or diagonally. When gluing diagonally, the consumption of material is greater – more trimmings and not all of them can be used, but visually it looks better – it is more difficult to notice the seams.
Gluing most often starts from the chandelier. In this case, it is easier to “fit in” it, since the edges of the plates can be cut a little, and the resulting gap will then close the cartridge from the chandelier. But not all rooms have a chandelier – often there are several lamps and they can be located on the walls. Then they start gluing from one of the walls, most often from the opposite entrance. With this approach, most likely the extreme row will be cut off, and near the entrance it will not be so noticeable.
If you need to glue tiles on the ceiling from the chandelier, markup is required. In a square room, everything is simple – we find the center, we start from it. To do this, we take a paint cord, one end to one corner, the other to the opposite, pulling the cord and releasing, we get a line on the ceiling. We repeat the operation with another pair of corners. The center was found, it is easy to glue tiles from it. For diagonal gluing, there are already guides, and for parallel gluing, you will have to make two more strips – through the center to opposite walls (in the figure above).
But this is a very rare case. More often the rooms are rectangular, and the chandelier is not located in the middle of the ceiling. Therefore, more complex markup will have to be done.
To begin with, we also find the center of the room (painting cord diagonally). If it coincides with the place where the chandelier is attached, great, we “dance” from it. If not, we shift the starting point to the chandelier. Further markup is the same. We measure the distance from the starting point of installation to the nearest wall. Using this value, draw the squares as shown in the picture above (use the masking line). After drawing the diagonals, we get guides for laying flow tiles. On them we level the edge of the first row. The more precisely we set this row, the easier it will be to glue the tiles on the ceiling further.
How to glue tiles on the ceiling: two technologies
Styrofoam or polystyrene tiles on the ceiling are attractive because they allow you to quickly and cost-effectively put in order a far from ideal ceiling. If the ceiling is relatively even, the tiles are glued to a special glue. It is applied in a thin layer, but provides a secure fixation.
With uneven ceilings, this method will not work: the tile simply will not stick with large differences or the view will be deplorable. leveling is not always the time, desire or opportunity. Moreover, often this finishing option is considered as temporary, then planning to make a suspended or stretch ceiling. Therefore, it makes no sense to waste time and money. In this case, another technology is used – on the adhesive composition for drywall or putty. They work no worse than glue, at the same time leveling the base.
Before starting work, unpack all the material, make sure that it is the same color, size. If there are bumps, sagging, they are cut off with a blade or a sharp knife. Now you can proceed to the installation of ceiling tiles on the ceiling.
How to stick on a flat ceiling
If the ceiling is even, ordinary glue for polystyrene or foam tiles is used, the technology is as follows:
- We spread a thin strip of glue around the perimeter of the square and diagonally. The edges of the tiles do not need to be coated.
- We put the tile in place, smooth it with our hands.
- We hold for some time – until the glue “grabs”.
- Do the same with the next tile. We apply it to the edge already glued, if necessary, we combine the pattern, after which we press the rest of it. Docking should be carried out as accurately and accurately as possible so that steps do not subsequently form. Align the edges to the nearest millimeter.
The main thing is to combine the edges and pattern - Repeat with the rest of the fragments.
- If necessary, tiles on the ceiling can be cut. Do it conveniently
As you can see, everything is very simple and these are all the rules for how to glue tiles on the ceiling. Only one caveat: you need to press one square to another tightly. If you have already glued it, but there is a gap, you can move it by pressing a wooden plank to the free edge. When you try to do it with your hands, you can break the foam or polystyrene, and it’s easier to achieve what you want with a flat bar.
If the ceiling is uneven
If the ceiling has significant irregularities, gluing tiles to ordinary glue will not work. To remove significant differences, use drywall glue or putty. The mixture is diluted to a pasty state, applied to the ceiling, grooves are formed using a notched trowel. The amount of glue depends on the overall curvature, but it is advisable to start with a minimum layer. The area on which glue is applied at a time is approximately 4 fragments. During this time, the composition will not have time to grab, and it is not difficult to align such a fragment.
A tile is laid on a layer of glue. It sticks well, moves without problems. Aligning the edges of the stacked fragments, take the rule or the building level (preferably one and a half meters) and set the tiles in the same plane. Just press the fragments harder in the right place.
Then the composition is again applied to the ceiling, and, again, about 4 tiles. All of them are set in the same plane, or at least so that there are no sharp drops. Only in this case it is necessary to ensure that the necessary layer of glue does not grow too quickly – it is better not to apply more than 3-5 mm, otherwise everything will fall.
Cleaning and Sealing
You know how to glue tiles on the ceiling, but there are some nuances left, without knowing which a worthy result is unattainable. When working on the front side of the tile, the adhesive composition often gets. It must be removed immediately and completely. You can use a sponge or a soft non-shedding cloth. Wipe the surface immediately after putting the fragment in place. After a few minutes, this will no longer be possible and traces will remain. Therefore, while working, keep a bucket of water and a sponge / rag at hand.
If there are small voids between the plates, you can fill them with the same mastic or putty (if it is white), just remove the excess immediately. Another option is white acrylic sealant. It perfectly masks all the cracks, adheres well to polystyrene foam and polystyrene. Thin cracks can be filled with a rubber spatula, and the excess can also be wiped immediately with a damp cloth.