What about a ceiling whose color or pattern you can change in just 3 hours and can also provide maximum protection against flooding from above?
At a first glance, it seems something impossible but they exist and are not something new. So called stretch ceilings have first appeared in ancient Rome and Greece, and were upholstered in cloth or silk to hide the small imperfections of the construction.
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The French were the ones who perfected this technique in the ’60s and invented the technology that underlies the stretch ceilings today. In fact, they are simply suspended ceilings consisting of two main elements:
a) Perimeter profile (perimeter track);
b) Extensible membrane (a very lightweight fabric membrane);
The extensible membrane can be stretched and clipped into the perimeter track. It can cover flat or even curved surfaces. In fact, this stretch ceiling system can be successfully used for other applications such as wall coverings, exhibitions, floating panels, creating shapes and light diffusers. Perhaps, this technology is the most modern and simply way to decorate a ceiling surface.
After stretching the membrane that will finally create the false ceiling of the room you are redecorating, you can install the lighting fixtures, alarms and ventilation equipment. Installation can take between 3 and 5 hours, depending on room size and complexity of the design you want to achieve it.
In case of accidental water leakage, the elastic membrane can support up to 100 liters per square meter, thus protecting furniture and other objects inside your home.
So, besides aesthetics this elastic membrane has a protective role. In addition, a stretch ceiling is non-toxic, mold resistant, anti-static (dust) and because its assembly is clean, it is not required a special protection for the room objects.
After installation, you can have easily access to the space located between the old ceiling and the stretch ceiling, because the PVC membrane can be removed temporarily and reinstall it in the original configuration with ease.
Efficiency and aesthetics of these ceilings are unparalleled. Stretch Ceilings are available in hundreds of colors and finishes capable to satisfy even the most demanding requirements of interior designers, offering different finally surface types – matte, glossy, metallic, translucent and artistic (printed ceilings with images) and all possible combinations of colors. Stretch ceilings can get a perfectly flat and smooth surface of the ceiling, but also can create curved surfaces (cone, waves, overlapping planes etc.).
Plastering a Room Ceiling | How To Build A House (howtobuildahouseblog.com)