How to choose a ceiling plinth?

Many owners do not pay much attention to the final stages of repair, the main purpose of which is to emphasize the newly made design. One of such elements is the ceiling plinth, which, first of all, hides the gap between the ceiling and wallpaper, since very often the walls in our houses cannot boast of the absence of imperfections, roughnesses and bevels. In addition, the fillet for the ceiling is a decorative product, without which the ceiling will not have a complete look. That is why it is very important to understand the question of how to choose a ceiling plinth so that the design picture looks beautiful and harmonious.

to contents ↑

Material

Today, the building materials market offers a wide selection of ceiling skirting boards that vary in color, shape, and the material from which they are made. It is about the material that we will talk first of all.

Styrofoam

If you would like to finish the repair with minimal financial costs, then you should pay attention to the foam baguette. This material is the cheapest and easiest to install and process - for cutting, as a rule, a simple sharp knife is used.

Its disadvantages include:

• Fire hazard, because polystyrene is a combustible material, however, like wood.
• It should also be noted the low mechanical strength of this material. However, if you use a foam product strictly for its intended purpose (like a skirting board for a ceiling), then this characteristic should not be attributed to disadvantages.

Polystyrene

When considering how to choose a ceiling plinth, you can also pay attention to products made of polystyrene - they are produced by extrusion from raw materials. They have a more pronounced relief, with a flat and matte surface. This is a more durable analogue of the foam option.

Pros:

• An undoubted advantage in the use of such a skirting board is its low price, although in comparison with polystyrene it will still cost a little more.
• Another advantage of this material is that it does not support combustion - the fire goes out after a short amount of time.
• This material is much stronger than polystyrene foam, however, it can not be crushed with a random touch - it is well cut with an ordinary knife, which is why not only skirting boards, but also curbs are often made from such material.

Important! Polystyrene can not be called completely safe in terms of fires, because in the flame it still burns.

Polyurethane

Skirting boards made of this material are more flexible and durable than their polystyrene counterparts, since two components are used to create polyurethane foam, one of which is rubber. Therefore, choosing a ceiling plinth from this material, you will greatly facilitate the work associated with decorating a room in which there are many curved and broken lines.

All types of fillet for the ceiling made of polyurethane foam are resistant to temperature extremes and do not absorb moisture. In addition to flexibility and strength, the undoubted advantage of this material is its hygroscopicity. Therefore, such products can be used to equip ceilings in rooms such as a pool or bathroom.

Important! The main disadvantage is the higher cost compared to polystyrene products.

Polyvinyl chloride

The use of PVC ceiling fillets is considered the most economical option. These types of baguettes are made with a variety of color finishes and all kinds of patterns. They can imitate wood or marble.

Of the advantages it should be noted:

• low cost;
• hygroscopicity;
• wide range of colors;
• ease of installation.

Important! Among the shortcomings is that PVC skirting boards will not work out for repainting. In addition, they are afraid of high and low temperatures.

Wood

Choosing a ceiling plinth made of wood, you get the most expensive finish. Here the price range is quite wide - unpretentious spruce skirting boards and mahogany carvings will cost tens of times different in value.

Despite the high cost, there are enough disadvantages of such fillets:

• the most important disadvantage is the lack of ductility;
• these skirting boards are somewhat more difficult to process than their competitors;
• if the rest of the ceiling fillets cracks can be easily putty, then wood, especially noble species, does not tolerate errors.
• the tree undergoes decay, attacks by bugs, the growth of mold and deformations when humidity changes, therefore, when installing wooden ceiling skirtings, it is necessary to carry out antiseptic treatment and apply a couple of layers of varnish.

Gypsum

All the owners who started the repair and would like to get an answer to the question which ceiling plinth is better want to emphasize their individual style and refined taste. One of the methods of self-expression can be the use of gypsum stucco molding in the design.

This material is quite plastic - from it you can make real works of art. The advantages of such products in their high quality, durability, the ability to create an individual design and environmental friendliness.

Important! There are also disadvantages - this is a high price, fragility during installation and considerable weight.

to contents ↑

Application area

After we figured out the question, what kind of ceiling fillets are, depending on the material from which they are made, it is necessary to consider where a particular type is used, so that you can choose the right skirting board:

• PVC Products from this material are mainly used for homogeneous PVC lining. The purpose of such a skirting board is not only in the decoration of the plane - such a skirting board can simultaneously serve as a profile where the lining will be inserted. It is mounted on mounting brackets or screws.

Important! Plastic ceiling moldings are also suitable for stretch ceilings.

• Styrofoam. It is used exclusively for the decoration of false ceilings, false ceilings made of drywall and surfaces that were putty on a concrete slab. Foam products are installed on a solution of alabaster or putty.

Important! This type of fastening is very practical and convenient, as it is attached to a homogeneous material. In the future, it can be painted.

• Styrofoam. It can be used for surfaces made of plastic materials and plaster coating. This material is a fairly sociable compound, because of which its derivatives behave confidently in the process of fixing to glue or mounting on gypsum mortar. Which option to use will depend on the material from which the ceiling surface is made.
• Gypsum. Plaster skirting boards can be called a real classic of the genre. You can meet these decorative ornaments in the royal chambers, which were trimmed with the hand of the great master. Baguettes made of gypsum have been used for a very long time, and today such products act as a frame for curly molding. They are used not only as a frame for corners, but also as artistic elements in the overall composition. Installation of such products is carried out on gypsum mortars (putty, alabaster).
• Polyurethane. Ceiling skirting boards made of this material are usually used for plastic ceilings.In addition, surfaces and polyvinyl chloride lining and suspended ceilings are included in this list. Such products are attached to glue for PVC.
• Wood. Wooden ceiling fillets can also be classified as classic decorative elements. The method of fastening such strips is quite diverse - both glue and wooden or metal nails or screws can be used.

Important! Today, such baguettes are mainly used to frame floors, however, they are also used for ceilings, especially when the ceiling surface itself is finished with wood.

to contents ↑

Width

The standard length of ceiling skirting boards of almost any variety is 2 meters. In construction stores, you can see skirting boards with a width of 1 cm (sometimes less) to 20 cm.

When wondering which ceiling plinth to choose wide or narrow, you need to be very careful about its width. Let's take a closer look at when it is better to use wide products:

• A wide fillet will help to visually smooth the corners. The room will look more rounded, and therefore - soothing. The peculiarity of the human psyche is such that the roundness is calming.
• A wide baseboard allows you to mask all the irregularities and imperfections of the joints of walls and ceiling surfaces. The differences in the level of the ceiling height are most striking in the corners.
• If it is necessary to hide the joints of a suspended ceiling structure with walls, a wide baseboard will also come to the rescue.

Before giving preference to any particular model of ceiling moldings, it is necessary to understand for yourself that a person perceives the dimensions of a room on two horizontal surfaces, one of which is the ceiling:

• The wider the plinth takes away a large area from it, the smaller the room will appear.
• If the ceiling is quite low, then the skirting board should not be used too wide, because it will look too bulky. That is why in small rooms with low ceilings it is better to use thin skirting boards, since the overall elements can further reduce the height of the ceilings.

Important! For rooms with a high ceiling, it is better to choose baguettes with a height of at least 70 mm. If the height in the room is average (2.5-3 meters), then the optimum size of the plinth in height should be within 40-60 mm.

to contents ↑

Color

Once you have decided on its material and width when choosing a ceiling plinth, you should think about its color. Perhaps a universal baguette of white color will suit you, or maybe a bright ceiling plinth with backlight.

When choosing a color, it is advisable to adhere to the following recommendations:

• The baseboard is white, which, as a rule, matches the ceiling in color, makes it possible to make the room visually higher. Therefore, for rooms with lower ceilings, white baguettes will do just fine.
• The dark and wide baguette, which matches the color of the walls, makes the ceiling surface look smaller. Therefore, this version of the fillet is ideal for rooms with high ceilings.
• Remember that the room should not have more than three primary colors, otherwise - it will seem too colorful. However, black and white can be combined with any other color. In this case, black will visually make the room more crowded and dark.
• Ceiling baguettes in a contrasting color, for example, the color of bog oak in a room with light walls and a ceiling, with a sufficient ceiling height, will look very impressive. However, in this case, the contrasting tone of the skirting board should match the color with some other elements in the interior.

to contents ↑

The form

Finally, choosing a ceiling plinth according to the above characteristics, we got to the selection of its shape. The main question is whether it is necessary to give preference to a product with simple lines or is it better to purchase an artsy baguette with a complex pattern.

In this case, you should be guided by your taste, as well as an elementary sense of proportion:

• Too pathos and complex shapes are appropriate in the pompous decoration of the housing, which is stylized with expensive antique materials.

Important! Remember that the more complex the shape and relief of the skirting board for the ceiling, the more difficult it will be to adjust the angles of the baguette.

• Simple shapes and lines are considered more universal. Such products are suitable for almost any kind of decoration, merging with the ceiling and walls and without attracting too much attention.

to contents ↑

Stock footage

How to choose a ceiling plinth in the interior is up to you. In the modern construction market, ceiling fillets are presented in a huge assortment. You can make your choice both according to the design project, and in accordance with your own preferences and operational characteristics.