Ceiling in the bathroom - which one to choose?

Bathroom - a room that requires special attention. The reason is not in its design, but in the choice of the finishing method. Today a large number of various building and finishing materials is available, which makes your choice even more difficult. Ceiling in the bathroom - which one to choose? If you decide to tackle the ceiling in the bathroom, then be sure to consider all the existing options, get acquainted with their advantages and disadvantages in order to stay at the best option for you. Only after well-thought-out moments can you choose the most suitable way to finish the ceiling. It is in our article that we will answer all your questions on this topic. Stay tuned to find out a lot of useful information!

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What ceiling to make in the bathroom?

The difference between the bathroom and the rest of the rooms is increased humidity. Finishing material suffers, first of all, from the influence of the lower level: sweating humidity, water vapor, shower sprays and forever wet pipes. Often in a multi-storey building there may be leakage from neighbors living on top. Not all finishing materials can withstand such conditions.

When choosing materials for the ceiling, you must understand how it should be for this particular room:

• Moisture resistant. Any coating that does not have this important quality, no matter how beautiful it may be, will very quickly lose its attractive appearance, which will lead to a complete alteration of the ceiling.
• Long lasting. Finishing material should last you at least 5-7 years. Otherwise, it is simply impractical to use it for the ceiling in the bathroom, because frequent repairs are troublesome and very expensive.
• Attractive. The ceiling surface must be made beautifully, because the overall picture of the entire interior depends on its design. It is desirable that its design is consistent with the overall style and color of the bathroom.
• Reasonable cost. This does not mean that you need to stay on the most economical option, which is likely to disappoint you. You need to choose the best option for quality and pricing just for you.
• Safe. The materials used must not only be moisture resistant, but also withstand high temperatures. That is, to be environmentally friendly and not afraid of various environmental influences.
• Possibility of easy access. It often happens that you want to add some built-in elements, for example, a lamp into the ceiling structure. Choose a finishing material that does not block your access to removing a small part of the structure.

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What to make a ceiling in a bathroom?

Before starting the repair, I want to choose a finish option that would give a positive result and would not hit my wallet hard. According to experts, you need to choose from the following methods presented below.

Putty for painting

The most traditional version of the ceiling, and not only. Everything is done very simply: first the surface is leveled, and then its coloring occurs.

The main advantages of this method:

• Affordable price.
• The simplicity of the entire work process, which makes it possible to do the finishing yourself.
• Easy to care.

Important! If you choose the right paint, then this method of decoration will last on the surface for up to 10 years. In any case, someday there will be a stain that will absorb dirt, and the ceiling will have to be repainted.

The disadvantages of this option are much greater than the advantages:

• Say what you like, but the painted ceiling looks very simple and primitive.
• This method can be used if you have a completely flat ceiling. Otherwise, you will need to align it additionally, and this will take a large amount of time.
• The procedure for applying putty involves applying a large amount of the composition, which in the bathroom, sooner or later, may crack and crumble.
• To make the coating beautiful and last you a long time, it is very important to choose the right dye. In this case, it is strictly forbidden to use calcareous or chalk whitewash. From the slightest humidity, it becomes covered with spots and will be a great place for the propagation of fungus and other unpleasant surprises. After puttying, we do not recommend applying oil enamel, which quickly turns yellow in the bathroom and collapses. As a dye, it is better to use latex or water-dispersion paint, which is well suited for damp rooms.
• In such a design, you can not hide communications or mount lighting. At the slightest repair work, the ceiling structure will simply crack, and you will have to do it again.

Styrofoam Tile

Many who were thinking about what ceiling to make in the bathroom settled on this method. To do the job, all you have to do is stick the polystyrene tile onto the ceiling surface.

Advantages of this method:

• Easy to install. Expanded polystyrene is a pretty good choice, which does not require special skills and preparation. Any uneven area can be skillfully hidden by placing a small piece of material of the desired height. Tiles can be easily glued around the corners with special building glue.
• Long term of operation. If you do everything right and you do not have random force majeure circumstances, then the tiled coating will last about 5 years. To do this, you need to choose moisture-resistant boards with a protective film.
• Large assortment, various colors, textures and material designs.
• Easy to care.
• Low cost.

Let's look at the cons:

• The seams between the polystyrene boards are very noticeable. That is why such a finish significantly loses before seamless coatings.
• The tile quickly ignites and burns, releasing hazardous substances for human life.

PVC panels

For this method, you need to install a wooden frame made of bars or a galvanized profile, on which plastic panels will be mounted.

What are the advantages of this method of decorating the ceiling in the bathroom:

• Easy to install. Installing the finish is not so difficult as it seems at first glance. The most difficult process will be the manufacture of a special frame for the slab.
• The plastic coating is very well in contact with moisture, so the problems of getting wet or other damage to the material are completely eliminated.
• Large selection of textures and color schemes of panels. At the moment, PVC plates imitating stone, wood, fabric, mosaic and others are on sale. Mirror plates with various effects are very popular.

The method has some disadvantages:

• Due to the installed frame, the height of the bathroom will decrease.
• PVC material refers to combustible materials and, like expanded polystyrene, emits toxic substances during combustion.

Wood slabs

We went to understand further on the issue, the ceiling in the bathroom - what better to do. We went to the wood trim. Many people like this option to finish the ceiling in their bathroom. The fastening system is exactly the same as in the previous method: wooden panels are fixed to the installed frame.

Important! The reliability of such a coating depends on the characteristics of the wood used.

Advantages of wood finishes:

• High strength material.
• Easy to care.
• Attractive appearance.

Deficiencies can only occur if the step-by-step instructions for installing a wooden ceiling for the bathroom are violated. This material has increased hygroscopicity, so the mandatory procedure is the application of waterproof varnish.

Important! Before installing wood panels, make sure that the bathroom is well ventilated and ventilated.

Rack cover

It is a suspension type structure, which consists of narrow long panels. Lamels can be very different - aluminum, steel or plastic. Accordingly, the characteristics of the finished ceiling coating will depend on the material of the panels.

Important! We recommend staying on aluminum elements. They are waterproof, not susceptible to corrosion, produced in a wide variety of colors and designs.

The advantages of this design:

• Pretty simple installation, which can make even the most inexperienced master.
• The ability to install built-in lighting and masking communications.
• Easy to clean.
• Excellent sound absorption.
• Large selection of colors, textures and variations of lamellas.
• Flexible elements make it possible to manufacture panels of the most various shapes, which makes it possible to perform ceiling coating of the most complex configuration.

Consider the disadvantages of such a system:

• Reducing the height of the bathroom ceiling.
• The possibility of corrosion of steel structural parts is not excluded.
• Unusual appearance, which is not suitable for every design.
• The high cost of aluminum coating parts.

Drywall Ceiling

The pendant coating of this material is a wooden or metal frame construction on which plasterboard sheets are fixed. Since the material consists of two sheets of cardboard connected by compressed gypsum, only moisture resistant options should be chosen. They are marked with the label GKLV, which has a green color. Moisture-resistant drywall has a lot of weight, which also needs to be paid attention to.

Important! For such ceilings, it is better to use not plasterboard, but glass-magnetic sheets or LSUs. This material is not too well-known, but was distinguished by positive reviews not only from specialists, but also from users. It fully meets all the requirements of GKL: it bends perfectly, is easy to install and very durable. It is mounted in the same way as plasterboard panels.

Pluses of the plasterboard ceiling:

• No need to prepare the base - you can assemble the frame on any ceiling.
• Reliability and structural strength.
• There is the possibility of installing communications masking and installing fixtures.
• Beautiful appearance.
• Long term operation period.
• Ability to install multi-level ceilings.

Cons of drywall construction:

• The need for additional decoration of drywall sheets. After installation, the entire ceiling surface must be puttied and painted.
• Complex material installation. If you plan to make a multi-level ceiling system, then entrust this business to a professional.
• Such a coating “steals” the height of the bathroom.
• Large cash costs in case of complex variations of this type of finish.

Stretch ceiling

This is the kind of finish that allows you to achieve the most even surface of the ceiling. The coating is based on a special material based on vinyl. Available in different colors and two main textures - glossy and matte:

• In the first embodiment, the surface reflects objects placed on the floor, visually expanding the room.
• In the second, it imitates fabric or plaster.

Important! It looks very interesting combined finish with glossy and matte film.The ceiling with color photo printing, original decor and various decorations looks no less impressive.

The main advantages of suspended ceilings:

• Quick installation. Only specialists with special equipment can install such a coating.
• The film ceiling is not covered by fungus and other microorganisms.
• Condensation does not settle on the stretch ceiling, since the film warms up very quickly to the desired bathroom temperature. It is able to withstand up to 50 degrees C, while not being hurt.
• The canvas is very elastic. In case of water leakage from neighbors, the film is removed by specialists and quickly installed in its original place.

Important! The stretch ceiling can withstand up to 100 kg of water per 1 square. m. of material.

• The coating is easy to care for. To do this, just hold a soft cloth and all dirt will be removed.
• The service life of such a tension coating is about 15 years.

The disadvantages include the following:

• The high cost of the material.
• Lack of self-assembly.
• The stretch film may be damaged by any sharp object.
• Over time, around incorrectly selected fixtures there is a risk of yellow spots that cannot be eliminated.

So think carefully about the best ceiling in the bathroom. Perhaps this option is not entirely suitable for you.

Mirror ceiling

Such a coating is directly related to modular systems that are mounted on a specially assembled frame. This ceiling looks very impressive.

Pros:

• Such a surface is quite simple to install thanks to pre-prepared boards.
• The ceiling does not need to be additionally painted or finished.
• Mirror plates on the ceiling visually expand the space of the bathroom, which makes it taller.
• The mirror surface is very hygienic. It does not breed bacteria and mold.
• If necessary, you can easily replace a damaged plate.

Cons of mirror coating:

• The mirror ceiling is not suitable for rooms with a small area.
• Such a “cold” coating will not make the bathroom warm and cozy.
• Mirror tiles are expensive.
• You cannot install mirror plates yourself.
• Caring for the material is quite difficult. Periodically, you need to not only wipe, but also polish the surface so that there are no stains.

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Stock footage

We have shared with you information on the basic methods of decorating the ceiling in the bathroom. What ceilings are best done in the bathroom - it's up to you. Think about what you want, if you could do it yourself, and how much you have. We have no doubt that your repair will be successful!