Stretch ceiling on the balcony and loggia: types, pros and cons

In residential premises, tension-type constructions are quite common, since they give the ceilings a much smoother surface, which helps to hide from prying eyes the defects of old ceiling ceilings. If you have a great desire to equip a suspended ceiling on your balcony or loggia, it is worth considering the features of this design solution, temperature characteristics and the size of the available space.

The balcony is, in fact, a small kind of platform, which is mounted on the ledge of the slab emerging from the wall of the building. Usually it has a fence in the form of gratings made of metal or other materials. If the balcony has not been insulated, then it will be constantly cold on it, for this reason most modern balconies are insulated and glazed without fail.

On the insulated balcony, you can easily use any kind of tension profile. Reviews that stretch-type ceilings are inappropriate on balconies are outdated and unprofessional.

Consider the pros and cons of choosing tension structures on balconies. Among the advantages, the following can be distinguished.

• Installation is quick enough. It will not require laborious manipulations - puttying, painting or priming.
• Aesthetic look. The end result of such an installation will always look very beautiful.
• Long service life. The main thing here is to observe all operating conditions, and then the product will last more than 10 years.
• Production application eco-friendly materials.
• Practicality. Dust will not accumulate on such a surface, so you will not need to clean these ceilings too often.
• Thermal insulation. When installed between the ceiling and the canvas, a layer of air will begin to form - it will provide the best heating of the room.
• A variety of stylish solutions. You will be offered a huge selection of paintings of any possible color and texture. Popular shades can be combined, put photo printing on the canvas or order the creation of a design from several levels.

Cons of technology.

• High price. Other popular types of coatings will require much lower material costs.
• The need to contact specialists. If you do not have the skill of installing suspended ceilings, it is better not to engage in amateur performances in your own home.
• High chance of accidental coating damage. On the one hand, the canvas will have a high degree of strength, and on the other, it can easily be ruined by any pointed object, especially if you use your balcony as a temporary warehouse for unnecessary things.
• It is necessary to observe certain temperature conditions. Not all products can be installed on cold loggias.

For the release of tension products, a PVC film or a polyester fabric is used. Not every specialist will immediately notice the external differences between them, but a closer look reveals a significant difference.

This polymer film is made of a very strong and extremely flexible material, which can easily be stretched when heated. It was this characteristic that at one time formed the basis of the new technology for installing PVC-cloths as ceiling structures. PVC films are produced strictly according to individual sizes. Typically, the dimensions of the film are made 8-9% less than the area of ​​the ceiling.

During installation, the canvas should be heated to approximately 70 C using a heat gun, then it is stretched to the required parameters. Companies producing this film are ready to offer an extensive assortment of diverse colors, shades and patterns. Even with active use, they will not lose their saturation.

For all its obvious positive aspects, the vinyl sheet will also have a number of negative aspects, which just limit its operation on balconies and loggias. The most significant minus - lack of frost resistance. When the outside temperature drops to minus indicators, this film loses its elasticity, acquires increased fragility and begins to crack even from an insignificant effect. However, all this will not matter if the PVC sheet is used on a warm balcony.

In addition, PVC sheets have their own varieties.

• Glossy (varnished). They differ in that they have the ability to reflect light and allow glare to be created. You can even find ultra-gloss products that will reflect all 100% of the world.

• Matt These coatings are characterized by a complete absence of glare, although they will reflect light. Matte products are also offered in a rich assortment, but most often in light colors, because darkened matte designs are not very popular.

• Satin. This is a special subspecies of paintings. In texture, this is something between a gloss and a matte surface. They can not create bright reflections, but have the ability to overflow with mother of pearl. On sale you can find only the light colors of such products.

• Textured - This is an imitation of the texture of various popular materials (leather or wood, mosaics or cloth, ceramics or metal). You can apply a color photo or image (sky, leaves, landscapes) to this product.

This canvas is made of polyester yarns, and then specially impregnated with a polyurethane mixture. A separate adjustment of the canvas is not necessary. The material is sold in wide rolls and during installation it is pulled without heating. Color variations here are more modest, and prints do not look as catchy as on PVC products.

But on this product you can apply stylish images with acrylic. These structures can be safely placed on cold balconies, since they are not afraid of frost and even retain their unique properties even in very cold winters. Also, this fabric is almost impossible to spoil with a pointed object.

Stretch webs are fixed with special profiles that are mounted around the perimeter of the entire ceiling and hold the edges of the film, thus keeping it stretched.

It can be found most often, but it is suitable only for PVC products. Along the perimeter of the structure is a rim of plastic in the form of a harpoon, which helps her firmly hold onto the profile.

Harpoon is welded to the canvas, precisely because the place of their connection has an integral appearance and is considered completely reliable. The profile is fixed on the wall or ceiling with special screws. The harpoon edge must be brought into the seat with a special spatula. The stretch should go along with heating the canvas all the time, for this the master uses a heat gun. The gap between the ceiling and the wall that appears after installation will be neatly closed by a beautiful decorative insert made of plastic.

The advantage of this technology is that the canvas is removable. And that means that the tension product on the balcony or loggia can be safely removed at the right time, for example, to get to the wiring hidden above it or other types of communications, and then put it back in place.

This is one of the popular types of harpoon mounting. Installation is carried out using special soldering made of plastic around the perimeter of the entire product. The main difference from the harpoon version is that here the canvas will fit snugly against the wall, and therefore the insert will not be used to hide the gap.

With this installation, the profile will play the role of a “clothespin”. The harpoon must be carefully pushed into the seat, where it is firmly clamped from 2 sides using pressure. To use this technology, the walls of the room must be completely flat, otherwise all their shortcomings will become noticeable.

It is used for both fabric and PVC films. Accurate cutting is not needed here. Measurements should be made with a small margin, and excess fabric will be cut off after the installation of the product.

The pluses include a simplified installation, which will not require the use of special equipment to heat the product. The downside is that the product will be non-removable. Since the excess fabric with which the stretch was carried out is simply cut off, it will be impossible to stretch this ceiling a second time.

PVC tensile structures are not recommended for non-insulated balconies. In the winter season, this material will quickly lose its much-vaunted elasticity, sag, crack and may burst at the slightest touch.

Stretch ceilings made of polyester fabric are highly resistant to freezing temperatures and are suitable for warm balconies.In winter, this canvas will look as magnificent as in summer. These ceilings will be expensive, because it is still more profitable to install PVC film on insulated and heated balconies and loggias, but provided there are no drafts on the warm balcony.

With the right choice of a particular type of tensile structure, it will present itself very well, this is evidenced by positive reviews from ordinary people on the Internet. True, some consumers note that over time, not very pleasant nuances may appear on the ceilings.

• It is best to buy products from well-known manufacturers. German designs very rarely cause complaints during active use. But Chinese products often fade or deform after 6 months of use.
• It’s easier to care for the PVC film, it is perfectly smooth. Although the polyester fabric is also not very demanding for care.
• It’s hard to find the masters. Due to the oversized size of the room, many experts do not want to agree to this kind of work. And if they agree, then the average cost of their work is much higher than when installing ceilings inside the apartment.

The operation of tension structures on balconies will be almost no different from their use inside the home. The main thing is to strictly adhere to the special installation technology and choose a material that is perfectly suitable for certain conditions.

See how the stretch ceiling looks on the balcony in the next video.