Ceilings in the apartment: beautiful options and DIY finishing ideas (115 photos)

Ceiling finishing methods

Currently, ceiling design includes the following finishing methods:

• Whitewash.
• Coloring.
• Wallpapering
• Pasting with foam plastic ceiling tiles.
• Hemmed structures.
• Hanging systems.
• Tensile structures.

Due to such a variety of choices, when renovating, many questions arise regarding its design. How to decorate the ceiling so that it is not only beautiful, but also extremely functional? In order to make this task easier, let’s take a closer look at each type of finish, its pros and cons.

Whitewashing the ceiling

Whitewashing is the most economical type of ceiling repair in an apartment, consisting of applying lime or chalk mortar to a leveled, puttied surface.

You can only whitewash a flat ceiling surface, so first you need to wash and putty it, and also remove the previous layer of whitewash, if any.

Pros of whitewashing:

• cheap materials;
• the compositions used in it are natural, do not burn, lime has antifungal, antibacterial effects, and fights the appearance of mold on the walls;
• suitable for low ceilings;
• If you have enough skill, you can whitewash it yourself.

Disadvantages of whitewashing:

• difficult to clean and wash the surface;
• instability to moisture;
• Currently not the most fashionable type of renovation.

What comes first - the ceiling or the walls - during a typical renovation?

Any builder will confirm to you that according to all the rules, repairs are done starting with the ceiling, then the walls, and lastly the floor. It is understood that fragments of plaster can damage the new floor covering, and dust from working on the ceiling will settle on the walls. What kind of work does this mean?

1. Dismantling of old coverings - removal of wallpaper, old ceiling coverings.
2. Cleaning surfaces is all dusty work.
3. If leveling is necessary, first level the ceiling, then the walls.
4. Painting the ceiling.
5. Wallpapering or applying plaster, painting walls.

If you don’t paint the ceiling, but stick panels or even wallpaper (yes, they do that too) – what happens in this case? Similar. In this case, it is better to glue the ceiling plinth after the wallpaper - it should hide the joint.

Important: master finishers recommend painting the ceiling panels, the plinth, and decorative colorless trims around the chandeliers in one layer with regular ceiling paint. This will make the elements look more natural.

Wallpapering the ceiling

This method involves gluing the surface with both regular and liquid wallpaper.

As in the case of whitewashing, before wallpapering, you should level the surface, remove defects, plaster over uneven areas, and only after that you can start gluing.

The advantages of this finish include the following:

• cheap materials (paper wallpaper);
• simplicity of technology;
• lack of toxicity of paper wallpaper.

Disadvantages of ceiling design with wallpaper:

• unproven safety of vinyl wallpaper;
• liquid wallpaper has high prices;
• Quite often, wallpaper gives rooms a boring, slightly rustic look, this is especially evident in the photo of the ceilings in an apartment with such renovations.

General recommendations for repairs

The most important advice is don’t rush. You can't fuss in such serious matters. Renovating a house or apartment is a big undertaking that should be approached thoughtfully.

When drawing up a project, it is necessary to take into account all dimensions and also write them down correctly.

Don’t trust technical passports - it’s much more reliable to check everything yourself.

It’s quite possible to do an inexpensive overhaul with your own hands in 3-3.5 months. At the same time, you should consider whether it is worth contacting freelance workers for such important repair work. After all, they usually work without signing a contract, so if something happens, you won’t even be able to show them anything.

Do not use expensive finishing materials during initial renovations in a new building. The fact is that new buildings definitely need time for everything to settle down. Therefore, the first repair is made simple, for a maximum of several years.

I recommend the following video, in which the author tells what to do first - the ceiling or walls:

Pasting the ceiling with foam tiles

Foam tiles come in different textures: smooth, stucco-like, laminated, and also in various shapes.

This method was especially popular in the past couple of decades, but now, although it is used quite rarely, it still occurs.

Preparing the surface for gluing is no different from preparing it for other finishing: it should be: smooth and clean. In the process itself, the most difficult thing is to calculate the number of tiles per ceiling area.

In order for the spaces between the tiles to be even, they must initially be laid at a distance of several millimeters from each other.

This finishing option has its advantages:

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• The material from which the tiles are made is moisture resistant;
• Thermal insulation and sound insulation of the tiled surface is quite high;
• Ceiling tiles are inexpensive;
• Tiles can be glued without the help of an installer;
• The tiled ceiling is easy to clean.

Disadvantages of covering streams with foam tiles:

• Cheap tiles quickly turn yellow;
• Foam plastic has a tendency to deform;
• Polystyrene foam burns easily;
• This type of flow design is not currently relevant.

Facing materials

The cladding will hide unevenness well, and will take away quite a bit from the height of the room. Materials for the top differ in their properties from those intended for walls. Firstly, they should be as light as possible. Secondly, strength is not so important for them.

Ceiling tiles

The advantages of this three-dimensional tile imitating molding are its low weight and low price. This material may look beautiful, but is often used to save money and time. The tiles are installed quickly - just glue them to the surface with special glue. At the same time, it must be applied carefully - only to the middle of the tile - without allowing it to leak out along the edges.

Expanded polystyrene tiles come in three types: pressed, laminated and seamless. Laminated is a suitable option for the bathroom and other wet areas. Seamless is good for the living room and other living rooms. Pressed tiles are the most fragile.

IMPORTANT. In kitchens with a gas oven, any polystyrene foam tiles will quickly lose their appearance.

The most common type of ceiling tile

Brick

Real brick is used only for the construction of vaults. But the facing is also suitable for decorative finishing of the top. Alternative options are also used - from drywall, plaster or carved foam.

Brick can be painted any color

False ceilings

Most often this is a draft version. The sheathed structure is immediately attached to the floor beams. This method serves to level the ceiling before the main repair method.

Among other things, it is a good means for sound insulation and thermal insulation. Foam plastic is most often used for thermal insulation.

Many people consider plastic, wooden, and suspended plasterboard structures to be false ceilings, but this is a wrong opinion.

Dropped ceilings

Suspended structures include several varieties.

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Plasterboard ceilings

Plasterboard ceilings are a complex structure made of a metal frame and plasterboard sheets. This type of finishing allows you to realize the most interesting design: multi-level structures with different lighting systems, as well as make the most even ceiling with built-in lamps.

This design option is especially good in an apartment with high ceilings.

The advantages of this design:

• durability and moisture resistance;
• the ability to bring any design to life;
• creating zones in apartments, which is especially important for a studio apartment.

Disadvantages of a plasterboard structure:

• installation duration;
• lack of opportunity to make repairs alone, by yourself.

Backlight

The role of additional lighting is played by spotlights or LED strips. The first ones are mounted on a plane, the strip is mounted around the perimeter, at the junctions of two levels or behind the canvas.

LED lighting for suspended ceilings

Ceilings with LED lighting seem to float in the air, and the soft strip of diffused light looks simply stunning with the fabric.

LED ceilings that appear to float

Also very popular is the “starry sky”, in which the corresponding effect is achieved due to LEDs built into the plane.

A very popular “starry sky”.

For a more realistic effect, you can use Swarovski crystals to create stars that are attached to the surface and illuminated with LEDs.

Swarovski crystals with LED lighting.

Contemplation of the night sky with its twinkling stars, falling meteorites and northern lights calms the nervous system.

Spotlights everywhere

LED strips are best for the living room, starry skies are an option for bedrooms and children's rooms, and spotlights are great for general lighting.

Create a fireworks extravaganza in your interior

Stretch ceiling

Currently, the most popular finishing method is installing a stretch ceiling in an apartment - stretching the film over a pre-installed frame. They can be of different types, but the most popular are glossy, matte and satin.

Glossy ones have an interesting effect: they visually enlarge the room, which is especially important when the ceiling is not very high.

Matte is the most common option, allowing you to create a perfectly smooth matte surface.

Satin has a slight matte effect, but reflects glare.

The advantages of this design are as follows:

• Durability;
• Practicality;
• Possibility of interesting design.

Whatever method of finishing the ceiling you choose, the most important advantage of the design will always be its relevance and practicality in your interior.

Ceiling options 2022

Of course, any person is primarily guided by the individual preferences and recommendations of the designer, however, you need to know what to choose from, commensurate with your capabilities.

Let's find out what will be fashionable in ceiling design in 2022, and also find out what colors and materials are best to use for their design.

Painting and whitewashing

Despite the fact that all experts write that whitewashing the ceiling is outdated, it continues to be popular. Among the obvious advantages of painting or whitewashing, one can clearly highlight the cost-effectiveness of the work, as well as the aesthetic appearance of the ceiling surface, provided that the work is done well. If the base is not perfectly aligned, the ceiling will look bad.

The fashionable ceiling 2022 (you will find ideas and photos in the article) does not have to be white, although this has become a classic finish. Shades of white can greatly increase the overall space of a living room, and they are also easy to combine with various color schemes in the interior.

Today, white color is used in apartment designs in all styles, from baroque to high-tech.

You can choose a beige color when painting or whitewashing the ceiling, especially if the interior is done in brown tones. Warm shades of beige are often used when finishing surfaces in the bedroom.

A cold shade of gray may seem gloomy to some, but in modern interiors this ceiling color is very relevant, and it will also go well with the bright colors of the walls, accessories, and furniture. However, in a design style such as, say, pop art, the ceiling can be painted in a bright color.

Wallpaper on the ceiling

This option for decorative ceiling finishing, beloved by our citizens, also belongs to the budget category; provided you choose the right wallpaper, it can look great.

This task is quite feasible in our time; there is a large number of different wallpapers on sale. A perfectly leveled surface and a stylish print matched to the location will make the stylish 2022 ceiling very beautiful.

Liquid wallpaper ceiling

Actually, this coating is called wallpaper only conditionally; in fact, it is a type of plaster. The structure of liquid wallpaper is similar to a hybrid of flakes and sawdust; it contains cellulose or cotton fibers, acrylic, adhesive additives, dyes, and decorative fillers.

As such, not only colored pieces are used, but also gold or silver pieces of thread, chips of bright mica, and special sparkles. A ceiling covered with liquid wallpaper is quite beautiful, if such decoration is appropriate, and does not stand out from the general style.

Beautiful plasterboard ceilings (photo)

• A plasterboard construction is an ideal option for implementing even the most daring ideas on the surface of even a completely crooked ceiling. Such a fashionable ceiling 2021 will cost very little, and if the work is done carefully, it looks unsurpassed, which determines its popularity.

This technique is especially good in studio apartments, where a multi-level ceiling with a beautiful design can visually divide the space into zones and become the highlight of the entire home.

Advice! In order for the 2022 ceiling to be fashionable and beautiful, it is worth using decorative lighting. Small lamps built into the plasterboard structure will create pleasant zoned lighting, which will make the room very cozy.

Stretch ceiling

Beautiful stretch ceilings 2022 (photo included in the article) are especially appropriate in classic styles. Its adherents understand that classics are always fashionable. Picturesque canvases and antiques, textiles, which are chosen with special care, accompany such an exquisite interior.

A stretch ceiling will act as an excellent backdrop for such a room; it will not distract attention from objects of art, since such a surface has the ability to clearly convey colors.

Any non-standard solution by architects, antique furniture, exclusive or designer items should be combined with the matte surface of the ceiling canvas.

It should be taken into account that there are no reflections on the matte surface, so only the color intended by the designer will be present in the interior. A glossy ceiling suits more modern styles.

The 2022 ceiling design with built-in LED lighting, which can be located either in the center of the structure or along its perimeter, looks very stylish and unusual.

Dropped ceilings

The main and very significant advantage of such ceilings is the ability to design the lighting system in the room in an original and non-standard way. In particular, behind a suspended ceiling you can easily hide not only spotlights, but also LED strips.

At the moment, the possibilities for designing suspended ceilings are very diverse. A skillfully selected external shape of the surface will also allow, if necessary, original zoning of your living space.

The suspended ceiling design 2022, reminiscent of a lattice with cells, is very interesting; previously such options were installed in offices, but today this has spread to homes. The material for making gratings is most often aluminum.

This ceiling is called “Grilyato”, and it allows you to implement bold and non-standard design solutions. Cells come in a variety of varieties, including multi-level ones. Such ceilings last a long time and are suitable for almost any type of lighting.

Photo of ceilings in the apartment

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