Which ceiling to choose for the kitchen: in an apartment and a country house?

Our family gathers every evening at the dinner table in the kitchen. This is the place where we spend a lot of time, have dinner and discuss the details of the day. The kitchen is not just a room for preparing and eating food. Therefore, it is worth carefully considering the furnishings and decoration of the premises, including the ceiling.

The peculiarities of operation and the temperature regime of the kitchen limit the possibilities of repair. And here everything depends on the preferences of the tenants.

When I was faced with such a choice, I studied the reviews on this topic and found out that it is better to install a stretch ceiling in the kitchen. Why? It is easy to care for, easy to clean and will last quite a long time if you have a good hood.

In general, there are a large number of options:

• tension cloths;
• plasterboard ceilings;
• painting or whitewashing;
• finishing with washable wallpaper;
• PVC panels or MDF;
• rack structures;
• lining;
• Armstrong;
• "Grilyato" and others.

In the article I will talk about each of these finishing methods, and outline the advantages and disadvantages. In addition, based on the photo selection to the text, you will be able to evaluate the results and "try on" each of the options in your kitchen.

The ceiling in the kitchen - which one is better?

The room for cooking and eating has great value for the whole apartment. The family spends a lot of time within its walls. Finishing, as a rule, is thought out in advance - at the stage of planning a renovation.

This room will require a careful selection of building and finishing materials, as well as accessories for fixing ceilings. Otherwise, you will soon have to take up the working tool again.

Features of the kitchen

The microclimate of the kitchen area differs from the atmosphere in other rooms. If it is actively used for cooking meals, the humidity is high here and regular evaporation occurs. All this is directly reflected in the surface finish. Moreover, the ceiling gets the most, as the humid air rises up.

Soot and grease accumulating on the surface of the ceiling, over time, form an unpleasant oily coating and distort the original color of the finish. This point is also taken into account when choosing a design method.

Requirements for materials

There are no special restrictions on the materials for finishing the kitchen, but the owners of an apartment or house understand that flammable and flammable panels are unlikely to work. Also structural materials having a porous surface, impractical for the kitchen: they quickly absorb dust and dirt and are difficult to clean.

This does not stop some owners. In an attempt to create a unique design, they even use options that are not very preferable for the kitchen.

I propose to consider all the available and popular design methods. And then you can independently decide which ceiling is best in your apartment.

Finishing options

At the beginning, I have already listed the main and most popular methods of covering the ceiling. They are used more often to renovate the kitchen and other rooms in the house. Each of them has its own advantages, and also differs in external attractiveness.

Painting or whitewashing

With regards to whitewashing - this is one of the simple, familiar in our country, ways to decorate the ceiling. Most apartments only 20 years ago had whitewashed surfaces. But then it was not possible to use other materials. Building material stores did not offer a wide variety of finishes.

A more modern and fairly simple method is painting. The color palette is unique and varied. Professional colorists are able to create a unique shade suitable only for your kitchen. The only drawback of this option is the need for careful preparation of the rough surface.

For an even layer of paint, the concrete ceiling is plastered and putty on the lighthouses. This means that the surface and corners are absolutely flat and symmetrical.

Wallpaper decoration

Also a slightly outdated finishing method. Wallpaper is used exclusively with a washable surface in order to remove soot and dirty streaks if necessary. As a rule, wallpaper decoration is chosen when the original design requires it. More often this is a small section of the ceiling construction made of gypsum plasterboard sheets, which is decorated with photowall-paper.

PVC panels or MDF

A practical and inexpensive design option that is easy to make with your own hands. The frame is made of wood or metal lathing and can be easily mounted to the sub-ceiling. No need for pre-alignment.

MDF or plastic panels are attached to the frame. The process does not take long, since the panels have a convenient locking system of fastening. This method has several advantages:

• the surface is flat;
• the ceiling attractively complements the design of the kitchen;
• easy to clean if necessary with available household products;
• durable;
• wires and communication pipes are hidden under the structure without additional repair work;
• manufacturers offer a wide palette of colors and even printed panels.

One drawback is that plastic reacts poorly to temperature changes, and can deform if exposed to strong heat. This is important for rooms with low ceilings.

Rack ceiling

This type of finish has been gaining popularity lately. Aluminum slats are attached in two ways: joint to joint or leave gaps. Both options look attractive. Besides, aluminum is environmentally friendly and does not respond to sudden changes in temperature.

The disadvantage of this design can only be some difficulty in cleaning. But this can be easily solved with the help of professional household products and rags.

Plasterboard construction

GKL sheets are often used to decorate ceilings in an apartment. They create one-level, perfectly flat surfaces, and also form multi-level structures with an original design. The possibilities of the material are almost endless.

The only caveat is that a moisture-resistant type of drywall is used for the kitchen. In this case, it will last much longer than usual.

And yet, I note on my own that drywall is not very suitable for the kitchen. Even marked "moisture resistant" it does not tolerate high humidity and expands over time. This leads to the loss of the original appearance.

In addition, after installation, the gypsum board sheets will have to be putty and painted or applied with decorative plaster. This is a time consuming and rather complicated process.

Tension cloth

Probably the easiest but most expensive finishing method. The canvases are pulled by installers from the manufacturer's company. It is difficult to perform such an installation on your own., especially when additional equipment is required in the form of a heat gun.

There are two types of tension panel material:

1. PVC films.
2. Fabric.

Despite the name, these are synthetic fabrics that are capable of emitting harmful substances into the atmosphere. And this is especially true with temperature drops or constant exposure to heat. This is a significant disadvantage, which does not speak in favor of stretch ceilings in the kitchen.

Wooden lining

Slats made of natural wood look vivid in the eco-design of premises. However, for a kitchen where they actively cook for a large family, such a finish is impractical. It is difficult to clean and will have to be renewed over time.

The installation of the lining is not difficult - a person can do it independently. It is more advisable to use wood clapboard trim in private houses, where kitchens are designed with high ceilings.

Armstrong

A modern way of finishing. It is an aluminum frame into which standard plasterboard modules are inserted. The good thing about the suspended structure is that do not require additional leveling of the rough ceiling and "hides" numerous wires and pipes from prying eyes.

In my opinion, the ceilings of the Armstrong system look too "office". For an apartment, such a finish is hardly suitable.

The design method will become justified in modern design. In this case, some modules are replaced with large lamps or translucent "squares".

"Grilyato"

Another "new" way of decorating indoor ceilings. More often it can be found in shops and cafes. The structure looks like a lattice with medium-sized squares covering the ceiling.

Note that such a ceiling looks attractive, but only in large rooms. If your kitchen is 6 sq. m. in an ordinary Khrushchev - this method is not for you.

Nevertheless, in private houses and suburban hacienda, this is often used in design. Sometimes for a stylized rustic setting, a material with an imitation of natural wood is selected.

All of the above methods of finishing the ceiling are suitable for kitchens. However, I advise you to soberly assess the possibilities and furnishings of the room. For small kitchens, it is better to choose traditional finishing methods.. They will emphasize the style, but will not distract attention from the main accents.