[A REVISAR] What should you consider when installing a ceiling?

The factors involved in installing a ceiling, and which must therefore be taken into account, are those related to aesthetics, durability, acoustic comfort and accessibility, as these are the main benefits of a technical ceiling.

There are also other important factors. These are:

• The possibility of washing the ceiling in the case of kitchens
• The bactericidal properties of certain finishes in the case of hospitals.

In addition, in recent years growing environmental awareness has made sustainable false ceilingsincreasingly popular, so this is another factor that is starting to carry weight.

In any case, we must avoid falling into the most common mistake:

• Choosing an unsuitable material for the room or location where it is to be installed.

This mistake tends to occur in exterior or semi-exposed installations. At design stage the materials are usually well defined, but for reasons of cost or how information is passed along the chain of participants during the construction phase, they are often changed or materials that are not 100% suitable are chosen. Each project has to be followed very closely to prevent this from happening.

Which materials can be used when installing a ceiling?

The range of possibilities is currently immense, with different product ranges to suit any budget:

• Plaster and gypsum-based ceilings
• Mineral fibre tiles with acoustic properties
• Wood and plant-fibre ceilings
• Metal ceilings, very widely used thanks to their wide variety of colours and shapes

Depending on the project and the technical requirements, the material will be a greater or lesser determining factor in the performance of the suspended ceiling. Fibre ceilings offer high acoustic performance; wooden ceilings, which are denser than fibre ones, work very well for insulation; and aluminium metal ceilings are highly recommended both for their aesthetics and for installation in exterior or semi-exposed areas.

How are suspended ceilings installed?

The BIM methodology is used for their development and implementation. It consists of integrating several technologies to carry out projects by means of a 3D digital model.

It provides a transparent, open workflow that allows all project members to take part (from architects, engineers and interior designers through to manufacturers and contractors) and establishes a cross-cutting communication flow between them, through which all the information related to the building circulates throughout its entire life cycle. All of this helps to reduce production time and costs.

What is the current trend in false ceiling installation?

Continuous ceilings remain the most highly valued option today, above all because of their speed of installation and cost. That said, metal ceilings, particularly in the commercial sector, are the option gaining the most ground and, according to our 2021 trend studies, they have a long way to go in the medium and long term. They are perfectly adaptable and can be combined with any type of material, even with other suspended ceilings made of different materials. The range of colours and perforations provides a variety of aesthetic options and acoustic solutions.

The market is increasingly demanding innovative solutions. What is fashionable today will soon be obsolete, and we have to be ready to offer new products that can move beyond the horizontal plane and integrate with the new type of construction: construction with a high degree of integration of new technologies.

At present, with the improvement in the construction sector, there are numerous new-build projects, and their outlook, even with the current uncertainty caused by the pandemic, makes us optimistic and allows us to foresee a good horizon, at least in the short and medium term.

There is no doubt that during the years of economic recession, rehabilitation and refurbishment played a very important role. At a time when new build was scarce and what there was had to keep to very tight budgets, rehabilitation and refurbishment somehow enabled manufacturers, not only of technical ceilings, to get through a difficult period, albeit not without difficulty.

Today, refurbishment and rehabilitation account for approximately 30%-40% of our sector, a very significant percentage that secures the short- to medium-term future, further supported by new construction, which has also grown strongly in recent years and is forecast to continue doing so.

This article is for information purposes only and is based on the information available at the date of publication. Owing to the constant evolution of technology, regulations and technical specifications, some of its content may become outdated or change over time. In the event of any discrepancy, the manufacturer’s or supplier’s current official technical documentation shall always prevail. If you have any questions or need advice for a specific project, please do not hesitate to contact our team.