Are stretch ceilings harmful?

Fashionable, attractive and practical - three words can describe such a popular design element in recent years as a stretch ceiling. The widespread love for this product is growing rapidly, and not only due to the aesthetics of appearance, excellent characteristics and properties. Materials and installation are quite affordable. The only thing that buyers care about is how harmful are stretch ceilings?

Do not forget that the human body is a unique system; there are no two identical people all over the world. Therefore, it is impossible to predict what will be the reaction of a person to certain substances. For some, it is quite acceptable to be in a room with an artificial finish, but someone may not like such a neighborhood. In the worst case, an allergy attack will occur.

Stretch ceilings are harmful or not - it is difficult to determine visually, it all depends on the raw materials that were used in their manufacture. Most often in households there are ceilings made of thin polyvinyl chloride (PVC) canvas.

The price of such products is much less than fabric ones, they are convenient and easy to use, they can easily withstand heavy loads in the form of flooding from the upper floors. However, PVC film also has a significant drawback - it is very difficult to identify a fake from a quality product even with the most careful examination.

PVC does not have a special designation, which is what dishonest foremen use. Very often they buy cheap, poor quality film, claiming that it is the best Belgian product. If the material of the future stretch ceiling is really high-class, then the purchase will not bring any troubles. In the event of a fake, surprises are likely.

According to the research carried out by specialists who thoroughly studied PVC, its constituent components are not volatile, therefore, the statement that stretch ceilings are unsafe for people is unfounded. In order for the human body to suffer significant damage, harmful elements must penetrate into every cell.

Depending on the manufacturer, PVC canvases can have from 50 to 600 various chemical elements., most of them do not pose a threat. Nevertheless, phenol, toluene, formaldehyde and some other substances are toxic and harmful to the human body to one degree or another.

Evaporation, they have a negative effect on the skin, respiratory and nervous system. But the same experts reassure buyers, noting that the content of chemical elements in the film is much lower than the permissible norms and accepted world standards.

There is another opinion that tension structures are hazardous to health, as they are a source of an unpleasant (toxic) odor. In fact, the stench does not last long, and becomes imperceptible a couple of hours after the installation of the hinged system, without being something harmful.

The fact of the appearance of an unpleasant odor is explained quite simply. To make it possible to install the film, it is heated. At the same time, the temperature in the room rises above 65C and the substances that make up the PVC become volatile.

Fabric stretch ceilings are considered the most environmentally friendly, although, unlike plastic systems, they collect dust, which can be considered a kind of payment for safety.To extend the service life, manufacturers of such structures treat the surface of the base material with polyurethane. This is the same polyvinyl chloride, however, its amount is so small that there should be no harm from fabric ceilings.

Ceiling fabrics, unlike PVC films, are marked, it is located at the edges, therefore, after installation, it is cut off, and nothing spoils the appearance of the finished product. Due to this feature, the cost of fabric ceilings increases, but no one doubts their quality.

In the composition of tissue systems there is no phenol, toluene, cadmium and other chemicals, therefore they are completely harmless, which is confirmed by the quality certificate of compliance with the requirements of ISO 14000. Regarding the smell. As a rule, it does not exist, and if there is, it is barely perceptible, like washed laundry. It disappears very quickly.

The trend for the installation of stretch ceilings in the modern world is increasing every day, the number of people wishing to use this technology at home is increasing. This is not surprising, because tension structures are one of the simplest and fastest methods for finishing the ceiling, the benefits of such a product for apartment decor are undeniable.

The main advantages of stretch ceilings include:

• Easy to install. To decorate the ceilings, no preliminary surface preparation is required. The procedure is fast with a minimum of debris.
• Strength. Fabric and PVC systems are capable of withstanding heavy loads (up to 100 liters per 1 sq. M).
• Small thickness of the structure. The loss of wall height due to the minimum material thickness of the suspended ceilings is 2 to 4 cm.
• Stability of properties. Hinged systems do not lose their properties even under the influence of moisture and ultraviolet radiation.

• Covering a large area. Can be used to cover a wide variety of areas. In this case, traces of finishing and seams will be absent.
• Variety of choice. There are different options for stretch ceilings, the main types: satin, glossy and matte.
• Unlimited color palette. If desired, the client can receive not only a multi-colored ceiling, but also a design with the appearance of snake skin, wood imitation, with a suede effect.
• Environmental friendliness. Fungus and bacteria grow on the surface of the ceiling! This is an irreplaceable quality for rooms with high humidity - swimming pools, bathrooms.
• Long service life. Manufacturers give a guarantee for suspended ceilings from 10 to 15 years.

In addition, the ceiling can be single-level, multi-level or stepped. Installation does not exclude the use of lighting fixtures. You can install standard chandeliers, spotlights and other devices.

A large assortment of stretch ceilings is presented on the domestic market; it is quite simple to choose the most acceptable option for the interior of the room. Despite the numerous advantages, the designs have and disadvantages.

It is difficult to call them a significant drawback, but nevertheless they exist and when buying a product you need to know about them:

• Stretch ceilings must be handled very carefully. You cannot test them for strength with piercing and cutting objects; you also do not need to carry out repairs on your own. If an unforeseen situation happened, for example, neighbors flooded, it is better to seek help from the masters who carried out the installation work.
• Installation is carried out only using highly specialized equipment, which affects the pricing of work. Installation of stretch ceilings is not a cheap pleasure.
• On glossy surfaces, seams can be seen, when the light is on, all objects in the room can be reflected, like in a mirror.
• At ambient temperatures below zero, the coating loses its strength.
• Since PVC film is airtight, a room with a ceiling made of this material must be regularly ventilated, otherwise the harmfulness of a suspended ceiling will manifest itself.

For many consumers, it is extremely important to find out the opinion of doctors regarding the use of building materials and decorative products with which people will be or are in constant proximity. Especially worried are married couples who are concerned not only with their own health, but also with the condition of their little children.

That is why health workers did not stand aside from the issue of the safety of stretch ceilings, having studied the indicators of these products. The opinion of the majority of luminaries of science boils down to the fact that hinged structures are completely safe.

But they also note that the human body's response to the emergence of a new chemical in the neighborhood is difficult to predict. Doctors warn that allergy sufferers should be careful in the first place. When installing a mounted curtain, risks may await them.

Evaporation of phenol. The organic compound contained in PVC is a component that is quite dangerous for the body. However, phenol will not harm if the ceiling material is of high quality.

There is an opinion that Chinese ceilings are cheap due to the poor quality of the raw materials. But this is a delusion. Asian manufacturers have managed to prove that their products are not inferior in their excellent characteristics to European companies.

Doctors reassure that, according to the structure of PVC, phenol is not presented in a volatile form, that is, it can evaporate into the air only at high temperatures, which is used only once - during the installation process.

This fact explains the unpleasant smell of the film, which is in the air for several hours. To eliminate this effect, it is enough to ventilate the room in which the installation work was carried out well.

Fabric ceilings, according to the luminaries of science, are the safest and most environmentally friendly products. But this type of coating is quite often counterfeited, using dangerous raw materials instead of fabric, which outwardly resembles a natural material. Such a falsified product is impregnated with cheap and dangerous chemicals, and it is they that become the culprit of the frequent visits of people to the clinics.

Thus, not a single person, even with a medical education, can unequivocally answer the question about the safety of stretching cloths.

Buyers actively use curtain canvases as the main ceiling covering and, in most cases, the reviews about this product are positive. Consumers note a wide range of goods: you can choose a canvas of any color, in a matte or glossy design. Customers also like the fact that the white PVC ceiling is almost impossible to stain. It does not turn yellow over time, it is very easy to care for it, just wipe it with a damp cloth.

Actually, buyers say that the dust on the suspended ceilings hardly settles, therefore, they need to be washed extremely rarely. Indoor air is cleaner than plaster.

The disadvantages include the high cost of products., you have to pay a lot for their installation. In addition, some consumers complain about the collapse of the ceiling, which occurs when a window or door is opened. The reason for this defect is the formation of a low pressure zone in a room with a stretch ceiling, this is especially typical for vinyl film. It is impossible to predict such a nuisance, but to fix it, yes.

According to doctors and eminent manufacturers, including the French company "BARRISOL", "RENOLIT" and "PONGS" (Germany), PTCM Polyplast (Belgium) and others, stretch ceilings do not affect the health of consumers.

Experts give certain recommendations for complete confidence of customers in the safety of the product:

• You need to choose a well-known manufacturer using European materials. They undergo multiple tests and checks, as evidenced by their quality certificate.
• After installing the PVC ceiling, it is necessary to ventilate the room and do not enter it at this time.

See the following video for the whole truth about stretch ceilings.