Ready-made and homemade spatula options for stretch ceilings

Installation of a stretch ceiling is not an easy task, and you cannot do without special tools and devices. Along with such tools as a screwdriver, a hammer drill, a heat gun, a building level and a tape measure, a spatula plays an important role in the process of stretching the ceiling. Usually, not one spatula is used, but a whole set of them, allowing you to perform various functions.

In its performance, it resembles an ordinary, familiar construction tool for puttying with a handle and a flat metal tip. However, their purpose is different, therefore, in form, it is somewhat different from the usual version.

A spatula for performing work on the installation of a stretch ceiling has a special figured shape, reminiscent of a spatula. The tip of the scapula can have a different angle of inclination. Usually it is 45 - 90 degrees. The spatula-blade is used for filling the cloths into the technological cavity of the baguette.

The baguette is a special plastic profile into which the canvas itself is inserted. And in order to fix it correctly in it, a special spatula for covering the ceiling will come in handy. In addition, its metal tip is slightly thicker. The thing is that when the blade is pulled, the spatula experiences a high load, so the requirements for its strength are much higher.

In addition to the spatula-spatula, there are other varieties of it:

• Direct... As a rule, straight spatulas are used only in some cases. They are necessary for refueling the canvas in hard-to-reach areas of the ceiling surface, where other spatulas cannot crawl. For this, they are specially manufactured with a small width of 20 - 50 mm.
• Curved. The bending angle of such spatulas can be different, it is selected specially according to the profile of the baguette. This type of spatula is used directly for threading the canvas into a baguette.
• Corner. Their working surface has an acute angle, which is convenient for tucking the canvas in the corners of the room.

• Semicircular... In some cases, the profile of the baguette allows the use of semicircular wide spatulas. It is very convenient to work with them, while the process of filling the canvas into the baguette will be much faster.
• Electrical spatulas. This type of spatula is a device, the blade of which independently performs movements due to electrical energy. Such a device will significantly save your time and effort, but only if you intend to professionally stretch ceilings on an industrial scale. This device is very expensive and will not justify itself economically in everyday life.

The types of spatulas listed above give only a general picture of their classification. The variety of their shapes is due to various features of the installation of stretch ceilings, the types of materials used, the shape of the ceiling itself and many other factors.

In addition to the variety of the metal surface of the spatula, there is also their classification by the type of handle (holder). They are made of wood and plastic; long and short; wide and thin; straight and slightly curved. But here their choice will not come from the features of the baguette profile, but from the preferences of the master himself.

If you decide to install stretch ceilings professionally, it is better to acquire all possible types of them. There are two ways to do this. The first is to go to a specialty store and choose what you need, and the second is to try making the tools yourself.

The first case is, of course, convenient and not difficult to implement. However, you will have to spend a considerable amount to acquire all the necessary arsenal. It is enough to look in advance at examples of products sold in stores today, taking into account the cost of the products.

A spatula-spatula with a working surface angle of 45 degrees will cost you 1,100 rubles. It has an oak grip and 1.5mm high alloy stainless steel metal. But if you look from the other side, then these parts are too expensive for their small size. The price of a semicircular spatula in online stores sometimes reaches 2,700 rubles.

With the most modest requests, in most cases the amount is still significant. However, many craftsmen, on the contrary, prefer not to take risks, given the high cost of the canvas itself, and try to purchase spatulas in specialized stores.

There are many ways to make your own ceiling trowel.

One of the simplest of these is to pick up any metal plate that is hard enough, such as a blade from an old waste kitchen knife. The starting tool will be about 3 centimeters wide.

Carefully cut off its sharp end with a grinder or a metal file. Next, you need to round off its edges so that they are not sharp and do not cut the ceiling. The next step is to warm up the metal to a reddish hue so you can bend it. Use, for example, a gas cooker and pliers for this. Bend the metal until you get the required bend angle for a comfortable grip on the baguette.

Another simple way to create a spatula for installation without slotted levels is as follows:

• Take the most ordinary construction trowel of a small size (about three to four centimeters wide and 1.5 millimeters thick). If you don't have one at hand, you can purchase an inexpensive product in the store.
• Round off sharp corners by machining. Any file or sharpening stone can be used, even coarse sandpaper will do.

• Next, give the spatula a hook-like shape. If you have a vise at hand, this procedure will not take long. In this case, you just need to grip its metal part in a vice to a depth of about three to four centimeters, and squeeze the handle until the angle we need is 90 degrees.
• If, however, there is no grip, this is not scary. As in the first case, it will be necessary to heat the metal to a red hue and, using pliers, bend it by hand.

From exactly the same spatula, you can make a tool for setting the canvas for the upper levels. The technological process will look similar, with the exception of one caveat - the angle is not made at 90 degrees, but at 45, with a slight bend of the end in the shape of a blade.

As a result, it is important to get a convenient assembly tool for inserting fabric or other types of canvases that suits you. Then such a spatula-trowel will allow you to carry out a change of ceiling covering really effectively.

For even more information on options for spatulas for stretch ceilings, see the next video.