How to hang a chandelier on a stretch ceiling?

Stretch ceilings can be seen in apartments more often. The merits of this material are undeniable, but one question always arises - lighting. With the usual overlap, everything is clear - there is a special hook on which the lamp is hung. But how to hang a chandelier on a stretch ceiling? There are several options that will be discussed in our article.

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Features of a stretch ceiling

Before buying a chandelier, it is very useful to learn about the features of the material that you have to deal with. The stretch ceiling is a polymer film. Not every polymer tolerates heat well, and certainly no film can withstand too much mechanical stress.

Important! Upon contact with hot objects, the ceiling can melt, an ugly spot is formed in the best case, and a hole in the worst case, which is almost impossible to close up imperceptibly. Failing to choose a chandelier, you risk losing a brand new stretch ceiling.

In addition, the film will not be able to hold a heavy object, it will simply tear, so you will have to fix the chandelier directly to the base ceiling, and when choosing you should pay attention to some specific criteria.

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Choose a lamp

Before attaching a chandelier to a stretch ceiling, it must be correctly selected. This is the most important point, the rest is a matter of technology. Traditionally, the main criteria for buying are:

• power;
• design.

This is entirely justified, since the lighting device should look good, harmonize with other objects and give enough light. But in this case, it is simply necessary to take into account a few more points, otherwise - all your efforts will go down the drain.

Important! A thin metal plate is definitely not suitable for you, even if it fits perfectly into the interior. If this is attached close to the film coating, it will not last long.

Pay attention to what lamps the lamp works on. Fit for you:

• luminescent;
• LED;
• halogen.

The first two types produce very little heat, so they are ideal for rooms with film ceilings.

Important! When choosing a lamp with halogen lamps, pay attention to whether there is a ceiling, as well as its direction - it should go from the ceiling, and not vice versa and not to the side.

In principle, it is possible to use incandescent lamps, but this is not the best option, approaching the choice of shades in this case should be especially strict.

Pay attention to the glass that closes the fastener. It should be:

• almost perfectly smooth;
• no sharp edge.

Important! Such strict requirements are well founded. The film is easy to cut, so there should be no sharp edges. If, nevertheless, the model you like doesn’t have a very suitable glass, you need to grind the edge.

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What to fix?

How to hang a chandelier on a stretch ceiling if the ceiling is already stretched? It is better, of course, if the mounting elements are installed before the film appears. However, if you do not need to rearrange these structures - no problems should arise.

The question of how to screw the chandelier to the suspended ceiling can be answered in one word - in any way, because the lamp is not fixed to the film, but actually to the ceiling. You can fix the chandelier:

• on the hook;
• on a mounting plate or beam.

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Put the hook

In concrete floors, hooks are usually placed during the construction of the house. This is the easiest and most reliable way to mount the chandelier, including on the stretch ceiling.

Important! He has one drawback: the place of the lamp is determined in advance, without any participation from you. This usually suits the hosts, but there may be exceptions.

For example, if you are going to put several chandeliers in different places, or if you need to move the main lamp somewhere from the center of the room to another part of it.

The need to mount a new hook may also arise if the old one is of insufficient length. In this case, proceed as follows:

1. Cut a hole in the ceiling.
2. Drill a hole in the slab with a puncher.
3. Put the hook, secure it with an anchor bolt.

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How to hang a chandelier on a stretch ceiling with a strap?

You can also attach a chandelier to a stretch ceiling without a hook - on wooden bars or plates. Mounting plates come in several forms:

• ordinary;
• crosspiece;
• I-beam.

Important! Any chandelier is attached to the first one, it is more suitable for the base ceiling, but it can hardly withstand large lamps. The crosspiece is more reliable. I-beams are used to install very large lighting fixtures.

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Instruments

Bare hands do not do this. Before you hang the chandelier on the suspended ceiling without a hook, prepare the tools.

You need:

• drill or perforator;
• concrete and wood drills;
• anchor bolt with a hook (if this is not in the ceiling);
• wooden block;
• self-tapping screws for metal and wood;
• Screwdriver Set;
• pliers;
• gun for installation work;
• wires
• tool for working with wires.

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Chandelier installation - safety measures

The first thing to do is turn off the electricity. This will protect both yourself and the ceiling - if a random spark gets in, a hole may appear on it. Work best with rubber gloves. A very useful thing is rubber-soled shoes. Of course, it’s more convenient and safer to do such things, standing on a stepladder, and not on a table on which a chair is placed on top, and it is important that someone insures you.

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Mounting on mounting elements

Any of the proposed options is suitable if you need to install lights in different places. In some cases, the hook is still installed, in some - not. Many varieties of ceiling lights are equipped with fasteners, but you will need additional ones - plates or trims.

Option 1

You need:

• bolts
• screws;
• die for mounting devices;
• pre-cut hole in the stretch ceiling.

In any case, you have to cut a hole in the film. If the edges are not fixed, the coating will tear. Therefore, it is better to act like this:

1. Cut a hole in the film.
2. Glue the edges with a special heat-resistant tape or put a heat-resistant ring.
3. Drill a hole in the die.
4. Install a hook in it.
5. Hang the chandelier as you would on a regular hook in a concrete ceiling.

Option 2

For this method, you need:

• self-tapping screws;
• fasteners "butterfly".

In this case, part of the hook is attached to the bar, and the second to the embedded part, after which the wires are connected. This is a more convenient way than the first. The chandelier can always be replaced, while there is no load on the stretch ceiling, respectively - no damage either.

Important! Pay attention to the place where you will be drilling the ceiling - there should not be wires, their placement should be determined in advance, and in any case, you can not drill between the chandelier and the switch.

We close the place of attachment

Hang the chandelier on the suspended ceiling? Now we need to make sure that she looks good. A decorative socket, for example, is suitable for this. If after mounting the ceiling a little film remains, you can simply close the place with it. Other methods will work, for example, stickers.

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Mounting bracket

To hang the chandelier, you can use the mounting strips.

Important! For drywall floors this option is generally not suitable.

They are wooden beams or plywood inserts that are placed on a concrete floor before the ceiling is mounted:

• Beams are attached to the concrete floor with anchor dowels.
• If there are wood inserts, self-tapping screws are used.

Pieces of plastic should be laid between the plank and the base ceiling.

Important! Do not forget to make a hole for the wiring in the wooden parts.

Option for your own home

In a multi-storey building, this method cannot be used because a through hole is made in the ceiling. A metal mounting plate is installed on the floor of the second floor, the other on the ceiling of the first. The first element is covered with a floor covering.

Important! Whatever option you choose, the platform cannot be fixed to a stationary state.

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Heavy chandelier

Having chosen a huge heavy lamp, get ready for the fact that you will have more trouble than when attaching a conventional lamp:

1. Drill five holes in the ceiling, the central one is larger than the rest.
2. Attach a cruciform strap.
3. Mount the luminaire on the bar.
4. Fill the edges of the holes with thermal rings or thermal film.

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We connect the chandelier

After attaching the chandelier to the ceiling, connect it. Do not forget to carefully read the instructions, and then:

1. Make sure there is grounding in the apartment.
2. Determine the purpose of each wire.
3. Connect the zero wires in one twist.
4. Phase - divide into two groups.
5. Insulate the twists with caps or electrical tape.
6. Free the ceiling wires of the chandelier from insulation.
7. Spread them apart.
8. Connect the wires to the power source.
9. Determine which wire is zero, which is phase.
10. Disconnect the room.
11. Connect the wires of the chandelier to the wires in the ceiling - phase to phase, zero - to zero, using the terminal blocks.

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Stock footage

In this article we told you about all the nuances so that you can reliably hang the chandelier on the suspended ceiling. We hope that now the interior in your house is complete, harmonious and looks exactly as you wanted, without compromising on practical comfort.