Stretch ceiling - lighting options

Today, stretch ceilings and the lighting that they use are becoming increasingly popular among users. There is a very simple explanation for this: there is an opportunity to hide all wiring and other communications behind a beautiful and even surface of the ceiling. If you choose high-quality components and good equipment for lighting, then such ceilings will last for many years. Therefore, we consider lighting under a stretch ceiling - options can be very different, for example, chandeliers, overhead or built-in lamps or lighting on LED strips. Here the choice will be based on your imagination and personal preferences.

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General recommendations:

• Plan the locations of all the lighting points in the stretch ceiling. This is necessary to prepare the installation site of lighting equipment. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the wiring in this room.
• All wiring must be laid in plastic or corrugated pipes - for added protection.
• Make sure that all necessary electrical equipment is purchased and prepared in advance.
• In order to avoid damage to the ceiling film, do not buy lighting fixtures of square or triangular shape. Be sure to use thermal pads that protect the ceiling from the heat of the lamp.

Important! Please note that the power of the lamps should not be higher than 40 watts.

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Preparatory work before installation

Before proceeding with the installation of lighting for suspended ceilings, you need to do the following:

• Place the lighting fixture on the main ceiling.
• Route the electrical wires to the installation site by first tightening them into the corrugated pipe.
• Install fixtures with a platform or a hook on the base ceiling under the lighting fixture.

Important! There are platforms with such cut diameters: 85, 80, 75, 70, 65, 60 mm.

• Be sure to adhere to the diameter of the cutout of the lighting fixture in the ceiling so that you do not have to fix the problem later. Any manufacturer indicates this data in the technical specifications.

Important! Proceed to the next steps when the installation of the web is completed. First you need to make sure that the wires are de-energized.

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Lighting equipment

Now let's figure out what are the options for lighting equipment under a suspended ceiling.

Spotlight

With the help of spotlights, you can create a uniform illumination in the room, highlight and highlight some specific areas, or even create a real starry sky.

Important! In soft stretch ceilings, such an undertaking is difficult to perform. In addition, such lighting devices can be used as additional lighting.

Installation technology of spotlights:

1. Identify points for lighting on a stretch ceiling.
2. Glue special reinforcing and heat-insulating rings, where the first one will prevent tearing of the film, and the second one can protect against thermal effects.
3. Cut a hole in the inner diameter of the ring.
4. Gently pull out the power cable.
5. Connect the cable to the lamp holder.
6. Carefully lift the spring holders of the lamp, insert them into the hole in the mounting platform.
7. Screw the bulb into the cartridge or insert it into the socket of the cartridge and lock.
8. Apply power to the panel, turn on the lights with the switch.

Chandeliers

The chandelier looks very good as the main light source. Today they are on sale so diverse that you are guaranteed a long choice.

In addition to its main function, chandeliers are a real decoration of the room. If you choose lighting under a stretch ceiling, then these lighting devices should pay special attention.

Important! Pay attention to the location of the lamp shades - they should not be directed upwards. In addition, the design of the chandelier is better to choose a simple one.

Types of fixtures for chandeliers can be different - which one will be better for a stretch ceiling, you decide.

Mounting hook

The most common and reliable way to fasten. The reliability of its fastening is to install tightly in a concrete slab. With this method, no additional structures and devices are needed.

Important! Its height should be slightly higher than the canvas, but will depend on the adjusting glass of the chandelier, so that it is possible then to put the suspension ring on the hook.

Mounting plate

There are three types:

• The standard is a common form that is based on the use of a wooden base. It can be a wooden beam fixed on the main ceiling.
• Cross bar - applies if your chandelier has a large radius. For proper installation of a lighting fixture with such a fastener, it is necessary to use a wooden platform that is the same size as the size of the cross.
• “I-beam” - this option is very similar to the previous one, only differs in form. The mounting plate has the shape of the letter “H”.

Rules and requirements:

• Perform all installation work with a power outage in the shield.
• Do not drill a hole for the fasteners in the direction of the switch, so as not to break through the wiring.
• It is undesirable to tighten the chandelier mount to the stop, so as not to damage the canvas with sharp edges.
• Before cutting a hole for the wires, you need to glue a plastic ring of the required size and a thickness of 2 mm or more.

Important! Make sure that the chandelier fits snugly against the ceiling so that there are no dips or bends in the plane of the stretch ceiling.

Mounting:

1. Disconnect the wiring from the power on the shield.
2. Determine the location of the platform or the location of the hook for the chandelier.
3. Glue special reinforcing rings under the rack of the platform or hook. They can prevent tearing of the film.
4. Cut a hole along the inner diameter of the ring.
5. Carefully pull out the power cable that was previously laid and routed through the rack.
6. Unscrew the lamps and remove the shades from the chandelier.
7. Connect the cable to the lamp holder through the terminal block.
8. Fasten the chandelier to a hook or platform using self-tapping screws through reinforcing rings.
9. Turn on the power on the panel and turn on the chandelier through the switch.

LED strip

Often, LED strips are used as additional lighting, which are a modern device that can bring small notes of romance, warmth, or, conversely, cold, into the appearance of a room, if necessary to create a certain style. Such lighting devices cannot be the main lighting, since they have low light output.

Important! To illuminate the room with LED tapes according to the established standards, you will have to entwine with them almost the entire ceiling.

When choosing LED strips as the lighting under a stretch ceiling, you need to know the following:

• Installation of LED strips takes place in drywall boxes or under ceiling cornices. Their light is directed to the ceiling, from which it is reflected and scattered beautifully, painting it in the desired shade.
• The data lighting device does not consume much electricity and is very reliable.
• In order to connect such a tape, it is necessary to remove the protective film from its back side, thereby exposing the adhesive base, and then stick it in the right place. The power leads must be connected to the power supply, and the latter is connected via a switch to the mains.

Important! An additional circuit can be equipped with a controller that will allow you to adjust the color and brightness of the backlight (only for RGB tapes) and control the inclusion using the remote control.

Optical fiber

Recently, lighting using optical fiber has become very popular. Applying it to a stretch ceiling, you can get a wonderful additional decorative lighting.

The installation of the optical fiber is as follows:

• Find a place for the light generator.

Important! It is preferable to hide it in a niche of a wall or under a ceiling. To do this, you need to come up with a hatch so that you can take it out for maintenance.

• According to the template, mark the places of future punctures on the false panel of the ceiling (using drywall or plastic).
• Make punctures in the marking, thread the ends of the fibers with an allowance of 5-6 cm.
• When the ceiling is ready, carefully pull the ends of the fibers by the end to the front of the ceiling through its punctures.
• When the cloth cools down, apply evenly to the fibers of superglue, distribute through the hole with up and down movements.
• After the glue dries, cut off the excess fiber ends as much as possible.
• Connect the light generator to the network.

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Lamps for suspended ceilings

When choosing lighting under a stretch ceiling, an important parameter is the choice of a lamp option for lighting devices.

Fluorescent lamps

Despite the fact that today there are more modern and efficient light sources, fluorescent lamps remain in demand. They have good light output and can work for about 10-20 thousand hours.

Their advantages include the following:

• These lamps are economical and have high efficiency.
• They are capable of emitting bright diffused light.
• There is a wide variety of lighting color palettes.

But such lamps are not without flaws:

• Inside such lamps is mercury - a dangerous chemical substance.
• Their light is not very pleasant for the human eye, because it is ruled.
• During operation, the brightness of the glow decreases slightly due to the burnout of the phosphor.
• In our electrical networks, these lamps flicker at a frequency of 100 Hz.
• Have a high price.

LED bulbs

LED bulbs are a more modern light source that is rapidly conquering the market. And this is absolutely not surprising if you pay attention to the capabilities of these lamps:

• LEDs consume energy efficiently, while they have a stronger glow, compared to LED lamps.
• Their useful life is 36-72 thousand hours.
• LEDs light up instantly, which makes it possible to use them even for dynamic lighting installations.
• They emit little heat and do not carry danger.

But, as always, there were some flaws:

• High power lamps will not be able to do without a radiator for cooling, which will affect their size.
• LEDs have a large angle of light scattering.
• Poor quality LED bulbs can damage human vision.
• If you want to smoothly adjust the light intensity, you will have to buy special dimmers for these lamps.
• Cheap bulbs also pulsate at a frequency of 100 Hz.

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Stock footage

Thus, choosing lighting under a stretch ceiling, it is necessary to determine the type of equipment and lamps. After weighing all the pros and cons of one kind or another, you can choose for yourself the best option for lighting the room.