Quick, Clean, Simple: Renovate Grid Ceilings With Fleece

If you want to renovate grid ceilings, you usually think of replacing the panels or coating them. But there is another way: a newly developed renovation fleece enables the ceilings to be upgraded quickly and cost-effectively. The acoustic properties of the ceiling panels are also retained.

Author: Susanne Sachsenmaier-Wahl / Photos: Caparol / blitzwerk.de

Perhaps you could / had to renovate grid ceilings. Because even if their look is not for everyone, grid ceilings are among the most common acoustic ceiling solutions. To date, several hundred million square meters of acoustic ceilings have been installed in public buildings, offices, schools and conference rooms, but also in restaurants or hotels.

But dirt settles on the mineral acoustic panels over the years. While tar traces of cigarette smoke usually tarnish the look in gastronomic areas, dust, soot or even water stains in other places make the ceiling unsightly. One way of renovating grid ceilings is to replace the panels. However, this solution can be costly for the building owner - especially if the old panels have to be disposed of as special waste due to their contents. Most of the time, therefore, the painter is called to "prettify" the ceiling with a new coat of paint. But this can also cause problems. On the one hand, dirt is created during the new coating,the rooms cannot be used for a long time due to the renovation and ultimately the repainting can reduce the acoustic effectiveness of the ceiling system.

Renovate grid ceilings with fleece instead of paint

A third renovation solution in the form of a thin renovation fleece has recently become available. The non-combustible fleece is offered in the standard format of 62.5 x 62.5 cm, i.e. exactly the dimensions of the acoustic panels, and weighs only 300 grams per square meter. For corner and connection areas as well as for ventilation or lamp openings, the fleece squares can be cut to size with a cutter knife.

Since the fleece elements are flexible and flexible during assembly, their processing is extremely simple. The ceiling panels do not have to be removed for this; it is sufficient to lift them up to one or two centimeters. The fleece squares are simply pushed flush under the ceiling panels. The weight of the old acoustic panel, which, depending on its thickness, can be a few kilograms per square meter, keeps the fleece in the desired position on the rail. Gluing is superfluous. After assembly, the slightly more than one millimeter thick non-woven elements remain dimensionally stable. Slight sagging down to three millimeters is optically inconspicuous. According to the manufacturer, the laying time for one of the pre-assembled square panels is only about 1.5 minutes.

Before the ceiling elements can be installed, the dirty, narrow support rail profiles made of powder-coated metal on the grid ceiling into which the ceiling panels are inserted must be cleaned. This is best done with an industrial grease remover. With the help of a floor wiper, cleaning can even be carried out conveniently from the floor. If the profiles need to be repainted, this can be done in one operation using a low-fog spray system (e.g. Capastol's NAST technology). It is not necessary to tape the plates, since the omnidirectional spray jet can be precisely adjusted.

Fast, clean and easy

In contrast to the previously common renovation methods - repainting or plate replacement - no dirt accumulates with the innovative renovation system, the assembly of the fleece takes little time and the acquisition costs are manageable. In addition, the sound absorption properties of the old panels are retained. Another advantage - certainly not to be underestimated - in times when skilled workers are in short supply - is that the pre-cut fleece panels can be laid immediately by any craftsman in two steps - without any previous installation training.

Example of a ceiling renovation: bit.ly/2tG5xUM

Photo: Caparol Farben Lacke Bautenschutz / blitzwerk.de

First, the support profiles of the grid ceiling are cleaned and repainted if necessary, e.g. B. using low-fog spray technology.

Photo: Caparol Farben Lacke Bautenschutz / blitzwerk.de

The fleece square is simply clamped under the acoustic panel. Due to its own weight, the fleece is securely fixed on the support profiles.

Photo: Caparol Farben Lacke Bautenschutz / blitzwerk.de

The fleece is offered in the standard format of the acoustic panels. In the edge areas it can be cut to the desired size.

Photo: Caparol Farben Lacke Bautenschutz / blitzwerk.de

The fleece squares can also be cut to size with a cutter knife for ventilation or lamp openings.

PraxisPlus

The new renovation solution for grid ceilings is offered by Caparol under the name "RasterFIXX".

Further information:

www.caparol.de