False Ceiling and Materials

FALSE CEILING

BASIC DIFFERENCE?

Here we are talking about the very basic difference between Roof Slab, Ceiling and False Ceiling. Though all three can be described with a single word we can say a roof, or a shelter over head but there are minor differences between these terms.

A Roof Slab is what's above your head, it is a part of the building structure.

A Ceiling could be the interior decoration done on a roof slab. 

A False Ceiling is also an interior decoration but it is done some distance apart from the roof slab and it is a hanging surface above your head.

 In this article we are going to discuss about False Ceiling only. The basic difference between the three has already discussed above. 

 FALSE CEILING : It is a secondary ceiling, hung below the main (structural) ceiling. It may also be referred to as a drop ceiling, T-bar ceiling, dropped ceiling, suspended ceiling, grid ceiling, drop in ceiling, drop out ceiling, or ceiling tiles and is a staple of modern construction and architecture in both residential and commercial applications.

WHY IT IS USED? 

ADVANTAGES

There are many benefits of using a false ceiling. Some of the benefits are listed below :

01.AESTHETICS : False ceilings are broadly used for improving aesthetics (form, color, hiding structural members like beam etc. )  in interior of a building. False ceiling provide a wide range of designs to choose from.

Also there are benefits other than Aesthetics:

02.ENERGY SAVING : As we know it is hanging ceiling, as a result we have decreased height of room, thus decreased volume of the room. As a benefit to it, we have less volume for air conditioning which saves electrical energy.

03.AVOID SUNLIGHT HEAT : It creates an air gap between the roof slab and the ceiling itself thus benefits us in reducing heat gain by preventing direct sunlight fall.

04.INDIRECT LIGHTS : LED lights can be used in the ceiling and a ceiling which reflects more light can help in reducing glare, lighting and electricity cost.

05. PLENUM SPACE : The area above false ceiling is called Plenum area. It can be used to hide all the electrical wiring and other system wires and provide a good look.  

06. SOUND PROOFING : Due to the air gap and the material used false ceiling could provide good sound proofing. *it also depends on which material is used for this purpose.

According to some users there are some disadvantages of False Ceiling also. These are listed below :

DISADVANTAGES

01.REDUCED HEIGHT : A widely noticed disadvantage is that room height get reduced by several inches because it hangs below the roof slab.

02.SAGGING : A Sagging may occur after a few years if not maintained properly.

03.STABILITY : False Ceilings are not much stable in case of earthquake and stability also depends on the material that you have chosen. Avoid hitting of hard materials as it may lead to creating holes if the material is light weight.

04.INSECTS : The lack of regular cleaning may allow other insects and rodents to settle in the space between the original ceiling and false ceiling.

TYPES OF FALSE CEILING?

There are two types of false ceiling on the basis of installation. These are:

01.CONCEALED GRID FALSE CEILING

This system use tiles to hide the grid system. The tile has a groove which fits into the channels in such a way that the grid system is not visible. This type of system makes the false ceiling more pleasing and give a smooth look.

This type is costly in comparison to exposed grid false ceiling.

    

02.EXPOSED GRID FALSE CEILING

In this system the grid is visible and the tiles do not hide the grid provided to hold the tiles. This type of false ceiling is cheaper than the concealed grid system.

  

                    

STEP BY STEP PROCESS OF INSTALLATION OF FALSE CEILING

Note : Basic process of installation is same for all type of false ceilings. Just a little bit of difference can be observed depending on the material used in the false ceiling.

MATERIALS USED IN FALSE CEILING?

There are many types of materials available today in the market. Selection of the material depends on the space where it is going to be used. A number of materials have been provided below:

GYPSUM CEILING

PLASTER OF PARIS CEILING

WOODEN CEILING

FIBRE CEILING

SYNTHETIC LEATHER OR CLOTH

GLASS CEILING

METAL CEILING

STRETCH CEILING

MIRROR CEILING

All materials have different properties, look, maintenance, installation cost etc. No material can be said as the best material for false ceiling, it all depends on the space where you want to have false ceiling. Also there may be different purpose of installing a false ceiling, it may be aesthetic, power saving, heat gain, acoustics etc.

*If you have any query, then comment it down.