Features of the use of concrete as a finishing material
Just recently, few people thought of leaving the concrete surface as it is. Uncoated concrete could only be found on a street site or in a garage. The increased popularity of concrete as a finishing material is associated with the great demand for minimalism, loft and industrial in design.
The combination of metal, concrete and glass are characteristic features of the INDUSTRIAL style
Advantages of using concrete in design
In the hands of a skilled designer, concrete turns into an aesthetic and attractive material that is not inferior to ceramics or natural stone. In addition, among the advantages of concrete are:
- environmental friendliness;
- availability;
- low price;
- moisture resistance;
- fire safety;
- resistance to fungi and mold.
Concrete gives the interior rigor and conciseness.
Concrete can serve as an excellent backdrop for bright photographs or paintings; it is used as a decoration for fireplaces.
Note! Concrete is not used to decorate a children's room.
Use of concrete panels for interior
Decorative concrete panels have appeared on sale for interior decoration. They usually do not require special finishing. There are also architectural mixtures for creating decorative elements from concrete yourself. The material diluted with water is poured into special molds to harden. Impregnations are used to impart special properties to the resulting products. They allow concrete to withstand high humidity, frost and mechanical stress.
Concrete panels are available in different shades of gray, from almost white to dark and even black.
The surface texture can imitate slate or porous stone. Using these panels you can finish ceilings to look like concrete. Irregularities on the concrete surface emphasize its naturalness.
The gray concrete background goes well with snow-white plumbing fixtures and ceramics
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Concrete ceiling in the interior
Concrete ceilings require special care in design. Not all types of lighting fixtures are suitable for them, and it should be taken into account that the grayness of concrete visually lowers the height of the room. How to make a concrete ceiling? It's worth considering the technology from the very beginning.
Pouring the ceiling
The question: “How to fill a ceiling with concrete?” worries many novice craftsmen. In reality, the technology of pouring concrete is not that complicated. Concrete floors will make the house under construction stronger, they are very strong and durable, and absorb unnecessary sounds well.
Among the disadvantages of concrete floors, one should note their considerable weight, high cost and installation time.
If the ceiling is less than fifteen centimeters thick, it is reinforced with one layer of metal reinforcement. The thickness of the concrete must be carefully calculated taking into account the load that this surface will withstand. For the manufacture of the ceiling, high-quality concrete of at least grade M200 is used.
Video: we make the concrete floor ourselves!
Note! The reinforcing material is laid crosswise, all joints are welded. The ceiling frame must overlap the wall masonry by at least fifteen centimeters.
For formwork, plywood with a moisture-resistant coating is used. To install the formwork, you will need logs or boards - supports
The concrete mixture must be prepared in such quantity as to cover the entire surface of the ceiling at once. The pouring work goes quite quickly, so it is better if it is carried out by two people. Filling the formwork begins from the corners, removing air bubbles with a shovel or rake as work progresses.
Plaster is applied to the finished floor
This design takes at least sixty days to dry. If the formwork is removed ahead of time, cracks may appear and the integrity of the surface may be compromised.
Concrete ceiling finishing options
How to cover a concrete surface is a matter of taste. There are many design options for the ceiling:
Whitewash
The simplest and most cost-effective way out of the situation. To work, you will need a solution of lime or chalk. To completely paint a concrete ceiling, two or three coats of whitewash are usually required. Then you can achieve a perfectly smooth white surface. If desired, you can add pigment to the whitewash. It is worth recognizing that such a coating is not durable and resistant to moisture.
It is convenient to use a spray gun for whitewashing
Painting
Before applying paint, it is necessary to treat the concrete base with a penetrating primer. Afterwards the surface is painted with acrylic or water-based paint. You can work with a brush, roller or spray. The surface with this coating can be washed. The main difficulty in painting the ceiling is the careful preparation and leveling of the surface.
You can use a special roller to paint the ceiling.
Pouring the ceiling with concrete
Installing a concrete ceiling takes a lot of time and requires specific skills and abilities. The process includes several stages:
Purchase of material. A concrete ceiling will require reinforcement; its quantity is calculated based on the area of the room. You need boards and plywood for formwork, telescopic racks and bars to support the structure, roofing felt for waterproofing. Ingredients for concrete are required - cement, sand, crushed stone, water, or ready-mix concrete grade M200. You will also need tools, of which the most difficult to operate is a welding machine. To obtain high-quality concrete, you should buy or rent a concrete mixer. Laying reinforcement. If the thickness of the fill is no more than 15 cm, then the reinforcement is laid in one layer, if more - in several layers at an equal distance from each other. The reinforcing bars are fastened crosswise and the joints are welded. In places of greatest load - holes, connections with supports, the middle of the slab - they are reinforced. The step width is calculated based on the thickness of the layer and the area of the room; for reinforcement it is recommended to use the 14th channel. First, the longitudinal reinforcement is installed, then the transverse reinforcement. The finished frame is checked for horizontalness. Arrangement of formwork. The boards are knocked down tightly and the side parts of the formwork are made from them. The ceiling surface is covered with moisture-resistant plywood. The finished formwork is supported with logs or telescopic racks. They must be installed rigidly so that the structure does not lead to the sides. Manufacturing of concrete. The ingredients are mixed in a concrete mixer and the finished mixture is obtained. There should be just enough solution to be enough for 1 fill. Filling. The mixture is manually thrown onto the concrete ceiling. You can use a pump. After laying, the concrete is compacted and leveled with a shovel or spatula. If an accumulation of air bubbles is felt under the layer, push it with a shovel to release the air. After pouring, the layer is leveled with a special mop with a long handle. Drying. The concrete coating dries within two months. In the first week, especially in summer, it is necessary to spray the ceiling with water to prevent cracking. The formwork is removed after the concrete surface has completely dried.
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Important! You can't skimp on fittings. This is fraught with sagging of the frame and destruction of the ceiling.
Ceiling design in loft style
This finishing option requires almost no special decoration and processing. A concrete ceiling in a loft style just needs to be lit correctly. To give the ceiling the desired color, the surface is painted.
The concrete surface should look careless, small sagging will add the desired effect
Helpful information! For brutality, you can add metal or wooden decorative beams.
It is important to light the concrete ceiling in the interior so that it does not seem heavy and gloomy. Loft design will require chandeliers hanging from above. The style of the lamps must correspond to the chosen design:
- Incandescent lamps without shades are placed above work areas. Suspensions can vary in length, and lamps can vary in size and power.
Hanging chandeliers of different shapes and sizes will create different lighting scenarios
- Lamps - spots. Halogen devices can have different directions and emphasize certain areas of the surface.
- Fan-shaped chandelier. This lamp, borrowed from an office space, will illuminate and decorate the ceiling.
- High-tech lighting. These unusual and bright devices fit perfectly into the loft style.
Gray concrete will highlight the original chandelier
- Classic chandeliers with crystal pendants, many small lamps and sophisticated lines will highlight the style of the interior.
- Retro-style chandeliers will organically fit into the loft design and highlight its asceticism.
With the help of lighting, you can achieve completely different results from a concrete plane.
Summarize
As a result, we find that a concrete ceiling can quite easily not only be decorated using modern finishing materials, but can also be additionally insulated, also using a special material.
Various options and forms of decoration are presented in the photo. However, do not forget that any coating should be selected based on your own preferences, wishes, interior design of the room and your financial capabilities.
How to insulate a ceiling in a private house
How to choose paint for the kitchen ceiling
How to insulate a ceiling with foam plastic
Photo examples of concrete ceilings
An excellent choice would be a combination of concrete finishes and wood tiles
Concrete beams match the loft style
The concrete finish on the ceiling and one of the walls looks organic
Metal pipes on concrete highlight the loft design
