Why America almost abandoned suspended ceilings - 5 rational reasons

Among foreigners who visit the USA or Canada for the first time, there is an opinion that suspended ceilings have almost been abandoned in America. Indeed, seeing such a design in a private house or apartment is a rare success. Local residents prefer ordinary ceilings, painted with no less ordinary paint, or a textured coating called “popcorn”. There are a number of reasons for this.

Unsafe materials

For most Americans, safety is the main criterion when choosing building materials:

• Firstly, this is due to a high level of self-awareness and awareness of the value of one’s life. Beauty fades into the background if decorative finishing can directly or indirectly lead to irreparable consequences.
• Secondly, the insurance company may refuse to compensate for damage caused to someone else's property during a fire if it is proven that the homeowner used unsafe materials knowing about their properties.

Even those types of plastic that are considered fire-resistant begin to blaze at a high enough temperature, spreading fire throughout the room. Acrid smoke and droplets of molten material falling on the floor create an additional threat to life.

Expensive

Installing a stretch ceiling, including the cost of purchasing consumables and paying workers, costs several times more than installing plasterboard and other popular coatings.The production of such ceilings in America is not properly organized (mainly due to lack of demand), and the few companies that do produce components are focused not on the domestic market, but on the external one. Given the fact that Americans do not strive for ostentatious luxury, they will not overpay for something that will not make their life better or more convenient.

Shortage of qualified specialists

Since a significant part of consumers are not interested in using suspended ceilings, builders do not see the point in additional training (which, of course, is paid) and obtaining an expensive license. Some companies still have specialists on staff capable of performing installation work, but in order to acquire high qualifications, you need practical experience - and there is nowhere to gain it. As a result, anyone who wants to install a suspended ceiling will receive mediocre quality for quite a lot of money.

Rented housing

For the average American, moving is not a natural disaster or an extraordinary event. Young people change their place of residence on average once every three to five years, older people do this less often. This “turnover” is facilitated by the developed rental market for apartments and houses - you can always find a more affordable option in terms of price or location. At the same time, the landlord does not want to spend money on expensive repairs, and for the tenant, installing suspended ceilings, like any others, will be pointless for two reasons:

• As a rule, the contract stipulates that the housing must be handed over in the same form in which it was accepted. This entails costs not only for installation, but also for dismantling structures.
• The cost of repairs is included in the rent.That is, if a person lives in the same apartment for a long time, its owner will bear all the costs associated with periodic renovation of the interior.

It turns out that no one is ready to shell out from their pocket an amount equal to 2 or 3 months’ salary just to get an extravagant ceiling. In the American mind, spending should be rational.

Striving for simplicity

Stretch ceilings are certainly beautiful, but residents of the North American continent prefer “simple” beauty to “complex” beauty - maintenance of a house or apartment, in their opinion, should not require much effort and be financially costly.

In order to repaint a regular ceiling if stains or other damage suddenly appears on it, you will need a can of paint and a roller. And in order to replace or repair the tensioner, you will have to call specialists and buy quite expensive materials. A similar situation will arise when replacing ceiling lamps - to carry it out, you will need not only the help of an electrician, but also the presence of installers who will first remove the tension fabric and then install it back. These are unnecessary expenses and unnecessary hassles that Americans are trying to avoid.

Taking into account the above, it is obvious why suspended ceilings have almost been abandoned in America. The local residents simply don’t need them; people are satisfied with the usual finishing methods, which, moreover, are simple, cheap and practical. Perhaps in the future there will be changes in the way Americans think or in their way of life, but stretch ceilings are definitely not destined to be the favorites in the coming decades.