What is the height of the ceiling in the "Khrushchev"?

Khrushchev. This term has become a household name, symbolizing the narrowness, poor quality of construction and extremely limited living spaces. Nevertheless, a considerable part of Russians live in buildings erected on this project. Such houses can be criticized, but for many this is the only way to get their own point.

On the features of apartments in the Khrushchev panel, their dimensions, ceiling height and how to expand the available space, we will discuss in this article.

During the rule of Nikita Khrushchev, the government set the task of providing all young families with their own housing. The huge need of the population for apartments demanded from the state to solve this problem as much as possible in the shortest possible time. That is why the ultimate theme of minimalism and functionality became the main leitmotif of the building in the following years.

Priority was given to the construction of five-story building.And the houses were built from panels: brickwork was too expensive material.

Where did the limit of 5 floors come from? It's simple - this is the maximum allowable height at which an elevator may not be installed in an apartment building. His installation required a lot of money - it was an unaffordable luxury for the Soviet people in that difficult period for the country.

The task of saving on everything that can be done has not bypassed the dimensions of the apartments: they simply did not have a single extra square centimeter, which only the kitchens of 5-7 square meters were worth. m! A tiny entrance hall, a miniature bathroom and small rooms are the main features of the buildings of the Khrushchev period.

Ceilings in such buildings were also low. Their standard height was about 2.5 m. (in practice, this value varied depending on the design office, this figure could be 2.45, 2.55 and even 2.60 m).

This height was also dictated by the economy. In fairness, it should be noted that under the economy does not imply the use of cheap building materials - houses in the era of the USSR have always been built well and efficiently.Reducing the height of living space significantly reduced heating costs and allowed to increase the number of individual apartments.

For example, if the ceiling height was 3 meters, the buildings would have to be built four-storyThis would mean a reduction in the number of residential premises, which in those years was absolutely unacceptable. Such sizes are strikingly different from the usual stalinok, so many people felt discomfort and called Khrushchev "concrete boxes."

At the same time, the majority of Soviet citizens were happy to receive a similar living space, as they had to huddle in barracks and communal apartments for many years.

Small height is not the only minus of Khrushchev. In addition to the low location, the ceiling is characterized by a rather uneven surface, which in many respects limits the use of various options for its finishing.

At the same time, technology does not stand still. The times when the repair of the ceiling was reduced to his whitewashing with chalk was over. Today on the market there are a lot of finishing materials and coatings that can change the Khrushchev in beyond days beyond recognition,make it stylish and visually lift the ceiling.

The relatively low cost methods for trimming the ceiling include:

• painting;
• whitewash;
• wallpapering;
• installation of ceiling tiles.

Let us dwell on them in more detail.

When deciding whether to use one of these methods, you should objectively evaluate the surface of the ceiling.

By the way, in this case, a full ceiling trim can result in additional costs, and sometimes not at all.

The advantage of staining and whitewashing is considered environmental friendliness and complete safety for the life and health of the inhabitants of the apartment.

As in the first method, the initial appearance of the coating is crucial when choosing this method of finishing the ceiling. If there are irregularities and defects, then you need to start to eliminate them.

The advantage of the method is a wide selection of wallpapers of various shades and textures.

The ceilings in the Khrushchev houses consist of floor slabs, they have drops that appear in the irregularities of the ceiling. To remedy the situation and make the coating more aesthetic, it is necessary to level the ceiling. If the size of the plates differs from each other by 1-2 cm, then the ceiling can be plastered, but if the drop is deeper - this can be quite dangerous. In addition, pre-surface treatment significantly increases the cost of repair.

For example, there is a ceiling of 18 square meters. with drops of 3-5 cm To even out such a coating, you will need at least 15 bags of plaster.. Taking into account the fact that each bag weighs about 30 kg, the total weight of the plaster will be 450 kg. Agree that it is not very pleasant to live in such an apartment.

This is an economical option that allows you to improve the condition of the ceiling with minimal expenditure of funds.At the same time there is no need for preliminary repair of the original coating: the tile masks minor surface irregularities well.

In addition, a wide range of ceiling tiles of different colors, sizes and textures are presented in the building stores, so you can easily choose an option for any interior.

Installation of suspended structures and installation of the ceiling of plasterboard are considered more costly ways, but more stylish, aesthetic and durable.

The hinged structures allow to avoid the time-consuming forces, means and time of preliminary repair: the stretch ceiling can be mounted even on uneven and deformed ceiling covering.

There is an opinion that the tension structures steal useful centimeters. This is true, but the “damage” is not so great. If the decoration does not provide for the installation of spotlights, then the new ceiling will drop only 3 cm.

Plasterboard ceilings allow you to create multi-level designs that will decorate any interior, bring style, luxury and elegance to it. It is easy to refresh such a ceiling: for this you just need to tint it once every two or three years.

In situations where the ceiling is too low, you can try to increase its height, at least visually.

Interior designers give a few recommendations on this subject:

1. Give preference to wallpaper and patterns with a vertical print, and it is necessary to glue them over the entire wall: from top to bottom, the traditional edging only conceals the height;
2. try to shift the emphasis in the room from the ceiling to the walls and floor;
3. get low dim furniture, and decorate windows with light weightless tulles on the floor.

When using a hinged stretch ceiling opt for glossy materialwith a slight mirror effect. Such coatings visually expand the space and fill it with light.

Here are some tips for walls and furniture that will also help increase the space of the Khrushchev:

• mirrors have an important role in expanding space - use them to the maximum, but try not to overdo it;
• installation of borders is not recommended: they visually reduce the already small room;
• create a perspective effect indoors, for which you place a bright decorative element or piece of furniture in the corner opposite to the entrance.

The video below contains tips on how to visually enlarge a low ceiling.