Ceiling Connect Strip: joining ceiling panels at 290cm

A panelled ceiling is judged from directly underneath, lying on a sofa, with daylight raking across it. That is the least forgiving view a surface in a house ever gets, and it is why the joints between ceiling panels matter more than the joints on a wall. The Ceiling Connect Strip is the PVC profile that closes them.

Reading the 2.2 x 290 x 1.3cm figure

The listing gives one dimension string for each strip, and it is worth unpacking rather than skimming:

The listing does not label which of 2.2cm and 1.3cm is the visible width and which is the depth, so if your panel thickness is tight against one of them, ask the shop to confirm before you order. The 290cm length is the figure to plan around. A pack holds ten strips, so there is twenty-nine metres of jointing in a single box.

Matching A, B and C to the panel

The three finishes are tied directly to the ceiling panel codes, which takes the guesswork out of it:

• A, white for ceiling panels 120A
• B, light grey for ceiling panels 120B
• C, cream for ceiling panels 120C

Note the letter on the panel you are buying and order the strip with the same letter. White against cream is a mismatch nobody notices on a swatch and everybody notices on a ceiling.

Planning a ceiling run

Work out the direction of the panels before anything else. Running them along the longer dimension of the room usually gives fewer joints, and fewer joints is the whole point. Measure the room at both ends, because walls are seldom parallel and a panelled ceiling shows a tapering gap at the perimeter far more clearly than a painted one. Then count: every joint between two panels takes a connect strip, and the perimeter where the ceiling meets the wall takes a different profile, the Ceiling End Strip, which is listed at the same dimensions and in the same three finishes.

What the listing leaves open

The description calls the strip PVC and says it is designed for easy installation, but it does not state the fixing method, whether it is cut with a knife or a saw, or what panel thickness the channel accepts. Overhead work is the wrong time to find out, so put those questions to the shop first. There is no acoustic or fire performance figure published for this part either, and none should be assumed from the panel it sits beside.

Ordering the ceiling parts together

Joints, perimeter and fixings arrive as one job, so order them as one. Two neighbouring parts need a question first. The bracket for PVC wall panels is listed for wall panels 05, 07, 11, 81 and 82, not for the 120 ceiling boards, and the Cover Slips set of 30cm, 60cm and 90cm pieces is listed for wall panels as well, so ask the shop whether either is right for a ceiling before you add them to the order. Everything is in Trims & Fittings, with the boards themselves in Ceiling Panels. Delivery is free within 50 miles of the Glasgow store and £50 beyond.

Count your joints, check the panel letter, then order the Ceiling Connect Strip in the matching finish.