Tented Ceiling Fabric Kit

DIY Information

The System comprises two types of grippers:-

A- The Pole Grippers. 74cm length

Each Pole Gripper is made up of two pieces, a Pole and a Pole Gripper, each 74cm long as shown in Fig1.

B– The Rose Gripper.

This is a half circular gripper as shown in Fig 2 to be placed in a central position. Distributing the Pole Grippers and positioning the Rose Gripper is dependent on the type of conservatory, the ceiling type or on the effect required.
For example if we have an Edwardian type of conservatory with 5 sides, the best way is to distribute 12 Pole Grippers all around the ceiling as in Fig 3, with 4 more Pole Grippers in the middle and the Rose Gripper in the centre.

Each Pole Gripper being 74cm in length will be suitable to standard fabric width. It is left to the customer’s choice as to how much gathering density is required and therefore whether one or two fabric widths per Pole Gripper is needed. The Pole Grippers may need to be cut in order to fit the wall from one end to the other.

To prepare for the installation of the grippers the following tools are needed:-

1– Cordless drill.

2- Rubber or plastic hammer.

3- Screws.

4– Screw driver.

5– Double sided adhesive tape.

6- Drill bit size 1mm.

7– Drill bit size 4mm.

8– Voile, Silk, Chiffon etc

Fitting the Pole Grippers around wall.

Firstly drill three small holes (Either end and one in the middle) in each Pole Gripper before attaching it to top of the wall in order to ease the way for screwing it to the wall. The holes have to be smaller than the screw. Place the Pole Gripper screw it to the wall. It is important to use a small short screw in order not to clash with the aluminium frame behind the plastic, It is advisable to hand screw to tighten the screws if you are not experienced with the cordless drill. In the case of wooden conservatory it is possible to allow a little longer screw to obtain a better grip. In the case of brick walls, to fit a tented ceiling it is advisable to use reasonably large screws with wall plugs.

An extra piece of Pole Gripper may need to be cut in order to fit the wall precisely. Make sure that the Pole Grippers are straight and continue from wall to wall without a gap unless there is special design reason to do it differently.

In the case of fitting tented ceiling of bedroom it is possible to stain the grippers to gold, silver or any other colours.

Fitting the Rose Gripper to the centre of the conservatory.

The Rose Gripper has different attachments.

a) Screws with caps.

b) Clamp.

c) Circular pole.

The Rose Gripper is a half circular shape and is suitable for the centre of many conservatories. However, it is possible to combine two Rose Grippers to form one complete circular gripper, which is more suitable in the case of producing a tented ceiling in a bedroom.
Picture 081
The first action is to place the Rose Gripper on the centre of the conservatory ceiling and mark with pen on the rose, the position of the conservatory beams above in order to place the screws in the right place.
Secure the Rose Gripper in the centre of the conservatory with the self tapping screws, remember to use small short screws in order not to cause damage to the aluminium frame behind the plastic cover, i.e. the intention is to drill through the plastic only.

The rose is ready for the fabric attachment.

If there is a fan in the middle make sure that the fan is lowered down and safe from clashing with the fabric when in operation.

This concludes the installation of the grippers. The next steps explain how to attach the fabric to the grippers.

Gripping Fabric to the Pole Grippers

There are two possibilities for attaching the fabric:-

i) Fabric from Pole to Pole

i) Fabric from Pole to Rose.

Depending on the ceiling being covered, the combinations of pole to pole or pole to rose will vary.

Attaching the fabric to the Pole Gripper.

Always start by attaching the fabric to a Pole Gripper first then attach the other end to the Rose Gripper. This arrangement will make it easier to stretch the fabric between the Pole and Rose Grippers.

It is possible to attach any fabric to the grippers but the thinner the fabric the easier. It is important that the fabric is cut to the desired length and drape required between the Pole Grippers or between the Pole Grippers and Rose.

The first step is to stick double-sided adhesive tape along the length of each pole ready for attaching the fabric to the pole. The density of the fabric gathering is left to preference but as an average, each pole 74cm long will host a full standard fabric width. The gathering should be neat, even and tidy in order to achieve a good result.

The best way is to attach the fabric to both ends and then to the middle and each fold is to be stuck to its middle repeatedly until an even gathering is achieved. Once a good result is achieved the pole and fabric will be ready to be inserted into the Pole Gripper at the top of the wall.

It is advisable to have the fabric rotating from under the pole then inserted into the Pole Gripper in order to cover most of the Pole Gripper and the view from below will be tidy.

If the fabric is being attached Pole Gripper to Pole Gripper, then the same process is repeated for the other end of the fabric.

If the fabric is being attached Pole Gripper to Rose, then the following step needs to be undertaken.

Attaching the Fabric to the Rose

Attaching the fabric to the Rose Gripper is done by passing the fabric under the circular pole then back through and between the plastic clamp and the Rose base. The plastic clamp should then be tightened to hold the fabric in place, allowing for the desired amount of drape in the fabric.

It is advisable to approach this either by clockwise or anti-clockwise steps in order to have better visibility when you are working. The result should give an even and uniform gathering appearance as shown in the in the attached pictures.
Once the principle is understood the way to design and apply the grippers is left to the imagination of the designer.

It is possible to attach swags, drapes or tails by joining them with the ceiling fabric to the pole gripper or by adding another pole gripper underneath depending on whichever way is found to be more economic or easier to do.

Another possibility is to combine two Rose Grippers and make a full circular rose placed in the middle as shown below.