"The vaulted ceiling is so large that in the winter the trusses move a bit because of the difference between the cold and the heat," Paul Beaudry says about the causes.
The Beaudrys considered having it repaired by a drywaller, who would bring in a scaffold, patch up the crack and make it look like new again, but they feared it could become a yearly ritual.
"I know that next winter it will happen again," Beaudry says. "To go through it every year is a little on the depressing side."
So he found an alternative.
While reading an article in the Free Press Homes section last spring, he saw a brief mention about polyester and polyurethane textile fabric ceiling that could be installed without having to repair or remove the existing ceiling.
After a bit of web research, he called the owner of the Winnipeg-based company, Dany Ensminger, a carpenter who recently emigrated from France and the only person in Western Canada trained to install the fabric ceilings, which have been in use in Europe for more than 12 years.
But Beaudry wasn't the only one intrigued by the innovative renovation technology. Since appearing in the Free Press and at an architectural showcase at the University of Manitoba, business has been brisk, says Ensminger, whose company is appropriately named European Ceiling Solutions.
A technique similar to an artist stretching a canvas over a frame, the PVC-free membrane is fastened to a frame lining the wall, a half-inch to an inch underneath the existing ceiling. The new ceiling can be installed often in less than a day if it's a small space. (It can be used for wall coverings too.)
For a larger area, like the 1,300-square-foot common space that encompassed the Beaudrys' living room, dining room and kitchen, Ensminger completed the project in three days -- without the usual mess that accompanies most renovation jobs.
"We came home on the last day, and they were packing up, and then it was like they had never been there," Beaudry says, adding the ceiling looks identical to a finished drywalled one.
Though more expensive than hiring a drywaller to patch the crack, Beaudry says the $5-per-square-foot price was worth it because the solution is permanent, and the fabric can be easily peeled back to provide access to wiring underneath.
The material is fire-, water- and mould-resistant and comes with a 10-year warranty, and while all of his clients so far have chosen white, Ensminger says the two product lines -- one from Belgium and the other from Switzerland -- come in several colours, textures and patterns.
"One of the interesting things is you can have it silkscreened with murals," said Winnipeg architect Lloyd W. Secter, who recently contracted Ensminger to install a ceiling in a client's home. "You can pretty much do anything to it."
The Belgian manufacturer, Luxplafond, even carries a translucent line of fabric, which Ensminger says is commonly used in commercial buildings in Europe as an innovative lighting system.
Lights installed underneath the membrane provide ambient lighting throughout a space -- be it ceiling or wall. In addition, he says he can frame the ceiling into almost any form -- arches, domes and convex formations that are difficult to create with drywall.
But beyond its uses for design and decor, the wall and ceiling system is incredibly convenient to install in situations where major renovations would be required.
Sector's client had a textured ceiling that would have been difficult to remove, and the job also called for the installation of more potted lights.
"There's cost savings and it went up in essentially one day," he says, adding drywalling would have taken about four days.
For Jim and Mary Tibbs, cost was an important consideration when looking into repairing their water-damaged kitchen ceiling in their Charleswood townhome. But convenience was an even bigger factor in their decision to choose the stretch fabric ceiling.
"I had a figure in my head of what I was prepared to spend," says Jim Tibbs, who had a price range of $1,500 to repair the 170-square-foot ceiling.
The Tibbs wanted new light fixtures, including new wiring, and were wary about having their ceiling ripped up and the job taking more than a couple of days.
Ensminger's solution took less than half a day, leaving the Tibbs with a perfectly smooth, white ceiling, complete new light fixtures, and a pleasant sense of disbelief to boot.
"The funny thing is at first I was thinking 'What on Earth is this guy going to be doing?'" Mary Tibbs says their initial uncertainty about their choice of contractor. That quickly subsided, however, once they saw the final result.
"It solved a big problem as far as we were concerned at a price that is acceptable," Jim says. "We are absolutely thrilled with it."
