Two materials, two factories, one system
A stretch ceiling is always the same concept: a membrane tensioned onto an aluminium profile at the walls. The difference starts at the material. PVC film is heated with a heat gun during installation — the membrane becomes elastic and tensions perfectly as it cools. Polyester is a polyurethane-coated fabric installed cold — no heat gun, no raising the room temperature.
Both materials are produced within the Stretch group: PVC in Poland (which means a shorter production time — 5 working days), polyester in Belgium (5 days for standard versions, up to 15 days for colours and print, plus about 3 days of transport). Both are installed by the same trained crew following the same protocol.
Parameter comparison
The table below lists the parameters that genuinely decide the choice. Pay particular attention to three rows: seamless width, behaviour in a flood, and warranty.
| Parameter | PVC | Polyester |
|---|---|---|
| Seamless width | up to 6.50 m | up to 5.15 m |
| Installation | hot (heat gun) | cold |
| Finishes | matte, gloss, satin, sparkle, translucent, photo print | deep matte, photo print |
| Behaviour in a flood | holds water like a membrane | lets water through slowly |
| Humidity and bathrooms | fully resistant | resistant, but not for wet zones |
| Production | Poland, 5 working days | Belgium, 5–15 days + transport |
| Warranty | 15 years | 10 years |
| Price | most cost-effective | usually approx. 20–30% higher |
When PVC is the only right choice
Some scenarios leave no room for debate — we will recommend PVC even if you arrived set on fabric.
- Bathroom, kitchen, laundry room — PVC absorbs no water, steam condenses on the surface and disappears after airing. This material was made for humid zones.
- A flat in an apartment block with flooding risk — PVC film holds water from a neighbour's leak like a membrane. Polyester lets water through slowly, so the protection of your furnishings is incomparably weaker.
- Gloss, satin, sparkle, translucent — these finishes exist only in PVC. Polyester has one finish, but an outstanding one: the deepest matte on the market.
- Wide rooms up to 6.50 m — our PVC film is the widest seamless membrane on the market. A living room 6 m wide: PVC without a seam, polyester already with a join.
- Budget and timeline — PVC from Polish production is cheaper and ready in 5 working days, with no transport from abroad.
When polyester wins
Polyester is not a worse PVC — it is a material for different jobs. In these five situations we will recommend exactly that.
- Premium interiors with a deep matte — the polyester surface looks like a flawless painted skim coat. No PVC matte goes that low on sheen.
- Cold installation — in rooms with sensitive furnishings (antiques, instruments, artworks, server rooms) the absence of a heat gun can be a hard requirement.
- Acoustic ceilings — our acoustic membranes are based on micro-perforated A2-class polyester. For offices, restaurants and conference rooms it is the natural choice.
- Large cool spaces — polyester keeps stable tension across a wider temperature range, which commercial premises and spaces lightly heated in winter appreciate.
- Fidelity to the architect's design — if the design calls for a specific matte, fabric-like character of the surface, polyester will render it more faithfully than any film matte.
The myth: fabric breathes, film does not
That sentence appears in every second comparison and sounds convincing, but in practice it means little. No ceiling — stretch, suspended or concrete — replaces room ventilation. The membrane's vapour permeability does not affect the air you breathe; the ventilation grille and extractor do. That is why we always check the ventilation at the measurement, regardless of the chosen material.
The real difference is elsewhere: behaviour with water. PVC acts as a sealed membrane — an advantage in a flood. Polyester lets water through slowly — sometimes an advantage where you want any moisture above the ceiling not to be trapped. Both behaviours are predictable; we pick the one that fits the room.
How we choose at the measurement
You do not have to settle this debate before our visit. We arrive at the free measurement with samples of both materials in every finish — you will see the difference in matte live, in your light, against your walls. The advisor walks through the rooms with you and recommends a material for each, with the reasoning. It happens that we install both in one flat: polyester in the living room and bedroom, PVC in the bathroom and kitchen. The system is one, the profile is the same — only the membrane differs.