Dropped ceilings can make home repairs and maintenance easier. Instead of destroying the whole ceiling to get to the overhead plumbing or electrical wires, you just need to remove a panel or two, saving both time and money.
However, dropped ceilings have their aesthetic drawbacks. They can leave your home looking like your office and take away height from your room. Fortunately, there are some enhancements you can make to the ceiling tiles so they will blend more attractively into your home decor.
Painting Tiles
You can paint the dropped ceiling tiles just as you would your walls with a regular latex paint. Painting the ceiling tiles adds color to the room and, depending on the chosen color, can make the ceiling appear higher than it actually is. Another option is painting the dropped ceiling's metal bracings, either the same color as the tiles, in a complimentary color or by themselves. Complementary painting will add a patterned effect to the ceiling which will make the ceiling appear higher and the room larger in general. If you choose to paint the ceiling tiles or the bracings or both, make sure you have some paint left over. In the event that a tile or part of the bracing is damaged, you will then have paint of the same color to paint the replacement tile or bracing.
Of course, you don't have to buy white tiles.