The Armstrong Company, known for its flooring, windows and doors, also provides ceiling options. A drop ceiling, also known as a suspended ceiling, hangs tiles down from the roof on a support structure. This type of ceiling is commonly found in basements or warehouses, where you need to access pipes or fixtures on the ceiling but want them covered so you can't see them. Properly installed supports and tiles will allow you to access the actual ceiling but will cover it up with a decorative flair.
Instructions
1. Locate all of your ceiling joists. The joists may be exposed on your ceiling, but if they are not, use a stud finder to locate the joists. If you have to find them, use chalk to mark both edges of the joists so you have them traced on your ceiling.
2. Measure from one side of the joist to the other and mark the exact center of the joist with chalk. If you had to outline the joists on in chalk, use a different color of chalk to work with the centers so you can distinguish the two.
3. Snap a chalk line up the center of each joist. You want to install all fasteners in the center of the joists for the best hold.
4. Measure the width of your room, which runs parallel with the ceiling joists. Divide that number by the length of one of your drop ceiling tiles, and then add the remainder to the length of the tile. For example, if your room is 9 feet wide and your panel is 4 feet long, dividing 9 by 4 gives you an answer of 2 with a remainder of 1. Add the 1 to the 4 feet for an answer of 5.
5. Divide the final number by 2. Five divided by 2 is 2.5, which translates to 2-½ feet, or 2 feet, 6 inches. This is the length you will need for the border panels of your room to achieve a uniform look in the space.
6. Calculate the width of the border panels by dividing the length of the room by the width of the panel, adding the remainder to the width number and dividing by 2. This gives you the exact length and width you need for your border panels.
7. Make a mark on your wall at the height you want for the drop ceiling. Make sure to provide at least 6 inches of clearance between the tiles and anything above them for easier installation.
8. Hold the support molding for the tiles up to the mark you made in Step 7. Make sure that it is level against the wall. The bottom of the molding should line up with the mark you made. Trace the top of the molding onto the wall, and then use a level or chalk line to trace that top line all the way around the room so you have a guideline for installing the molding.
9. Nail the wall molding in place with the top of the molding sitting against the guideline you made in Step 8. Use 6d finishing nails to secure the molding in place every 6 to 8 inches as you go around the room. Cut the molding to fit as necessary with tin snips. For inside corners, run one piece directly into the corner and butt the other directly against it. For outside corners, cut the two adjoining ends to a 45-degree angle to join properly.
10. Measure out from one wall the width of the border panel you determined, running perpendicular to the joists. Snap a chalk line perpendicularly across all the joists. Measure 4 feet from that line and snap a second line. Continue until you have covered the whole room; the final line will sit away from the far wall the distance of the width of a border panel.
11. Screw wire fasteners into the spots where the perpendicular lines meet the center lines of the joists. The fasteners will be 4 feet apart from each other. These fasteners will hold up the bulk of the ceiling.
12. Thread wires through the holes in the fasteners. Wrap the wire around itself three times to ensure that it is firmly in place. Let wire dangle down from the wrapped section.
13. Attach a piece of string to the top of the wall molding under the rows of wires. Stretch the string so it sits level and connects to the wall molding on the opposite wall. Next, bend the wires at a 90-degree angle so the bottom corner of the bend rests on the wire. This will keep the runners for your tiles level. When all the wires are bent appropriately, remove the string.
14. Line up the first main runner or beam with the wall molding. Trim the runner with tin snips just after the slot that is closest to the border panel width from the wall --- you already have a perpendicular line marking this spot. The slot will hold the cross-beams in place. Trim the piece, using tin snips.
15. Turn the first beam so the cut end sits against the wall molding. Thread the bent string through the nearest hole and wrap it around itself three times to secure the beam to the ceiling. Trim away any excess wire, using tin snips. Repeat with all the holes in the main beam until it is secure against the ceiling.
16. Set the first cross-T piece against the wall molding running perpendicular to your first beam. Snap the cross-piece into the slot at the end of the first beam. If necessary, trim the end of the cross-T that rests against the wall to make it fit in the space between the wall and the first beam.
17.Work off the first beam and cross-T to install the grid over the whole room. Trim pieces as necessary, using tin snips. Remember to tie off all beams and snap in all cross-Ts. Butt adjoining pieces tightly together.
18. Install all full tiles into the grid. Skip the border areas for now. Angle the tiles upward against the ceiling so you can fit the entire tile above the grid, and then drop it down. The ledges on the edges of the tile should sit against the grid. Continue until all of the full panels are installed.
19. Cut the border tiles to fit, using a sharp utility knife. Cut the tiles to the measurements you determined at the beginning. Next, measure in 3/8 inch from each edge and make a pencil line. Cut halfway through the panel along each of the lines and peel off the top half of the panel. This provides you with the ledges used to hang the tile.
20. Set the border tiles in place the same way you did the full tiles. If you need to cut around ducts, vents or pipes, use a sharp utility knife to cut out the shapes. Continue until the entire ceiling is installed.
Tags: wall molding, first beam, , your ceiling, border panel, border panels