Tin panels are actually made of an aluminum alloy, but they can add an alternative to white ceilings in nearly any room. Panels come in either 2-by-2-foot or 2-by-4-foot sizes. Installing a sub-ceiling is necessary since the panels are heavy and can eventually pull fasteners out of drywall. In a basement, an extra step may be necessary if floor joists are not visible.
Instructions
1. Run a stud finder along the ceiling to find the floor joists or tap the ceiling with your hand, listening for solid sounds between hollow sections of drywall. Mark joist locations by snapping a chalk line the length of the lumber, then transfer the mark to the wall with a pencil.
2. Cut off the electrical power to the room at the breaker box and remove ceiling fixtures like lights or fans, if present.
3. Attach 3/8-inch plywood to the existing ceiling, using 2 1/2-inch decking screws spaced about 8 inches apart along the joists and a power screwdriver. Plywood creates a strong, reliable surface to accept the tin panels. Use plywood over an existing ceiling or over joists.
4. Cut holes in the plywood with a jigsaw any place electrical fixtures must be accessed, like the points where light fixtures and fans will be installed.
5. Measure the room diagonally with a tape measure from opposite corners. The center point of the room will be where the lines intersect.
6. Measure 1 foot to each side of the center point (if using 2-by-2 foot-panels) with a tape measure and mark these lines on the plywood sub-ceiling. This will establish the layout lines for the first panel. Make a quick check to verify that these lines run parallel to the basement walls.
7. Nail up the first panel within the layout lines you've established, using a power nailer and T-nails about 6 inches apart. Nail just two sides of the panel so you can slip the next panels under the first one, creating overlaps. The panels will be stamped with a ridge that locks each panel with an adjacent one and keep the ceiling aligned properly. Continue slipping panels together and nailing them in place, working outward from the center of the room.
8. Cut the panels with tin snips to match up with holes made in the plywood for .
9. Close up any open seams between panels by gently tapping them with a wood block and a hammer. Be careful not to strike any of the embossed areas of the panel as the block will flatten these, too. Slight bending of the tin causes these seams and they occur normally during the installation process.
10. Trim panels with tin snips so they fit where the ceiling meets the wall. If desired, finish the look by installing tin cornices at these junctions. Cornices will need to be mitered with tin snips or have rosettes installed to give a clean look to the job.
Tags: with snips, , , center point, electrical fixtures, existing ceiling, first panel