Tray ceilings can be used to conceal ducts in unfinished basements.
A common problem when finishing a basement is deal with pipes, ducts and cables that run along the basement ceiling. Moving them can be expensive, if doing that is even possible. A better option for you is to conceal them by building a tray ceiling. This is a type of ceiling that is higher in the center than around the perimeter, and it covers any pipes or ducts that run along the basement walls.
Instructions
1. Take the measurements of the wall where the lowest ducts or pipes are. Starting here allows you to make the tray ceiling uniform throughout the basement. Measure the length of the wall, as well as the distance between the bottom of the pipes or ducts and the bottom of the ceiling joists. Add two inches to the measurements around the ducts or pipes so that the wall won't be directly against them.
2. Mark a line on the side wall two inches below the duct or pipes. You can either snap a chalk line or use a laser level.
3. Place a two-by-four on the wall along the bottom edge of the chalk line. Attach it to the wall with masonry screws, using a hammer drill.
4. Cut two 2-by-2-inch boards the same length as the wall.
5. Cut sheets of half-inch plywood to fit the length of the wall. They should be the same depth as the distance you measured from the ceiling joists to the ducts, plus the extra two inches.
6. Build the side panel for the tray ceiling. Lay the 2-by-2s on the ground parallel to each other. Place the plywood on the 2-by-2s, aligning the outer edges of the plywood with the outer edges of the 2-by-2s. Drive 1-5/8-inch screws through the plywood and into the 2-by-2s, placing the screws six inches apart.
7. Screw the side panel to the , placing the panel two inches away from the pipe or duct. Use 3-inch screws when doing this.
8. Measure the distance between the two-by-four on the wall and the inner edge of the side panel. Cut strips of 2-by-2s to be the lookouts for the tray. These boards are installed along the bottom of the frame.
9. Install the lookouts every 16 inches along the bottom of the frame. Attach them to the side panel by driving a nail through the side panel and into the end of the lookout. Attach them to the two-by-four on the wall by driving nails through the lookouts and into the two-by-four at a 45-degree angle.
10. Construct framing for the opposite wall, using the same technique.
11. Construct the framing for the other two walls, building them to fit between the framing for the adjoining walls.
Tags: side panel, along bottom, ceiling joists, length wall, pipes ducts, tray ceiling