While a drop ceiling is a good way to finish any ceiling, it is an especially good way to hide any pipes or wiring in the ceiling when you finish a basement area. You need to have at least 4 inches of clearance between the ceiling joists and the grid work of the suspended ceiling to set the ceiling tiles. More space is necessary if you are installing light fixtures in the ceiling. Installing a drop ceiling is a project that a do-it-yourselfer with basic carpentry skills can complete with tools that are probably already on hand.
Instructions
1. Measure 4 inches below the ceiling and mark that location in several spots along the wall. Use a carpenter's level to ensure the marks are level. Draw a line along the wall to mark the perimeter line. Repeat this process for the remaining three walls. If you find that the original line doesn't allow 4 inches of clearance at some point on one of the walls, re-measure the walls until you find a common point from which you can measure.
2. Use a stud finder to mark the studs above the line you drew. Hold a piece of perimeter grid so that the bottom of the piece is in a corner against the top of the line you drew on one wall. Nail 6-penny nails through the portion of the grid that is against the wall and into the studs. Butt perimeter pieces together, as needed, on long walls and inside corners. Cut the perimeter pieces with tin snips if necessary. Use the tin snips to miter-cut any outside corners.
3. Determine the width of the room as it parallels the ceiling joists. Divide the length of your panels by the width of the room. This tells you how many full panels you can hang. Now divide any remaining length by two. This number is the width of the short panels for the two outer rows. Repeat the measurement for the opposite two walls.
4. Tie string from one side of the room to the other, parallel with the joists at the short panel measurement from the step above. Pull the string tight so that it is the same height as the bottom of the perimeter grid. Place additional string across the room the length of the panels.
5. Measure the distance from the string to the ceiling. Cut pieces of 16-gauge wire 12 inches longer than that measurement with wire cutters.
6. Install eye bolts in the ceiling joists directly above the string lines. Space the eye bolts so they are on every third joist.
7. Run one end of a wire through an eye bolt. Twist the end of the wire three times around the eye bolt to fasten it in place. Bring the bottom of the wire straight down to the level of the string. Bend it at a right angle. Repeat this process for all of the eye bolts.
8. Set the metal tees, or tee lines, that hold the ceiling tiles in place along the string lines. Set one end of the tee line on the rim of the perimeter grid and set the other end in place on the opposite side of the room. If you have to put two main tees together, join them at the tabs on each end. Align the tees so they sit right on the string line. Run the end of a suspended wire through the corresponding hole below it. Twist the wire back up and wrap it onto itself three times. Repeat for all the wires above that main tee. Set all the main tees and wire them in place in the same manner.
9. Set the cross tees into position at right angles on the main tees. Some just rest in place while others have tabs that connect them. Follow the manufacturer's directions. Set the ceiling tiles in place over the center of the room to help square the grid as you go. Cut shorter cross tees to fit into the narrower spaces around the perimeter of the room with tin snips. Remove the string markers.
10. Measure and cut the ceiling tiles for the outer row. Use the long, straight edge of the carpenter's level to help you make straight cuts with a utility knife.
11. Install all of the ceiling tiles into the drop ceiling. If the ceiling tile doesn't quite fit, shave a narrow portion of the edge off with the utility knife.
Tags: ceiling tiles, ceiling joists, main tees, perimeter grid, along wall, carpenter level