Measure as near to the ceiling as possible.
Once you decide to install a suspended ceiling yourself, your first two questions are going to be what materials do you need and how much is it going to cost. The amount of materials you need depends on the room's size. The main parts you will need are main tees, cross tees, hanging wires and ceiling tiles. An online material estimator can give you a rough idea of what you need. It is always a good idea to purchase a few extra of everything in case of errors or damage during installation.
Instructions
1. Measure the ceiling's length, from wall to wall, running parallel with the ceiling joists. Type this measurement into the online material estimator in the Reference section of this article.
2. Measure the room's width, from wall to wall, running perpendicular to the ceiling joists. Enter this measurement into the online material estimator.
3. Determine how many inches you want to drop your ceiling from the ceiling joists. This often depends on what kind of lighting you plan to use. If you are not installing lighting in the ceiling, you only need to drop it about 3 inches below the ceiling joists. However, if you are using can lights or fluorescent lights, you need enough room above the ceiling grid to accommodate the fixtures. Enter this measurement in the online calculator.
4. Click the "Calculate" button. The estimator will tell you how much of each material you need to finish your ceiling. Remember, you do not need to purchase all of these materials. For example, if you plan on using 2-by-2-foot tiles, ignore the result for the 2-by-4-foot tiles. The same goes for the tee supports. If you want to use 2-by-2-foot tiles, you would use only the 2-foot tee supports.
Tags: ceiling joists, , online material, online material estimator, this measurement, 2-by-2-foot tiles