Installing a drop ceiling is an effective and inexpensive way to work around complex ceiling repairs. Unfinished ceilings, high ceilings and areas where pipes or electrical fixtures cannot be hidden also make use of drop ceilings. Installing a drop ceiling takes about a day, depending on the size of the room. The complicated part is hanging the initial grid to support the tiles. Keeping an eye for detail and making sure the grid remains level are two important aspects to ensuring a successful installation.
Instructions
The Grid
1. Decide on the panel style and size. Most panels for drop ceilings are either 2-by-2 foot squares or 2-by-4 foot rectangles.
2. Measure the dimensions of the room's width and length. Draw the measurements on graph paper. Make each square equal to 1 square foot. Count the number of panels needed by using the square foot dimensions of the room.
3. Verify the local height and clearance requirements for your ceiling. This helps determine the ceiling height if you have pipes and electrical fixtures that will be hidden by the drop ceiling.
4. Measure from the floor to the ceiling joists. Subtract the required inches for the pipe and electrical clearance. New ceilings often require a 6-inch depth from the joists. Use the final measurement as a guideline against the wall for the suspended ceiling.
5. Mark a line along the walls by using a level as a straightedge. The level ensures a balanced, even ceiling. Locate the wall studs for each wall with a stud finder. Mark their location along the lines.
6. Turn off power to the room as a precaution. Drill screws through the holes in the angles to attach them to the wall. Place the screws at the stud markings. Use the marked line as the placement guide for the angles. Trim the angles with tin snips to fit into the corners.
7. Read the installation manual included in the ceiling kit for placing the eye-hole screws. Install the eye-hole screws into the joists above you at the recommended distance. The eye-hole screws hold the wires to suspend the ceiling grid.
8. Cut suspension wires to size for each eye-hole screw with a pair of wire snips. Use the height of the angles along the walls as a guide for where the wires should end. Measure from the floor to the angle height. The distance from the end of the measuring tape to the eye-hole screw is the length of each wire. Hang each section of wire as you cut it.
9. Attach the main tees to the ends of the wires by tying the ends to the tees with a pair of pliers. The main tees are the metal beams that span the room. All tees should point in the same direction. Use the level to check the evenness of the tees as you go.
10. Insert the ends of the cross tees into the main tees at the wires. They should snap into place. This connects the grid together. Start at the center of the grid and work toward the walls. Check the levelness of the grid, as you go, with the level set on the cross tees. Cut the tees to fit at the walls with the tin snips.
The Tiles
11. Climb a ladder under the open area where the first tile will be installed. Have a helper hand you a ceiling tile. Grasp the panel at the shorter end if you are using rectangular panels.
12. Position the panel so the short end is parallel to the long sides of the grid. Raise the panel up through the grid, keeping it centered as you raise it.
13. Place the panel corners so they are perpendicular to the opposing corners of the grid. The bottom edge of the panel forms a line between the opposing corners in the grid section, forming triangles.
14. Turn the panel carefully so the face is toward you. Use both hands to support the panel as it faces flat with the grid.
15. Line the panel up with the grid below it. Move the panel until it is even with the grid on all sides. Drop the panel into place. Continue along the grid row to the ends. Cut the end pieces and any other pieces to fit the grid with a utility knife.
Tags: drop ceiling, eye-hole screws, main tees, with grid, , corners grid, cross tees