Attaching your suspended ceiling to the brick walls of your basement gives it an added layer of stability. With the wall attachment, movement in the ceiling is reduced, and there's less chances of sagging along the ceiling edges. In order to complete the attachment, though, you'll need to remove the edge runners already in place and install specially designed along the wall to serve as the new edges to your ceiling. The process isn't difficult, though, and it should be possible to complete the project in a single day.
Instructions
1. Place a straightedge against the wall along the base of the suspended ceiling and mark the base of the ceiling grid with a piece of chalk, using the straightedge to make a straight line. Move down the length of each wall, marking the position of the ceiling base with the chalk.
2. Measure each wall length with a tape measure and use the measurements to cut lengths of ceiling molding strips to match. Cut the molding with a table saw equipped with a blade suitable for cutting through sheet metal to ensure a clean cut through the small ledge piece running along the molding lengths.
3. Place the cut molding strips along the walls, aligning the metal grid ledge strips with the chalked lines. Tape the strips in place temporarily with masking tape.
4. Drill pilot holes through the strips and into the bricks every 10 inches along the length of the strips with a 3/16-inch masonry bit to make way for the 1/4-inch concrete screws. Drill to a depth of about 1-1/2 inches.
5. Switch the masonry bit to a #2 Phillips head bit. Secure the molding strips in place by driving the 1/4-inch concrete screws through the wood and into the bricks with the pilot holes. Remove the masking tape.
6. Remove the tiles located in the suspended ceiling grid edges by tilting them at an angle and sliding them out of the grid square. Push up the T-bar that connects the main body of the grid to the metal runners that form the edges of the grid to allow the runners to hang free from the ceiling.
7. Unhook the runners from the wires that descend from the ceiling joists with a pair of pliers then tie a knot in the wires to raise them 2 inches.
8. Replace the T-bars between the runners nearest the walls and into the ledge bar on the molding strips to recreate the grid, using the molding strips as the new outside edges. Reinsert the edge tiles to complete the ceiling modification.
Tags: molding strips, 4-inch concrete, 4-inch concrete screws, ceiling grid, concrete screws, , from ceiling