Do You Have a Question About Your Ceiling?

Colleen, you’re not wrong. This is a common problem with contractors who “Say” they professionally install suspended ceilings. Most can install flat and level ceilings, however, difficult areas like yours tend to be points of contention between contractors and homeowners. There are two options for you. Build a wood stud soffit around the beam and drywall it. Or build a custom suspended ceiling drop that will look fabulous in your basement. Take your contractors to our Showroom tab and click on Ceiling Drops. You can view what a custom ceiling drop should look like. If they need to know how to build it, take them to our How-To page. There are videos there where I teach the viewer, step-by-step how to build basic and advanced ceiling drops. Thanks for the question! –Tim

Steve, you didn’t mention what type of surface you are installing on to so I’ll cover a couple. For wood joists, you can use a 1” nail or a 1 ¼” drywall screw. Fasten on every joist. For block I would use a 1” hardened nail or ¾” nail and fasten into the mortar joint. You could also use a hammer drill and anchor but that will take you quite a while to install. Please view our video on Wall Angle Installation for additional details. –Tim

Kurt, the individual who told you that was incorrect. First off, I don’t like using roll wire for suspended ceilings because there is a spring effect in the wire when unrolling. It’s hard to eliminate this when installing the grid and can cause problems with the grid sagging or raising in spots. This is why we supply straight tie wire for residential and commercial applications. You should use two strands of standard tie wire and make sure the fastener is correctly seated. DO NOT use drywall screws into the wood joist for a wire fastener. If you have more questions, check out our video Wires & Fasteners Installation on our How-to page. Thanks! –Tim

William, the only way to answer this is that it’s really up you. A couple of advantages of 2x4 are that the overall cost is slightly less than 2x2, but it’s minimal. You are only saving about .15 – .20 cents per square foot. They do make 2x4 panels that look like 2x2 but they are more difficult to cut and install. Advantages for the 2x2 are that the standard 2x2 panels tend to sag less than 2x4 panels and they also are easier to handle which makes them easier to install. You can get either panel in the same style or pattern. –Tim

Peter, I think you gave me enough information to give you a cost spread. I will assume that your ceiling will be flat and level with no ceiling drops. Basic ceiling tiles range from $.40 to $.70 cents a square foot. The Tegular tile that you chose is probably going to be in the $.70 range. Standard grid typically costs about $.85 cents a square foot. The variance will be in the labor. It depends on a couple of factors. (1) where your located in the country and (2) how much square footage you have.

A typical labor cost for a project under 1000 sq ft would be about $.80 to $1.00 sq ft. So if we add this up $.70 + $.85 + $1.00 = $2.55 x 850 sq ft = $2167 Total installed cost. This is approximate. Ceiling drops would be an extra cost. Hope this helps. –Tim

Neil, You mentioned measuring off the floor so I will assume you don’t have a laser and don’t want to purchase one. I cover this part of the installation in my Installing Ceiling Grid-Basic video. Don’t measure off the floor as most floors are uneven. The best way to level without a laser is to use a string line. Refer to the video for details. Thanks!  –Tim

Mel, did you watch our Installing Ceiling Grid video? You have a classic “Out of Square” problem. If you started installing and kept going you’re in trouble. You need to start back at the 1st two mains again and re-square at that point. The remaining grid may have to be torn down if you’re out of square too much. If you find that after squaring the first two mains, the next main can be cut back to achieve square, then do that and you’ve lucked out. If the next main comes off the wall when you square it, then you will either have to disassemble that run, as well as the remaining grid and start over or try to add onto the end of that main to extend it. A word of caution…It won’t look good if you extend it and it won’t be easy…Good luck. –Tim

Rick, Vinyl ceiling tiles have advantages and disadvantages. You can view our Free video on Vinyl vs Metal on our How-to page to see what those are. Advantages are (1) They install very quickly (2) There’s no dust while installing (3) they are cheap to ship and (4) they are sag resistant. There are a couple of issues worth mentioning though. I have said in the past that I do not recommend vinyl grid or tiles for several reasons. (1) The grid takes much longer to install (2) Installing vinyl tiles removes all sound absorption characteristics of the room. In other words it will sound like you’re in a cave. (3) They are more expensive then most fiber based acoustical ceiling tiles. (4) Vinyl grid or tiles cannot support loads like ceiling fans, light fixtures and even insulation installed above the tiles. There are better choices out there. You might want to do a little more investigating before you buy. –Tim

Beth, Bungalows were popular after WWII and at the time, basement ceiling heights weren’t important. The short answer is yes you can install a suspended ceiling, provided that there are not too many mechanicals hanging down below the joists. You should be able to use a standard grid system and install it about 3” lower than the joists. In areas where there are mechanicals, you would want to build a ceiling drop. Go to our How-To Ceiling Installation page and view Building Suspended Ceiling Drops Basic or Advanced.  I would also recommend a “Hook” type system, not a “Stab” type for tight clearances like yours. You can view our free video on  The Basics of Suspended Ceilings for more information on these two types of systems. With these combinations, you should be able to maintain a ceiling height of around 6’7” – 6’8”. Good Luck! –Tim

Barney, thanks for contacting Strictly Ceilings. Yes, we are familiar with the vinyl grid system that you are describing. However, we have not recommended vinyl grid systems in the past due to the many disadvantages of vinyl. If you haven’t seen my video on Vinyl vs Metal Grid Systems on our How-To page then you should consider watching it before you make your final decision. The system you are describing has its place in the market but only if you absolutely have to have that extra 1” of clearance. Most metal systems can be installed to within 2” of the joists and are generally less expensive as well. Thanks for the question. –Tim

Christine-  It really depends on the look you want for your basement. If your main concern is functionality, then I would recommend the Armstrong Fissured tile which a great economical choice.  If you want a slightly more refined look, take a look at the Armstrong Fine Fissured ceiling tile which is not only economical but is also humidity resistant.   You can view both of these tiles, as well as additional economical ceiling tile choices in our online Showroom.