Installing Drop Ceilings

install drop ceiling
  • 8 hours
  • Intermediate
  • 500
What You'll Need
Ladder
Eye protection
Utility knife
Chalk line
Level
Hammer
Hacksaw or tin snips
Measuring tape
String
Nails/screws
Cordless drill
What You'll Need
Ladder
Eye protection
Utility knife
Chalk line
Level
Hammer
Hacksaw or tin snips
Measuring tape
String
Nails/screws
Cordless drill

A drop ceiling is a secondary ceiling that is installed below the room’s structural ceiling. This type of ceiling, which is often called a suspended or false ceiling, is very common in the construction industry to cover unsightly pipes, ductwork, or wiring. As an added benefit, drop ceilings are also better at suppressing sound between the floors. Installing a drop ceiling isn’t difficult, but there are certain considerations that need to be met to ensure a quality finish.

Ideal Locations for Installing Drop Ceilings

The locations where ceiling access may be required are a primary requirement when deciding on a drop ceiling installation. They typically include basements, laundry rooms, and any room located below a bathroom. It’s also a popular ceiling choice in the lower level of most bi-level homes.

In these lower portions of the home, pipes, wires, and ductwork branch out to the upper levels of the home. If something goes wrong and a repair needs to be made, removing a couple of ceiling tiles makes the job much easier than cutting and replacing a drywall ceiling. In addition, if the problem isn’t where you anticipate it to be, all you have to do is return the tiles to their positions and remove different tiles until you find the affected area.

Tips for Installing Drop Ceilings

You must first establish the head clearance possibilities versus the local building code requirements. Most building codes stipulate that a room must have at least 7.5 feet of ceiling height for new construction. However, for renovation jobs, there may be an alternative allowance. Ask your local zoning office to find out what your area’s code is for drop ceilings.

Measure the room dimensions. Nothing stalls a job like not having all of the materials ready to go from the start. Measure the length and width of the room to determine how many lengths of tracks you will need. If you know the dimensions of the tiles you’re going to be installing, then you will be able to determine how many tiles, main runners, cross tees, and edge moldings, you’re going to need.

The ceiling must be installed low enough to allow for the maintenance of the electrical, the plumbing, and the ductworks, but also for providing easy access to remove and install the ceiling tiles. Leave a gap of at least 3 to 5 inches below the existing ceiling or joists, 5 inches absolutely necessary to install in-ceiling lighting. If you are planning on installing any recessed or drop-in fluorescent fixtures, an additional two inches may be required.

Installing the Perimeter

Install the edge moldings around the perimeter first. Use a level and a chalk line to make sure your ceiling track is completely level. Do not rely on the existing ceiling to be level. In most cases, it won’t be. Once you have the perimeter chalked, start nailing or screwing the track to the wall. Use every nail hole in the track. In areas where no stud is available, use an anchor or other masonry fastener. To ensure the track remains level throughout the room, align the bottom part of the track with the chalk line all the way around.

Watch the corners. Improper installation at the corners is one of the easiest ways for the track to get off-level. For inside corners, overlapping the brackets work fine. For outside corners, the track will have to be mitered for a proper fit.

The Main Runners

The main runners are the T-shaped tracks that will be installed forming the first part of your gridwork. When installed perpendicular to the ceiling joists, the joists can provide a dependable and regular point where the hangers can be solidly anchored.

Determine which direction the tiles will be running and starting with the edge trim of a wall running parallel to the tile's direction, mark the edge trim right in the center as your Center Point. Measure from that point up to an adjacent wall and divide that measurement by the length of a tile. If there is a remainder, which will be the length of the first tile on that adjacent wall, should be less than half a tile, mark a Starting Point exactly a half tile in length over from the Center Point and from that Starting Point mark, mark the edge molding every 4 feet in both directions up to both adjacent walls. Repeating this exercise on the opposite walls will give you both ends references of each main runner.

Measure the length needed for your main runners and cut a runner to length. When measuring, remember to size it so the perimeter side of the runner lays within the perimeter track’s lip. Screw an eye-hook into the ceiling joist above every 4 feet (or every 3rd joist) and tie a wire hanger into each eye hook allowing about 12-inches of wire to hang down below the runners, from each hook. In order to keep the entire ceiling installation level, run a string from one side of the room to the other between perimeter moldings keeping it taut.

The string will work as a guide to keeping the main runner level. Set the main runner you just cut to length onto the perimeter moldings, with both ends lining up with their respective mark on the perimeter trim. Adjust the height along the full length of the main runner to be level with the string. Wrap the wire through the runner’s first hole and bend the wire back up wrapping it along its length. Do this at every wire hanger, then proceed to the next main runner until you have them all up and level.

Cross Tees

The cross tees are of specific length and hook into special slots in the main runner's blade to properly secure them in place. Here again, mark the center of the middle main runner and take the measurement from the wall to that Center Point. Divide that measurement by the width of a tile and if you end up with a remainder of less than half a tile width, move the distance of half a tile over in either direction and trace your Starting Point. This is where to place your first Cross Tee securing it between two main runners. From there, you can easily complete the installation of your full ceiling grid.

Lights

If you’re planning on installing light fixtures in your drop ceiling, there are certain things you will need to keep in mind. For instance, the runners which will be supporting the fixture will need additional wire hangers connected to it to handle the weight. Also, the National Electric Code states that light fixtures installed in a drop ceiling must be wired using a flexible metal cable.