Finish a garage ceiling with other materials besides sheetrock.
What better way to make a garage feel like a completed extension of the house than to sheath its ceiling and walls with a finishing wall product. Sheetrock on the walls and ceilings creates this finished room look, but sheetrock is not the only material available for enclosing the ceiling. The garage does not have to be a bland space -- and many homeowners look to turn it into their own personal car showroom. Within the restrictions of the local building codes, the ceiling's surface provides an opportunity for using alternative ceiling materials and for selecting unusual, yet stylish ones as well.
Wide Wood Floor Planks
This solution is like installing a floor in an upside down room, but what are ceiling beams on one side are floor joists on the other, for a room above the garage. Cover the garage ceiling with a plywood base, and install the wood flooring over that. Make the job simpler by selecting prefinished flooring already stained and polished. The installation method is the same for the floor -- starting along one wall, fitting the pieces together and nailing them into the plywood. Cut pieces of the flooring to fit where whole pieces are too long, and when the ceiling's usual finish is complete, its warm wood tones will make the usually cold garage space feel cozy, warm and inviting.
Cement Board Ceiling
The scene of sparks from a power tool or welding project igniting the ceiling material into a fire is not what any homeowner wants to experience. Cement board on the walls and ceiling as an alternative, non-flammable material, provides a barrier to an accidental fire hazard in the garage. Cement boards will only cover 15 square feet each, as the boards are much smaller than plywood. Though heavy, they will go up with an extra set of hands. Instead of leaving them bare, smooth a coat of stucco over the ceiling to hide the seams and give the ceiling a finished look.
Ceiling Tiles
Cover the garage's ceiling with decorative or acoustical tiles. Decorative tiles interject a touch of design in the garage, while the acoustic tiles deaden loud noises coming from the garage. Select a tile size that allows the edges of tiles to line up with the ceiling beams, such as a 2-by-4-foot ceiling tile. If the tiles do not line up because of the beam spacing, install a plywood base to the rafters first and glue and tack the tiles to the plywood.
A Tin Ceiling
The fire-resistant surface of metal makes a tin ceiling in the garage a suitable choice. Like the ceiling tiles, if they do not line up to the ceiling beams, install them over a layer of plywood. The ornate character of tin ceiling tiles, at first glance, transforms a standard garage into a dramatic and stylish one. Leave the metallic surface of the tin bare for its shimmer and to complement metal elements throughout the garage, or apply a paint or patina finish to tone it down and blend it in with the painted surfaces in the space.
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