There are a number of ways to spruce up a room in your home such as a coat of paint and window coverings. Ceiling panels, however, seem to change the entire atmosphere of a room and add a classic detail many people don't think of at first.
Ceiling panels come in many styles and materials such as tin, fiberboard, wood, or decorative ceiling panels such as vinyl.
Planning
Ceiling panels are easy to install, but there is some planning involved. If you want to use a frame to install your panels for a dropped ceiling rather than gluing or nailing the panels to the ceiling, start by measuring each wall in your room at the ceiling level. Include beams and odd areas such as lighting fixtures or fans and note. Use a graph sheet to draw a layout plan and use each graph square to represent a measurement of 1 square foot and include markings of light fixtures or odd angles. Decide on a ceiling pattern. Generally, a 2-foot by 4-foot pattern is the easiest, according to Ceiling Solutions.
Determine your centerline by marking your ceiling with a pencil mark running parallel with your long walls and at right angles to your joists, or supports and note it on your graph paper.
Installing Ceiling Frame
Metal framing includes the main tees, which hang from above by a wire and act as a support system for the ceiling because they run between the wall angles. Cross tees are added to your right angles and snapped into the main tees and support your individual ceiling panels.
When you install your framing, begin 2 feet from your centerline. This establishes your first row of main tees. Use your 4-foot cross tees there. Your main tees run beside your centerline and are spaced 4 feet on center. Position your cross tees, and complete your grid. Push your ceiling panels into the grid and maneuver until the panel drops on to the frame.
Installing Fiberboard Panels
Most fiberboard ceiling panels are 12-inch by 12-inch and most have tongue-and-groove edges. For plaster, gypsum board or any ceiling providing smooth and continuous backing, use adhesives to apply your ceiling panels, according to Dixieline.com. Start with the longer side of your room and measure the distance from wall to wall. If your measurements are in even feet, you don't need to cut border tiles, at least not in that particular direction. If not even, add 12 to the measurement remaining and divide by 2. This gives you the width of a border line. Do the same with the other sides of your room.
Draw a line along each side of your room that is equal to the width of your border panels, if you need them, to line up your first row of border panels along the short and long sides of your room.
Place adhesive on your border panels first on the corners, and center and apply to your ceiling. Do the same with your other tiles: line up, and snap your tiles together.
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