Installing a drop ceiling adds a ceiling a few inches below open joists or a finished ceiling.
Drop ceilings cover up and allow ready access to wires, pipes, and other essential services.
They can even be used tocover up a popcorn ceilingwithout removing it.
you could install a drop ceiling with 2-foot-square tiles by yourself in a medium-sized room.
The project takes about a day or two and costs less than $1,000.
What Is a Drop Ceiling?
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Adrop ceilingis built with a metal grid suspended on hanger wires.
The drop is between 2-1/2 to 12 inches, creating a space.
Drop Ceiling Components
Drop orsuspended ceilingsconsist of the drop ceiling grid and the ceiling tiles.
Tip
Drop ceiling grid kits come in set sizes, usually 64 square feet.
Combine grid kits for larger ceilings or expand kits with individual components.
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Plan for the grid’s main support beams to run perpendicular to the joists of the ceiling above.
Determine Wall Molding Height
Measure the height of the lowest protrusion on the ceiling.
Add another 2-1/2 inches down (or per project specs) to arrive at the height of the ceiling.
Mark this height on the wall.
Turn on the rotary laser level and aim the line on the wall reference point.
The laser will strike a line around the entire room perimeter.
Drive another nail at the opposite end of the wall at the same height.
Snap a chalk line between the two nails.
Continue for the remaining walls.
drop in the Wall Moldings
Find the location of the wall studs with the stud finder.
Mark the center point of each stud.
Continue around the rest of the room.
Cut wall moldings with the tin snips orwith a hacksaw.
Mark the Joists
Drive a nail at each wall’s center point marked earlier.
The nails should be at the top of the wall, at the height of the joists.
Snap a line across the bottom of all of the joists.
Some brackets screw into the bottom of the joist.
Other types are nailed to the side of the joist (the ceiling must be open for this).
Attach the Hangers
Insert hanger wires through the openings of the joist brackets.
confirm that the hooked end of each hanger wire is facing the floor.
Place each wire about midway up; precise adjustment will come later.
Excess wire at the top should be bent down, not cut.
Hooked ends should be parallel to the joists.
Attach support beams end-to-end by snapping them together.
double-check that the ends of the center beam rest on top of the wall moldings.
The main support beams hang from the hanger wires and carry the weight of the ceiling tiles.
The cross tees separate the ceiling tiles.
Level the Main Support Beam
Level the center support beam up or down along its entire length.
Wire hangers may need to be twisted three times to hold them in place.
Some easy-fit wires adjust up or down by squeezing the joist bracket together.
Continue hanging and leveling the rest of the support beams.
All beams must be level with each other and with the wall moldings.
Attach the Cross Tees
Snap cross tees between parallel rows of support beams.
Start at the center and work outward for symmetry.
Occasionally check for square.
Cross tees are 2-foot lengths and have tabs at each end.
They should not be cut.
load the Ceiling Tiles
Place the ceiling tiles in the grid.
Continue outward, installing full tiles.
Yes, you’re free to install a drop ceiling by yourself.
It is a very doable DIY project as long as you have the right tools and materials.
It costs about $3.50 to $4.50 per square foot to install a drop down ceiling.
The grid kit portion is about $2 per square foot.
Ceiling tiles start at around $2 per square foot.
Premium tiles can drive the cost of the drop ceiling higher.
