Drop Ceiling Tiles Installation Instructions

Many homeowners aren’t familiar with drop-in ceiling systems as drywall is the finish material most often found on the ceilings of their rooms. However, drop-in ceilings are normally the first choice of commercial contractors when building professional offices, restaurants, and retail spaces. The system has also been a favorite of remodeling professionals when finishing residential basements that don’t have a ceiling in place.

What are the advantages of drop-in ceilings that make them so popular with these construction professionals? Well, unlike most other ceiling finishes, the tiles in a drop-in ceiling allow access to the area above by simply lifting them out so that small adjustments can be made without major ceiling repairs. A drop-in system also allows you to vary the ceiling height so that wiring, plumbing, and mechanical lines can run below the ceiling joists rather than through which can eliminate a lot of cutting and drilling. Lastly, a drop-in ceiling can be used to complement a space’s interior décor – something that often isn’t possible when using standard drywall unless you want to pay for custom painting or a textured finish.

There are a few other reasons why a drop-in ceiling system might be the best choice for your home renovation project. If you happen to live in an older house where the framing has settled over time, a drop-in system enables the installation of a level ceiling without a lot of costly framing corrections. It also allows you to cover the existing ceiling surface without expensive demolition and doesn’t require new plywood to be installed on the joists as is needed for many nail-up tile applications.

If you plan on doing the remodeling work yourself, your biggest question might be whether a decorative drop-in ceiling tile installation is DIY-friendly? The answer is yes and these instructions should help you through the project:

Tools and Materials Needed for the Job

This is what you’ll need for your drop-in decorative ceiling tile installation:

• Hammer – just a standard household hammer
• Tin snips –used for cutting tiles, grid, and wire hangars
• Screw gun – if you use screws instead of nails
• 4 or 6 foot level – used for leveling the ceiling and as a straight edge for cutting
• Measuring tape – a tape with a wide blade and lock works great for marking tee locations
• Miter box and hacksaw – used for cutting wall angle corners
• Step ladder – handy for reaching the ceiling if you happen to be under 7 feet tall
• String line and chalk – used for several purposes during the installation
• Wall angles – found at just about any home improvement store and used to support tiles at the room’s perimeter walls
• Main and cross tees – also found at home improvement stores and used to support the center of the drop-in ceiling system
• Hanger wires – these are sold with the tees
• Nails or screws – these are used for attaching wall angles to the walls and hangar wires to the ceiling joists. Length can vary depending on your wall covering, but they should be long enough to provide a good anchor into solid framing
• Laser level – this is optional, but can make the job go much quicker. They are available at most tool rental establishments or can be purchased at home improvement stores.
• Drop-in decorative ceiling tiles – available from Decorative Ceiling Tiles in numerous styles and finishes. Make sure you order tiles designed for drop-in applications
• Drop-in grid sleeves and cuffs – also available from Decorative Ceiling Tiles in finishes to match your tiles

Room and Ceiling Preparation

While you may be anxious to start installing grid and tiles, there’s a little prep work which must be done first:

• Clear the room – while this isn’t an absolute necessity, it can make the job go faster and reduce the chance of accidents caused by tripping over end tables or couches. At the very least, move everything to one side of the room while working on the other side
• Cover the floor – while a drop-in installation normally isn’t very messy, you still don’t want to take a chance on scratching your hardwood floor or tearing any carpet
• Remove loose ceiling debris – if you have a popcorn or textured ceiling, scrape away any loose debris
• Find the room center – if you have a light fixture or ceiling fan in the room that looks to be in the middle, use this as your center. Otherwise, pull your string line diagonally across the room from corner to corner and where the two lines cross should be the center. Make sure you take into account any offsets the room may have. Place a nail or make a mark at the center as this will be your starting point
• Layout your ceiling on paper – use a piece of graph paper to draw the ceiling layout with each graph square representing one or two square feet depending on the size of the room and your paper. This is called drawing to scale and is used to give an indication of your tile layout. Your first main tee will run perpendicular to the ceiling joists and through the center you just marked. The remaining main tees will be at two foot intervals until reaching the perimeter walls. The first cross tees will intersect the room center and be perpendicular to the main tees. The remaining cross tees will be at two foot intervals until reaching the other two perimeter walls. If your drawing indicates that you will have a section of tiles smaller than 6 inches at any perimeter wall, the ceiling may be more attractive if you shift the entire system several inches prior to installing any tees
• Mark the ceiling joists – you can skip this step if the ceiling joists are exposed, but otherwise use your string line and chalk to mark the location of the joists. This is helpful for when you’re installing the wire hangers that support the tees
• Mark your new ceiling height – the drop-in ceiling should be at least 3-4 inches below the existing ceiling surface or the exposed joist bottoms, but 6 inches is ideal. However, keep in mind the height of the top of your door and window trim and keep the new ceiling above them if at all possible. Make a mark on one wall at the height the new ceiling will be installed
• Mark the perimeter walls – use the laser or 6 foot level to draw a line around the perimeter walls to designate the height of the new ceiling. This ensures that your new ceiling will be level even if the existing ceiling is out of whack

Installing the Grid System

You now have your prep work done and are ready to begin installing the grid system that will support the decorative ceiling tiles. If you did the prep work correctly, these steps should be quick and easy:

• Install the wall angles – fasten your wall angles to the perimeter walls along the line you marked. The angles should be nailed or screwed into the wall framing studs securely. The wall angles can overlap at inside corners, but should be mitered neatly for outside corners
• Install the main tee hangers – using your diagram as a guide run a string line across the room from wall angle to wall angle at the location of the first main tee – keep in mind that this should be perpendicular to the ceiling joists. Attach the hanger wires to the bottom of the joists with nails or screws at 4 foot intervals. The wires should extend about 12 inches past your string line which is at the new drop-in ceiling height. Bend each wire at a 90 degree angle where it crosses the line
• Install the main tees – the main tees will extend from one side of the room to the other and will be secured to the wall angles. Depending on the width of the room, you may have to splice one or two main tees together to reach across. Thread the wire hangers you installed through the holes in the main tees to support them as they cross the room. Check to ensure the bottom of the tee is even with the string line and then twist the end of each wire after it passes through the tee back around the hanging wire to hold everything securely in place. Install all main tees in this fashion
• Install cross tees – the cross tees are installed from one main tee to another at two foot intervals to support the remaining two sides of your drop-in decorative ceiling tiles. There should be slots in the main tees where the tab on the cross tees lock. If there isn’t already a hanger wire at the main tee where installing a cross tee, one should be installed so that all joints are securely supported. When complete you should have a series of 2 foot grid squares except possibly at the perimeter of the room

Special note – some grid support systems use a main tee every 4 feet rather than 2 and have a 4 foot secondary tee that spans the distance between the main tees. The cross tees are then used to divide the gaps between the main and secondary tees into 2 foot squares for your tiles. If you have this type of system, follow the above directions for installing the main tees and then snap the secondary and cross tees into place. There should be a hanger wire everywhere a secondary tee connects to a main tee.

Install the Grid Sleeves and Decorative Ceiling Tiles

Once the grid system is in place, you’ll finally get a chance to see how your decorative ceiling tiles transform the room by following these last several steps:

• Install grid sleeves – if you purchased grid sleeves from Decorative Ceiling Tiles, now is the time to install them on your tees and wall angles. There are also cuffs available for your 3 and 4 way intersections
• Drop the tiles into place – tiles can be dropped into place by angling them all the way up through the grid openings and then allowing them to sit down onto the supports. If you’re using tiles with a directional pattern, take that into account during installation
• Install perimeter tiles – measure for your perimeter tiles and then subtract about ¼ inch so the fit isn’t too tight. Use your level as a straight edge to draw the cutting line and use tin snips to make the cut. Keep in mind when measuring that the tile has to extend over the adjacent tee and wall angle for support
• Caulk if needed – in most cases the tiles will sit down tight on the tees and wall angles, but if they don’t, a clear or colored caulk can be applied to close any gaps. Make sure you clean up any excess before it has a chance to dry

Congratulations – you have now installed a drop-in decorative tile ceiling!

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