A veteran drop ceiling installer shares his secrets for installing drop ceiling tiles yourself.
12 Drop Ceiling Installation Tips from a Pro
Updated Apr. 22, 2024
The main function of a drop ceiling is to conceal duct work, electrical wiring, and plumbing while still allowing easy access. You’ve no doubt seen them in office buildings and commercial spaces, but they certainly aren’t limited to those places. They’re an easy way to add a basement ceiling, preserving access to all the services listed above. They can be used as an easy, affordable way to cover up a popcorn ceiling or, in older homes, they’re sometimes used as a way to add centralized ductwork for new HVAC systems.
What Is a Drop Ceiling?
Sometimes called a suspended ceiling, a drop ceiling hangs below the actual, structural ceiling in a building. It consists of a grid system containing removable, lightweight ceiling panels supported by metal rails.
Installing a Drop Ceiling
Installing a drop ceiling is an intermediate level DIY project that you can do in about a day in an average-sized room. There are numerous kits available for adding a drop ceiling, which helps make it a little more of a straight forward project that shouldn’t be too intimidating for most people.
To help make it a little easier, we consulted Wade Sides, a long-time pro with decades of experience installing suspended ceilings. Here, he shares installation tips and techniques that will help you hang a drop ceiling easier and faster.
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Lay Out the Ceiling Grid on Paper
Even the pros use graph paper to lay out the ceiling grid for each room. It helps not only with your materials list but also with getting equal-sized panels at each side of the room. Include items like light fixtures and heat registers. The room should be bisected at the center by either a main tee or a centered row of ceiling tiles. Wade’s tip on ordering materials: order by even numbers. If a room is 9 x 11 ft., order enough for a 10 x 12-ft. room.
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Nail Up the Wall Angle
Pick a height so the ceiling tile will clear the lowest ceiling obstruction, like plumbing lines or ductwork. Snap a chalk line marking the top of the wall angle. Nail the wall angle at every stud with 1-1/4-in. drywall nails. Try to avoid nailing on or near the corner beads—it’s a sure way to cause nail pops and cracks. Instead, run the wall angle long, snip the bottom and then bend it around the corner. Finish it with a “slip-on” outside corner.
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Use Fence Staples to Hold the Angle Tight
Wade uses fence staples to secure the wall angle between the wall studs, especially where there’s a gap between the wall and the angle. If there’s a severe bow in the wall, you may have to cut the lower part of the channel so it will flex and follow the contour.
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Run Guide Strings and Drive in the Hanging Screws
Use strings as a guide to position the hanging screws (lag screws) and to keep the main tees straight while hanging. Offset the strings 1/2 in. so they line up with the sides of the tees rather than with the center. Wade wraps the end of the strings around a nail and uses a spring clamp to secure them to the wall angles. Sight along the string to position and drive in the hanging screws—they don’t have to be perfectly centered. These acoustical eye lag screws require a special driver.
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Line Up the Cross Tee Slots
Once you’ve figured out the size of the border row, measure back from the cross tee slots, and cut your main tees to size. Don’t assume the wall is straight. Instead, run a string and use that as a guide to make sure all the cross tee slots line up.
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Pop-in Rivets Hold the Grid Square
Once you’ve hung a couple of main tees and locked in 8 to 12 ft. of cross tees, it’s time to square up the grid. Check the diagonal measurements of at least a couple of the openings. When everything is square, rivet the main tees and cross tees to the wall angle.
“This is where most people get into trouble,” says Wade. If things are out of whack in the beginning, the problem will telegraph out across the room. Before you’re done, you may end up trimming full panels instead of just plopping them into place.
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Make Rivet Holes with a Grid Punch
Drilling your rivet holes works fine, but it’s slow-going. If you’ve got more than one suspended ceiling project in your future, a grid punch will save you a bunch of time.
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Cut the Flanges First
The cleanest way to cut the main tees to length is to cut the bottom flange first from both directions. Then cut the stem last. That’ll give you a clean, flat cut. Wade’s cutting tool of choice is a pair of high-quality, yellow-handled (straight-cut) aviator snips.
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Scribe Each Shadow Line with a Carpet Knife
Cut the border panels to length and then rest them in the track and score the shadow line with the carpet knife. Then take the panel down to cut the shadow line.
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Use Your Finger as a Depth Gauge
Follow the scribe to cut halfway through the face of the panel first, and then finish it by cutting through the side. Use your finger as a depth gauge. Gloves will prevent the oil in your hands from making smudge marks on the panels—and, of course, protect your hands.
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Mark Your Holes with a Drywall Circle Gauge
Scribe holes with a drywall circle gauge, and then make the cuts with a drywall saw. With just these two tools, you can cut a wide variety of hole sizes. Lay in ceiling tiles after making them the correct size.
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Repair Panels with Flat Latex Caulk
Wade insists that only rookies damage ceiling panels. But when a panel does get damaged at his job site, he uses a little white caulk (or “apprentice putty” as he calls it) to patch it up. Make sure you use a flat latex caulk—shiny silicone will stand out worse than the hole. If the damaged area is bigger than a pencil eraser, you may want to set that panel aside to be used as a partial in another location.
Originally Published: April 22, 2024
