How To Install A Suspended Ceiling
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 What You Need: Tools: level, chalk line, utility knife, straightedge, aviation snips, drill, chalk-line, screw-eye driver, lock-type clamps, pliers. Materials: screw eyes, suspended ceiling kit (the frame), ceiling panels, masonry nails, 1-1/2 inch wallboard screws, hanger wires. 1: Mark an indicator line on the wall at the ceiling height plus the height of the wall angle. Use a level to carry that line around the entire room, checking the height at both ends of each wall (use a snap line to connect those indicator points). 2: Attach wall angle pieces to the studs, positioning the top of the wall angle flush with the chalk line. Attach this using 1-1/2 wallboard screws. Cut the wall angle pieces when needed with aviation snips. 3: Trim wall angle pieces to fit around corners and at the top (or inside) corners, back cut the vertical flanges slightly, then you can overlap the horizontal flanges. 4: At the bottom (outside corners) miter-cut one horizontal flange, and then overlap the flanges. 5: On the wall angles mark the place where each main will go. The mains are parallel to each other and run perpendicular to the ceiling joints. Using a clamp at the marked spots on the wall angle, attach to it the end of a dry line and run it to the corresponding mark on the other side of the room in order create a straight line indicating where your main will go. 6: Use a drill and a screw-eye driver to install screw eyes for hanging the mains. Drill pilot holes and place the eyes into the joists every 4 feet, finding the location directly above the guiding strings. 7: Attach your hanger wire to the screw eyes by threading one end through the eye and then twisting the wire back on itself several times. Trim the extra wire making sure to leave a few inches of wire below the guide string. 8: Use pliers to make a 90 degree bend in the hanging wire at the distance from the bottom of the main flange to the hanger hole in the web. 9: Mark the placement of the first tee on opposite wall angles at one end of the room, following your ceiling plan. Create a guide string for the tee as before, using a clamp and dry skin. The string needs to be perpendicular to the guide strings for the mains. 10: Trim one end of each main so that a tee slots is in line with the tee guide making sure the end of the main is fitted to sit squarely on the wall angle. 11: Then cut the other end of each main to fit, so it rests on the opposite wall angle. You can splice 2 mains together if needed to create enough distance to span the entire length of the ceiling, make sure the tee slops remain aligned. 12: Install the mains by setting the ends on opposing wall angles and by threading the hanger wire through the holes in the webs. Make sure the wire is vertical and wrap each wire around itself several times, making sure that the main?s flange is level with the main guide string. 13: Install another hanger near each main splice. 14: Install tees to the mains, putting their tabs in the tee slots on the mains. Use a guide string to align the first row and then install the other tees by measuring 4 ft intervals from your first row. 15: Cut and install the border tees setting the tee ends on the wall angles. Now you can take away all clamps and guide strings. 16: Now put your ceiling panels into the grid, installing the full panels first and later filling in the border panels (the ones that must be cut to size). Place the panels in at an angel and then position them to rest on the flanges. 17: Using a straight edge and a utility knife, finally cut the border panels to size and finish installation. Check the complete list of Heating, Ventalation And Air Conditioning articles. The information on this site is provided for reference only and is provided "AS IS", "AS AVAILABLE" with no guarantee of accuracy. Information comes with no warranties, express or implied. Use the information from this site at your own risk. See our disclaimer for more details. |