Walls and Ceilings - Installing a drop ceiling?

Hello everyone.

I am in the process of buying my first home. We are getting an FHA loan, and before they will let us close, the appraiser came to us with a "must fix" list we have to complete before we close. I can handle all of it except one thing that I'm a little weary of. In one of the bathrooms, the ceiling is unfinished and all messed up. There is a light in there, but it also has a mess of electrical wires snaking in and out of it. I have no idea yet what those wires are. Anyway, I have to "repair" the ceiling as one of the appraiser's conditions, and I am thinking that the easiest and fastest way (I'm in a time crunch) is to put up a quick drop ceiling.

Now, the question is this. I have never installed a drop ceiling before! How do I do it? What do I buy, and how do I install it? It's a small bathroom. Say I go to Home Depot. What am I asking for: tools, supplies, etc? I hope this doesn't sound too stupid, I'm a construction newbie. ;)

Thanks!

Chris

Before you race off to Home Depot, ask the appraiser exactly what his concerns are. I suspect that he isn't interested in the appearance of the ceiling, but those dangling wires are the point of concern.

If it's a wiring problem, the drop ceiling isn't going to buy you anything.

I am definitely going to ask her tomorrow when I talk to her (for the first time). In the meantime, I am pretty sure that the drop ceiling will solve the problem, so any ideas? Thanks!

Chris

What is on the ceiling now??

Well, basically, it's just some unfinished wooden boards, all kinda strewn together. Basically, it looks like a mess and was an unfinished project (that seems to be far from done). Then there's the light and a few electrical wires coming in and out of the light.

Chris

How about a photo of this mess of wiring & boards strewn together. Take a look at the announcement at the top of the topic list for the how-to.

Well, it's not my house yet, and I won't be able to get in there to fix the ceiling until Saturday the 20th. I could photograph it then, but that won't matter because at that point I'll be fixing it!

I'll try looking at the announcement.

Chris

Oh, the announcement only says how to post a pic. I already know how to do that... Me = UNIX Network/Systems Administrator with several websites!

I just want to know how to install a drop ceiling... Can you guys point me in the right direction, please? Thanks!

Dave_D1945,

I did speak to the appraiser today. A drop ceiling IS ok. Suggestions, guys? What do I buy? What questions do I ask? What do I need to know? Thanks!

Chris

If it were me I would get that electrical in order and hang a drywall ceiling. But if you are set on a drop then look into aluminum cross members( they wont rust) and moisture resistant tiles.

I'm only looking for something temporary, probably for a year or less. I will eventually put in a permamnent, wood ceiling, but for now, your suggestion sounds good.

So, I'm asking for "aluminum cross members"? If I go to Home Depot and tell them what I'm doing, this will be jargon they know? Moisture resistant tiles. Yes, makes sense.

How do I install all this? Do I get these "aluminum cross members" cut to specific lengths I need for the ceiling and screw them in? How does all this attach?

Thanks!

Chris

There is a good interactive tutorial on this site for doing drop ceilings. I pretty much watched that and proceeded to do 3 rooms 10x10, 30x15 and another 10x10.

A trial by error things I learned that might be helpful.

- The perimiter seems to be the most important piece, make sure that's very level and secured well.

- Putting the tiles up as you go gives the framework a lot of stability and makes life a lot easier.

- Make sure you account for how much room lighting, heating ducts or anything else that might go up there, requires.

- Make sure the "snips" you use to cut with are sharp, your hands will appreciate this!

- Be careful when cutting and placing tiles, that fiberglass seems to fall everywhere. Eyewear is a good thing to have when doing this.

Probably a lot of other things some of the pro's here can tell you, but overall I found the interactive tutorial very helpful. The nice thing about drop celings compared to a lot of other home improvement jobs, is there is a bit of room for error, just try not to ruin too many tiles, those things can be expensive.

Thanks for all your help, guys. I got it done for the appraiser, and it was fine. Basically, since the bathroom is extremely small, there was no way of putting in the aluminum cross-members with the large tiles. What I ended up doing was simply screwing in some small wooden pieces to the ceiling, attaching a large piece of plywood (which I jigsawed to fit), and stapling tiles I bought at HD to the plywood. It looks fine, was cheap, and will suffice until I figure out what I want to do with the bathroom after I take possession of the place at the end of this month. I'll certainly post back if I have any other questions (and I'm sure I will!).

Chris