newbie Ceiling and framing question

[bisha]

I'm thinking to start finishing my basement.
1- The water heater pipes are just below joists.How can I put the ceiling up there ? Should I put like a grid with 1x2 there to support the ceiling ?

2- Where should the top plate of the wall frame should go ? I cannot screw it to the joists because there are pipes that are blocking me...

please be as mach detailed as you can

Thanks

[michiganguy]

If you have water pipes up there, the best route is to install a suspended

grid ceiling. These come from the containers with all installation instructions.

If the tops of the new partitions are going to be concealed by the grid

ceiling system, you can install 2 by 4 supports at intervals, from the tops of

the partitions to the nearest joists. You may have to be creative and cut

these at angles to bridge the differences in height. Another thing that helps

is doubling the top plate, staggering the overlap of the 1st plate. In a bind,

you can use a wider dimension top plate, such as a 2 by 6 or 2 by 8 to

really stiffen things up.

[bisha]

Thanks for your response. Can I do a grid with 2x4 or 2x3 that are 90 degree angle with the joists to support the sheetrock. I don't want to go with the suspending ceiling if there is any other possibility.

Thanks guys, this forum is very helpfull.

[michiganguy]

If the 2 by 4's are flush to the bottoms of joists, I don't know any reason

why not. From your original question, I was thinking there was too many

obstructions below the joists to do that. If these 2 by 4,s can't be anchored

to the bottoms of the joists, then you need larger dimension lumber to span

the tops of your new partitions. The exact size ( 2 by 10 or 2 by 12, etc.)

will depend on how long that span actually is. Consult your local codes for

that.

[mjdonovan]

I recently finished a basement and I wanted to sheetrock the basement ceiling. I too had pipes hanging just below the pipes. I wound up putting on two layers of strapping on the ceiling. This allowed me to hang sheetrock and have a completely finished look. Note: Make sure you insulate the pipes first (both Hot and Cold) as this will prevent condesdation problems during the summer months on the cold water and allow the Hot Pipes to stay warmer.

[shirtlessdriver]

depending where pipes are, you can box em in too