Dropped Ceiling Remedy

When I first moved into my house, one of the items that I hoped to remedy was a dropped acoustic panel ceiling in the kitchen. You are familiar with these, I'm sure. If you work in a warehouse. Really, these things have no place in residences. They hold dust and grime, and in kitchens you get the bonus of grease. Which of course helps the dust and grime to adhere to the panels! So, one of my first projects was to get rid of this disaster.

I assumed that I would just pull down the dropped ceiling and then either a) repair whatever it was hiding, or b) clear up the mess and hire someone to come put up a dry wall dropped ceiling. Unfortunately, what I found when I lifted the panels made both of these options impossible. The dropped ceiling was concealing the fact that all the wiring and plumbing for the upstairs was in between the original and dropped ceiling.


Pretty grim, right? But I still wanted to get rid of those 2x4 acoustic panels. They just looked so...industrial. So, I searched for options for dropped ceilings. What I found was American Tin Ceiling. American Tin Ceiling is a company that manufactures both reproduction tin ceilings, the kind you nail up to a 2x4 framework, as well as two easier options: a snap-lock nail up ceiling that will attach directly to drywall, as well as a panel made to replace the acoustic tiles in drop-in ceilings. SCORE! So, I called to place my order.

One of the greatest things about this company's product is that they paint all the panels for you. And not only do they paint them, they use a technique called "powder coating." What that means is the panels are pained like your appliances (refrigerator, washer and dryer), the paint is actually baked on to the panels. Which means, you can remove them and wash them if necessary. A great option, especially for those panels that sit above the stove. In fact, the paint finish is so sturdy, the panels can also be used for back splashes (my next project!).

If you decide to undertake a project like this, make sure that you also buy 2 or more cans of spray paint from the company. They sell paint that matches the panels, because you will need to paint the suspended frame to match the panels.

The first step in this project is to remove the old acoustic panels. But don't throw them away! You are going to use them later.

You then need to turn the 2x4 foot grid into a 2x2 foot grid. You can pick up a snap-in spanner from any hardware store that sells dropped ceiling supplies. Be sure you do your homework and compare prices, though. I got my spanners for 32 cents at Lowe's, but Home Despot was asking 1.23. That is four times as much! Snap the spanners into the frame.


When you reach the edges, you will need to cut the spanners if your ceiling does not end evenly. I used tin snips, although my dad pointed out that I had three hacksaws in the basement (at least two of which I pilfered from his tool bench). He also added that sometimes he suspected that I was a little 'tarded. I thought he could have left that last part off.

Once you have your spanners up, you can begin dropping the tin panels in. You will probably notice that once you replace those squishy acoustic panels with tin, that it gets a little echo-y in the room. This is where those old panels come in. Break them in half and tuck them into the ceiling on top of the tin panels. This will help the panels not only lie flat, but also muffle some of the sound.


When you get to the edges, you will have to trim your panels as well. I used just plain tin snips, and ended up with the blister to prove it. American Tin Ceiling sells cutters, and if I ever do a project like this, I will go ahead and spend the money and get it. Mainly because not only did I get a blister, the snips also bend the panels a bit as you cut and you may have to tap them back flat with a rubber mallet. Now if you have a family like mine, your uncle that owns a metal fabricating shop will take one look at your lovely finished ceiling and say "You cut these panels by hand?? I think your dad might be right. You are a little 'tarded. You could have brought them to the shop and I would have cut them on the shear for you! It would have taken 15 seconds! Dummy."


I decided that I also wanted to add crown molding, since the elaborate ceiling seemed to "need something." For this you will need help. Mainly because you need about six hands to hold the lengths of molding while someone nails it. Fortunately, my dad and uncle took pity on their mildly 'tarded relative and offered to help.


One thing that is often difficult if you don't have a lot of expensive equipment is mitering the edges of the molding so it meets cleanly.


Even with the equipment, it's still not that easy. Fortunately, there are ways to get around this. You can add something called "corner blocks." If you have a perfectly square room, all you will need are 4 "inside corner" blocks. I, on the other hand, had both inside and outside corners. You simply nail these up over the corners, then you can cut the end of the molding perfectly flat to meet with the block, rather than trying to miter the corners. Keep in mind that your other uncle who is a contractor and restores old houses will most likely ridicule you and your father for your inability to miter edges, and imply that your 'tardedness may have been passed along the paternal line.


Final step, patch your nail holes and run a bead of paintable caulk along the bottom of the molding to fill the seam between the molding and the wall. Now you are ready to paint! Here is the finished product:

Also, if there is any advice that I can give regarding painting, it is do not be afraid of dark colors in small rooms. In the kitchen, the hot-white of the ceiling helps open up the space, even though the walls are actually much darker than they appear in the photos.


The single color of the walls, trim and baseboards also helps disguise the fact that over the years this kitchen has been plastered, paneled, and g0d-knows-what else to disguise some seriously damaged walls. By going "mono-chromatic" it helps smooth out all those varied surfaces, and class up the joint a bit.

Oh, and that big painting of the wine bottle? 5 bucks at Garden Ridge.