How to Install Acoustical Ceiling Tile

Installing acoustic ceiling tile can make a room look much better.

Acoustic ceiling tiles are a sound-absorbent and decorative solution to home ceiling remodeling. While traditional acoustic ceiling tiles were large, flat white squares, contemporary manufacturers now create tiles in a myriad of shapes, textures and colors. Also, suspended ceilings are a way to cover up unsightly wires, pipes and beams. Finding the right kind of acoustic tiles to dress up a home can be a redecorating challenge but, once it is installed, they will prove worth the effort.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• Graph paper
• Chalk line
• Nail gun
• Metal snips
• 12-gauge wire
• Eyehole screw hooks
• Razor utility knife

Instructions

1. Measure the ceiling and draw a scale drawing on graph paper. Start the layout in the center of the room. Work towards both sides so that border tiles are all of a similar size. Set up the drop ceiling grid with these measurements.

2. Install the wall angle 2 to 3 inches below the ceiling, or according to the manufacturer's suggested height if noted in the instructions. Mark the line for the top of the wall angle with a chalk line and then nail the wall angle in place with nails every 14 to 16 inches.

3. Lay the grid work. Install the main support along the exact centerline of the room. Run cross-tee slots from the sides of the room to the main support and snap the tabs on the cross-tees into place in the slots on the main support. If a cross-tee is too long, the outside end can be trimmed short with a pair of metal clippers.

4. Add wire hanger supports every 4 feet along the main support and every 6 feet along the cross-tees. Install an eyehole screw hook in the ceiling and use 12-gauge wire to connect the screw hook to the drop-ceiling supports.

5. Measure the border squares and cut the ceiling tile to fit. Cut the pieces 1/8 inch smaller than the hole's measurements. Drop the ceiling tiles in place. Install the rest of the ceiling tiles. They should not need to be cut.

Tips & Warnings

• Check local area building codes for regulations on how to wire lighting and whether fire-rated grids are required for certain buildings.

References

• Ask the Builder: Acoustical Ceiling Tile Tips
• Extreme How-to: DIY Acoustic Ceiling Tile