How to Install Ceiling Tiles

Here are tips and general instructions on installing ceiling tiles. They can
help you save time and effort once you begin the job.
Be sure to follow manufacturer's instructions for installation, particularly if
you're using cement or adhesive. Inside this document you will find
information about:

1. Selecting the right tiles

2. Determining how to apply tiles
3. How to determine the size of border tiles
4. Applying tile with adhesives
5. Installing tiles on wood furring strips
6. Installing the furring strips
7. Stapling tiles to furring strips
8. Tiling around posts or pipes

1. SELECTING THE RIGHT TILES

a) Most ceiling tiles are made of fiberboard, a mixture of fine fibers cut
from wood or cane and chemical binders, which are pressed into
semi-hard, flat panels. Special chemicals are added during this
process to make fire-resistant tiles.
b) Standard tiles measure 12" by 12", although tiles are also made in
12" by 24" and other sizes. Most ceiling tiles have tongue-and-
groove edges for easier installation. You can choose from plain,
embossed and patterned finishes. Some are molded with special
texturing and square edges – instead of the common beveled edges
– to make seams barely visible when the tiles are in place.
c) Acoustical tiles are made from the same type of fiber, but an
additional manufacturing process helps these tiles absorb much of
 the sound in a room. A well-designed acoustical tile absorbs up to 70
percent of the excess noise in an area.
d) Ask your retailer to help you estimate the materials you need for a
tile installation. Most manufacturers provide charts to the retailer to
help estimate the number of tiles, the amount of furring, and the
gallons of adhesive needed, based on the room size.
e) Manufacturers typically pack 12" by 12" ceiling tiles in cartons of 40,
and 12" by 24" tiles are packed 20 to a carton.

1. DETERMINING HOW TO APPLY TILES

a) The two most common methods of ceiling tile application are to use
adhesives or to staple or nail the tiles to wood furring strips. A third
system involves a metal grid instead of furring strips and metal clips
instead of glue or nails.
b) For ceilings made of sound plaster, gypsum board, or other material
that provides a sound, smooth, continuous backing, use adhesives
to apply the ceiling tiles.
c) If the ceiling has exposed joints, cracked plaster, or any other
unsound surface, apply furring strips and nail or staple the tiles to
the furring strips.

1. FOLLOW THESE THREE BASIC RULES

a) All cut tiles should be used for the edges of
the room where the ceiling meets the walls.
b) Cut tiles at opposite ends of the room
should be the same size.
c) Cut tiles should never be less than half a tile
wide.

1. HOW TO DETERMINE THE SIZE OF BORDER TILES

a) Measure the total distance from wall to wall on the longer side of
the room. If the length measures in exact feet, you will not need to
 cut any border tiles for that direction. If the distance does not come
out in exact feet, add 12 to the number of inches remaining and
divide by two. This gives you the width of your border tiles.
b) For example, if the room is 10'6" long, add 12 to the 6, divide 18 by
2, and the result, 9", is the proper width of your border tile. (Adding
12 guarantees that your border tile will be more than half the width
of a full tile.)
c) Use the same measurement technique for the shorter side of the
room.

1. APPLYING TILE WITH ADHESIVES

a) Use adhesive for applying tiles only if the ceiling is sound and even.
If it is not, use the furring strip method.
b) Surface preparation is important when using adhesives. Any painted
surface should be checked carefully–the paint may flake, peel or
become chalky, and your tiles will not adhere. You can test painted
surfaces by installing four or five tiles at different places around the
room and waiting 48 hours to see how well they adhere.
c) Using the technique outlined in (determining the size of border
tiles), make sure that the border tiles will be the same on opposing
sides of the room.
d) Snap a chalk line along each side of the room that equals the width
of the border tile from the wall. Use these lines to align the first row
of border tiles along both the short and long sides of the room.
e) Cut your first border tile to size. This tile fits into the corner, so you
must take into consideration the dimensions of border tiles on both
the short and long sides of the room. For example, if your border
tiles on the long side of the room are to be 10" and on the short side
of the room only 9", the corner tile should be cut to measure 10" by
9". This allows all other border tiles in the room to line up properly
with your full-sized tiles.
 f) Cut border tiles on a flat surface, with the finished side up. Use a
very sharp knife or utility knife, and a clean (preferably metal-
edged) straightedge.
g) Place the adhesive or cement in each corner of the tile about an
inch from the edge, and in the middle of the tile.
h) Place the border tile in position in the corner. Make sure the wide
stapling edge lines up with the chalk marks on both sides. The
flange must be exposed so the tongue of the next tile can slide into
the tile you've just placed. This guarantees a solid fit.
i) It may be necessary to use a staple in each flange to hold the tile in
position while the adhesive dries. Follow the manufacturer's
recommendations.
j) Place several border tiles in position along each edge, then fill in the
ceiling with full-sized tiles.
k) Once you've installed all the full-sized tiles, you must measure and
fit each border tile carefully on the opposite border.
l) Install a border molding to complete the job, and finish with a neat
and finished appearance

3 4

5
1. INSTALLING TILES ON WOOD FURRING STRIPS

a) For a ceiling with exposed joists, unsound plaster or an uneven

surface, nail furring strips to the ceiling before applying the tiles.
b) Seasoned, straight-grained soft woods, such as pine, spruce or fir
make ideal furring strips.
c) If the ceiling has joists hidden by an existing ceiling, these joists
must be located and marked before the furring strips are applied.
You can locate joists by driving a nail into the ceiling or by using a
stud finder.
d) Joists are usually located every 16" or 24". After you locate the first
joist, measure across 16" and try again. After you have determined
the spacing, locate and mark all joists with a chalk line so you can
attach the furring strips without having to locate the joists again on
each run.
e) Nail the 1" x 3" furring strips across the joists at right angles to the
joists.
f) Attach the first furring strip on the ceiling immediately against the
wall that runs at right angles to the ceiling joists.
1. INSTALLING THE FURRING STRIPS

a) Position the second furring strip so that the distance between the
center of the strip and the wall is the width of your border tile.
b) It is critical that the remaining furring strips be exactly parallel to
this strip, and that the distance from center to center of each furring
strip is 12". One of the easiest ways to position the remaining
furring strips is to cut a block of wood exactly 12" less the width of
one furring strip. Use the block as a guide in positioning the
remaining strips.
c) Use 8-penny common nails for nailing the strips, with one nail at
each joist.
d) All furring strips must be level. Use a long level to get a reading on
all strips as they are added. If needed, insert wood shims between
the joists and the furring strips for leveling.
e) At the walls running parallel to the ceiling joists (at right angles to
the furring strips), use scraps of furring to provide a nailing or
stapling position for the border tiles.

1. STAPLING TILES TO FURRING STRIPS

a) Snap a chalk line along both the short and long sides of the room to
align the first row of border tiles. These chalk lines will run down the
center of the furring strip on one side and across the furring strips
on the other side.
b) Cut your first border tile to size. This tile fits into a corner, so you
must take into consideration the dimensions of the border tiles on
both the short and long sides of the room. For example, if your
border tiles on the long side of the room are 10" and on the short
side of the room only 9", the corner tile should be cut to measure
10" by 9". This allows all other border tiles in the room to line up
properly with your full-size tiles.
 c) When you cut these first border tiles, cut off the side without the
wide stapling edge. The wide stapling flange must be exposed so
the tongue of the next tile can fit into the groove of the tile you've
just placed. This guarantees a solid fit.
d) Staple the tile in place, with three staples on the edge that is
completely against a furring strip and staples only in the corner on
the other edge.
e) Place several border tiles in position along each edge, then fill in the
ceiling with your full-sized tiles.
f) After working your way across to the opposite wall, you must
measure and fit each border tile carefully on the opposite border.
g) Install a border molding to complete the job. The molding also holds
the final border tiles in place where there is no flange left for
stapling. At the border, where your access to the stapling area is
limited, you can attach the tiles with small, broad headed nails.
Position the nails as close to the wall as possible so the border
molding conceals them.

1 2 3

1. TILING AROUND POSTS OR PIPES

a) Figures illustrate how ceiling tiles can be fitted around posts or
pipes. Cut the tile in half, then cut each half to the contour of the
pipe or post.
 b) Figures illustrate how to fit ceiling tiles around ceiling fixture outlets
or smaller pipes near the wall. When you're cutting a ceiling tile,
always be sure to cut the tile face up, using a sharp utility knife.

TOOL AND MATERIAL CHECKLIST


1. Ceiling Tile 11. Handsaw
2. Nails (Several Sizes) 12. Staples
3. Glue Gun 13. Chalk Line
4. Steel Tape 14. Utility Knife
5. Ladder 15. Graph Paper
6. Furring Strips 16. Hammer
7. Stapler 17. Adhesive
8. Caulking Gun 18. Folding Rule
9. Border Molding 19. Hand Cleaner
10. Straightedge 20. Tracing Paper
Read more: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/h2installaceiling#ixzz0i5aqCbJF