What Is the Best Drop Ceiling to Put in Your Basement?

Suspended Ceilings

• Suspended ceilings usually consist of tiles or larger panels supported from a metal grid that hangs on wires from the ceiling joists. You can remove the ceiling surface tiles or panels individually to expose the ductwork and pipes, when necessary, without damaging the ceiling. Once the drop-ceiling's wire-and-metal gridwork is in place, an installer can seat the individual horizontal tiles or panels by herself. Cellulose ceiling panels and tiles provide soundproofing in two forms: in the material itself and in the dead space of air created between the ceiling and the underside of the floor above. Look for antifungal or antimicrobial tiles and panels to prevent mold and mildew formation in the moist environment of a basement.

Tiles

• Square tiles are among the surface material options for a dropped ceiling. These are usually available in 2-by-2-foot squares made of cellulose, but other tile materials are available, such as metal. Cellulose is a light material, but other materials are not light. You must take extra precaution when using heavy tiles in a suspended ceiling. To install square tiles on a suspended ceiling, you will need to have a grid with narrower spacing, so your labor and materials are increased if you use tiles instead of larger panels.

Panels

• Panels are larger than tiles. They're rectangular pieces that, like tiles, fit inside the drop-ceiling grid. They're made of cellulose. They are 2 feet wide and 4 feet long, and they're either a half-inch or five-eights-inch thick. These thicknesses, by the way, are the same thicknesses for tiles made of the same material. Installing ceiling panels takes less time because there are fewer panels to install.

Ceiling Requirements

• Building codes dictate the height your basement ceiling must be, but it depends on whether the space is used by people. If you basement is being converted to a home office, bedroom, rec room, sitting room or any other occupied space, the ceiling cannot be lower than 7 feet, 6 inches, or 7 feet under ducts and beams. According to "Ortho's Home Improvement Encyclopedia Problem Solving A to Z" by Charles G. Wing, if the basement will be used only as a storage or utility room, code allows for a lower ceiling height of 6 feet, 8 inches or 6 feet, 4 inches under beams. Pay attention to these heights because it is too easy to install a suspended ceiling lower than the code allows.