Drop ceiling question

CUT IT WITH A TIN SNIP! REMOVE ENOUGH SO THE 4' CROSS RAIL MOVES FREELY FOR EASY PLACEMENT OF THE TILES

Rich -

I just checked my dropped ceiling that was installed by a professional contractor.  (I have also installed a ceiling in the basement.  You're correct, not an exciting phase of construction.)  The cross pieces just rest on the horizontal part of the wall bracket.  The cross piece is cut so that it is a snug fit when resting on the wall bracket.  It would probably be best to cut the tab off rather than fold it around, since that would provide a possible snag when installing or removing the ceiling panels in the framework.  I agree with Clifford, use tin snips to cut the rail.

Mike

If you just rest the bracket on the wall "L", its flat bottom will not be on the same plane as the horizontal bottom of the "L" and you will see a small gap between the tile and the bottom.....that get more evident with time.

The  optimum solution is to cut the flat off of the bracket rail so that both horizontal surfaces are on the same plane, and thus the tile is on the same plane, not riding up hill in spots. Look how the center rails are flush at each bottom where they cross/connect. Theoretically, the tile sits flat on each piece w/ no gaps. The wall can be made the same way...with work.

Notice I said the ideal way. I sit typing this under my tiles I installed in 1996, looking at the small gap (equal to the thickness of the metal I did not cut out) that is along every wall joint. Does it bother me? Well, I have not changed any since the last one was installed. But knock yourself out if you are looking for perfection.

I wasn't, I just wanted it over! Greg

Rich as a retired home improvement contractor I've installed at lease 75 drop ceilings.  As others have said just snip off the tab.  I usually cut the tab back at an angle.  A good pair us straight cut snips is your best friend when installing the grid.

What is the room dimension?   There is a pretty good chance you need (two) of those 12ft long (main) tee bars.  Then the pieces you are cutting, that fit to the wall, are 2 ft or less.

Support wires, for the main (12ft tees), to the framing structure should be every 4 ft with the appropriate wire. More wires is better.

Recess light fixtures, (any light fixtures or heating vents) are to be supported independent of the drop ceiling, more support wires. At least two wires per 2ft X 4ft drop in fixture.
This picture shows the end of a light fixture centered in the room.  End of the light fixture is a main runner.  The other main runner is the other end of the light fixture(s). Two long mains in this room.  There is a short main piece also.   Note that the pieces, to the wall angle, are less than 4 ft.  I used the 2 ft cross pieces and installed 2ft X 2 ft tiles.

This room is similar.  The main tee bars, (two), are the ends of the light fixtures.  (2 foot) cross tee bars were also used in this room with a drop tile.  Idea is to keep the wall cut pieces as small as possible and center the tile in the room, not the tee bar. IMO.  

A few more pictures.

Using a drop tile you can't notice the ride-up.  Can't say I've ever seen a commercial installer cut and fit tee bars to the wall angle as you have mentioned.  I have seen the entire grid raised the size of the drop on the tile and small legs bent down on the tee bar that sets on the wall angle then the double wall cut shown below is gone.  Saves quite a bit of time on tile installation. 

Using 2' X 2' tile also helps, the natural tendency of these fiber tiles is to sag in the middle causing the corners to lift, especially in a humid environment. 

All tile and grid pictured are 30 years old, some modification was done with the train room remodel.

The white grid was painted, originally black. 

All the flat tile was also painted.  It was painted in the garage laying flat on the work bench. After 30 years this Armstrong tile was still available.   If you attempt to paint the tile in place the paint moisture will cause the tile to sag/lift as has been mentioned.  If there are water stains on the tile, (brown spots), a stain blocking sealer is used before finish paint.  

The drop tile is a directional tile, there are arrows on the back side.  All arrows have to point in the same direction. You can notice this, if you place a tile 90 or 180 degrees out.

Last large commercial job I was on.  Even the power wires to the light fixtures had to be supported separately from the structure.  Nothing was to be laying on the tiles or supported by the grid other than the lay-in tile.  Some installation have clips that lock the tiles in place.  

There were inspectors who wanted (4) wires on each light fixture, most would go with (2) that I had previously mentioned.

Do not install the ugly grids and panels that make your ceiling look like a office. Spend a few extra bucks and buy the planks that install on the outside of the grid work. These look soooooooo much better! I get comments on the ceiling I did everytime someone comes to the basement like: " I am impressed you did not do the plain drop ceiling"  I will post a picture shortly.

http://www.armstrong.com/resid.../_/N-1z141rfZ1z141qw

Its part of the scenery....

I went to Home Depot and picked up one of the how to guides back in the ceiling grid section.  Your tiles should be symmetrical.  Find the center of the room and install the 12' pieces two foot from the room center line.  This will allow a 4' panel down the center of the room.  I cut the ends off and used a pop rivet to secure them in place.  I picked up one of those laser levels that spin and marked the walls all the way around to fasten the L brackets.  Get the drill attachment to install the wire screws in the joists.   

Here are some pictures of my room.  It's 15' X 28'.  I left the lower part of the walls exposed because they are covered by the bench work that runs around the room.  My basement walls are poured concrete and wrapped with two inch insulation. 

Nice ceiling Mike.  I needed to keep access to the pipes and valves over head. 

Yes, Access, access, access.   The reason for most suspended ceilings. 

You guys do nice work...

I took a little different approach and staggered the 2 footers to match the floor in the train room ..this way i didnt have to worry so much about a straight line in a long run..

Picture taking from the same spot -couldnt get ceiling and floor at same time...

 One thing i ran into was my beams sit at 8 ft at the bottom.. i was scratching my head ,how was i gonna attatch the L bracket to the steel. Once i got started i realized that i could just "hang"  the ceiling to it by just using another armstrong support instead of the L that usually goes against a wall.. This left a space between support and steel. had i planned it better i wouldnt of had to cut the tabs off.. i could of bent them behind the ceiling support. It still worked out ok and i got a few extra inches on the height...

Lots of great ideas here!

Some acoustical ceiling tiles can be “dusty” and will, over time, shed white dust over your layout. This is something you want to look out for when making a purchase.
You can’t beat the looks of a finished ceiling in your train room. It will keep debris from falling on your layout

Not to mention falso ceilings will reduce your heating bills!  My basement just had the floor joists overhead meaning my heat became "trapped" between them and my fireplaces in my basement had to work very hard.  I installed a false ceiling and within minutes, not hours, you can feel the difference.  And they make the place look much better!  Yes! 

I know it is late but here are the pics I promised earlier. Access is not an issue. Armstrong has a entire page on their website devoted to how to get access to the items above.  Each is 4 foot ling and 6 inches wide.