How to Install a Drop Ceiling Rail on a Beam

Find the level of the perimeter rail on the beam by stretching a string with a line level on it from the perimeter rail to the side of the beam and marking that point with a pencil. If the beam is above the level of the perimeter rail, it will be hidden by the drop ceiling and doesn't need to be incorporated into the structure. If the beam is at the same level as the drop ceiling, you will be installing two separate drop ceiling structures, one on each side of the beam.

Extend the pencil mark down the side of the beam using a 4-foot level to be sure the line is straight and level. Draw the line all the way down both sides of the beam with a pencil.

Screw a piece of perimeter rail onto the side of the beam using the line you drew as a guide. Use 1-inch-long screws to secure the perimeter rail. You now have a level perimeter rail that is even with the rest of the room's perimeter rails on both sides of the beam and are ready to install the grid system that will support a drop ceiling on each side of the beam.