How to Lower a Basement Ceiling

Install rows of 2-inch by 4-inch boards perpendicular to the floor trusses that make up your basement ceiling. Cut the boards as necessary with the rough-cut blade on a circular saw. Attach the boards to the trusses above by driving three 16d nails through the board and into the truss at every junction. Place a row of boards every 2 feet along the length of the ceiling.

Attach a second series of 2-inch by 4-inch boards perpendicular to the first. Place a row of boards every 2 feet along the entire length of the ceiling. Attach the second layer to the first, using 16d framing nails. Cut the boards as necessary with the rough-cut blade on your circular saw.

Hold a piece of paneling above your head. Press it firmly against the lowest level of 2-inch by 4-inch boards on the ceiling. Turn the paneling so it runs lengthwise with the boards. Nail the paneling to the ceiling with 6d finishing nails. Place one nail every 8 inches along each board. Cover the ceiling with paneling. Cut the paneling with the fine-cut blade on your circular saw.

Install a slat over each seam between the paneling. Cut the slats as necessary with the fine-cut blade. Hold them up to a seam and nail them in place with a 6d nail every 2 feet. Countersink all of the nails in the slats and the exposed nail heads in the paneling, using a hammer and nail set.

Cut the tip off a tube of caulk at the angled line on the tip marked "1/8." Push the puncture tool on a caulking gun into the hole in the tip of the tube to puncture the diaphragm inside the tube. Lay the tube of silicone in its seat on the top of the gun, and pull the trigger until caulk comes out of the tip. Push the pressure-release button on the gun and wipe the tip clean.

Shoot a bead of caulk into each seam between the slats and the paneling on your ceiling. Move the tip of the gun slowly along each seam while pulling the trigger to leave an even bead. Wipe the caulk with a wet rag to compress it into the seams and obtain a smooth, even seal.

Grab a pea-sized piece of wood putty between your fingers. Rub the putty across every indentation in the ceiling to cover the nail heads. Rub your palm across each spot to wipe away the excess putty, leaving it only in the nail indentations. Camouflage the putty by dabbing brown paint onto each spot with an artist's paintbrush.