Tin Ceiling Installation

Inspect the ceiling; hammer in popped nails, and sand down dips with medium-grit sandpaper. Remove crown molding from the perimeter of the room.

Screw furring strips through the ceiling into the joists beginning in the center of the ceiling. Determine the distance between the furring strips based on the size of your tin tiles. You are nailing the tin tiles into the furring strips. If the tin tiles are 24 inches, nail the furring strips every 22 inches to give the nails a place to sink and grip.

Measure the ceiling length on both sides of the room. Mark half the distance from wall to wall on both sides of the room. Stretch a chalk line from one mark across the ceiling to the next mark, and snap the chalk line. Measure and mark the ceiling going the other way. You now have two chalk lines on the ceiling and four quadrants. The point at which the chalk lines intersect is the center of the ceiling. Use the chalk lines as guidelines for tile setting.

Position the first ceiling tile so a chalk line runs down the side of the tile and across the top of the tile. Secure the tile to the ceiling by nailing directly into the furring strips. Use nails made for tin ceiling tiles.

Make cutouts for recessed lighting or other ceiling fixtures as necessary. Trim tiles to fit with tin snips as needed. To make a cutout, measure and draw the obstruction directly onto the ceiling tile. Drill a hole with a power drill through the center of the mark, and cut along the drawn line with tin snips.

Continue to place tin ceiling tiles and nail in place until tiles cover the entire ceiling.

Nail in edge trim pieces. Make miter cuts to the ends with tin snips, and nail in place.