How to Remodel a Basement Ceiling

Measure and mark your drop ceiling border. Measure down 6 inches from your lowest beam with your tape measure. Place a pencil mark on the wall at this point. Hold one end of the bottom edge of your level against the pencil mark, adjust the level so that the bubble rests in the center of the marks on the level and draw a line from your original point along the length of the bottom edge of the level. Move your ladder, line your level up with your mark and continue the line around the entire basement.

Mount the frame of your drop ceiling border. Drill a hole through the back side of your "L" frames every 4 feet with your 1/4 inch bi-metal bit. Hold the first frame against the wall with the top edge of the back of the "L" riding your pencil line. Make a mark on the wall through each hole in your frame with your pencil. Put your "L" frame on the floor and drill into the marks with your 3/8 inch masonry bit. Tap a plastic anchor into the holes in the wall. Lay your "L" frame in place on the wall and secure it by installing the retaining screws into the anchors with your screwdriver. Overlap the next section of "L" frame over the first by 2 inches and continue hanging the border framing until the basement is completely encircled.

Fasten the border frame. Mark the bottom "L" frame at each corner with a 45 degree angle using your pencil and speed square. Cut off the small triangle of metal with your tin snips to give the frame a more professional look. Only cut the corner off of the bottom piece of metal in the juncture so that the cut appears to come out of the corner and into the ceiling. Locate the overlapped junctures along the wall. Grasp both pieces of the frame at the juncture with your pliers. Place a cloth around the jaws of your pliers to prevent damage to the frame. Drill through the metal with your 1/4 inch bi-metal bit. Install a rivet through each hole to strengthen the frame.

Place the long support frames. Make marks along the wall every 4 feet above your border frame. Place a long "T" support piece at each of these marks using your speed square to insure a 90 degree angle from the wall. Snip the end of the "T" at the wall at a 45 degree angle to allow the end piece to be installed. Hang the "T" from the rafters by driving roofing nails into the rafters above the "T" and hang the frame from the nails with your tie wire. Hold the level on the bottom of the frame, adjust the "T" until it is level and tie off the wire at that point. Snap the ends of the long "T" frames together according to the manufacturer's instructions and continue hanging the long frames until the main beams are in place and level. Take your time hanging these beams as their placement will affect the look of the entire ceiling.

Complete your drop ceiling. Measure along the bare wall of your border and place a mark every 2 feet above the border frame. Snap the short "T" frames into the holes in the long "T" frames at these marks. Snip off the top corner of the end of each small "T" where it meets the wall border to allow for installation. Slide your tiles into place in the 2 by 4 holes in the grid. Measure and cut any tiles where the openings in the grid are less than 2 feet by 4 feet using your razor knife. Always cut your foam tiles on the side that can be seen from below to insure a clean, tight fit in the grid.