How to Hide Duct Work in the Basement

Mark the perimeter. Use a measuring tape and mark a line 4 inches below the lowest point in the ceiling. If you plan to install fluorescent lighting fixtures, measure down 6 inches from the lowest point. Mark a line on your perimeter wall with a pencil, and place a 4-foot level on your mark. Draw a level line. Do this in several places along your entire perimeter wall. Use a chalk line to connect the level lines along the wall. Ensure that your ceiling height will follow building regulations for your area after determining your final ceiling height.

Install the perimeter molding. Find the wall studs, and beginning in one corner start securing the perimeter molding to the wall studs using 6d nails and a hammer. Ensure that the molding follows the chalk line. Use tin snips to cut the molding if necessary. In corners, install one piece of molding tight against the corner, butting the next corner piece against it, creating a corner piece. For outside corners, make a mitered 45-degree cut on both pieces using your tin snips, and butt the corners together for a smooth fit.

Install the main runners 4 feet apart and perpendicular to the floor joists. Follow specific measurements according to your brand; not every brand is the same. Create your placement grid using a chalk line and snapping lines along your floor joists.

Install eye bolts and 16-gauge wire for grid support. Screw the eye bolts into the floor joists. Attach the grid with wire to the eye bolts until the entire area is gridded off. Follow specific instructions according to your brand of drop ceiling. Ensure the grid is level and even.

Install lighting fixtures. If you plan to install lighting fixtures, run electrical wiring and place the lighting fixtures into the grid. Make sure to follow all building codes.

Install ceiling panels. Cut any panels with a sharp utility knife, and place the panels into the grid by angling them up and dropping them in flat.