Cutting Light Panels for a Drop Ceiling

A dropped ceiling can provide a room with a clean look and at the same time cover an original ceiling that is damaged. Another use for a dropped ceiling is that it can hide electrical wires and plumbing pipes. In some applications of a dropped ceiling, a type of light fixture may be used that necessitates the need for a light panel. You can cut a light panel for a dropped ceiling using the correct materials and with a small investment of time.

Tape measure
Pencil
Paper
Cardboard
Hair dryer
Painter's tape
Straight edge
Utility knife

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the width and the length of the opening in the dropped ceiling where the panel will be located. Use a tape measure and ensure that you include the lip of the dropped ceiling grid. Subtract a half inch from the length and the width so that you will have room to maneuver the panel into place. Record the measurements onto a piece of paper with a pencil.
- 2
  Lay the plastic light panel on a piece of cardboard on a flat surface.
- 3
  Mark the light panel where it must be cut to fit in the required space. Use the measurements you acquired in the first step and a straight edge to ensure that the lines you draw are straight.
- 4
  Warm the plastic panel with a hair dryer for several minutes to make it less brittle and thereby less likely to splinter and crack as you cut it.
- 5
  Apply painter's tape one each side of the lines you drew, which will help hold the plastic together where it is being cut.
- 6
  Score the panel on the lines where the tape meets using a utility knife. Use the straight edge to ensure that the knife doesn't stray off the lines. Make several passes with the knife until the panel is cut completely through.
- 7
  Fit the panel into the ceiling and make any minor adjustments to it using the utility knife.

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