Dear James: One room has recurring cracks in the plaster ceiling. Instead of more repairs, is it wise to add a dropped tile ceiling to use it as a home theater?—Gary K.
Dear Gary: Once cracks start to develop, particularly in a real plaster ceiling, it is not surprising the repairs don’t last long before new cracks appear or old ones reopen. Plaster is a very hard surface and does not absorb sound well, so it is not the ideal ceiling material for a home theater.
An ideal choice for your home theater ceiling would be a suspended (often called dropped) ceiling. First of all, installing it is a very simple do-it-yourself weekend job. Second, the cavity above the tiles provides space to hide the wires to the speakers. Third, you can choose tile materials specifically designed for their acoustic properties.
Although you will probably want to choose black or another very dark color for your home theater ceiling, there are many very attractive colors and styles of tiles available. Once you finish doing your home theater ceiling, you will, no doubt, want to add suspended ceilings in other rooms too.
The standard sizes of tiles for suspended ceilings are 2 feet by 2 feet and 2 feet by 4 feet. The 2-by-4 size is more commonly used because a standard 4-foot-long light fixture will fit perfectly in place of a tile. Installing 2-by-2 tiles will take a little longer to install and cost a bit more for materials.
Careful planning of the job is particularly critical when installing a suspended ceiling. In order to purchase the proper amount of materials, make a scale drawing of the ceiling with a layout of the support grids.
Pay attention to where you need lights. Round, recessed fixtures, with dimmer switches, are simple to install in the tiles, and they give excellent directional control. A single four-tube fluorescent fixture will provide bright light when needed.
When determining the grid positioning, it is important not to end up with a very narrow tile at one wall. This is a dead giveaway of a nonprofessional installation. First locate the center of the ceiling. This can be done by measuring the midpoints on walls and then snapping two chalk lines from opposite walls.
It looks best with the tiles centered in the room. If this results in the final tiles at the walls being only six inches wide or less, start the first tile at a wall surface. This will result in the last tile being about one foot wide at the opposite wall for a nicer appearance.
Now you are ready to start attaching the support grid members. You can make the ceiling any height, allowing enough depth for any light fixtures, but 7 1/2 feet is considered the standard finished height. Drive small nails in the corners at this height. Stretch a string across the nails and check it with a line level.
Once you have made any minor adjustments to bring it to level, snap a chalk line on the walls. Screw the wall angle along the chalkline. Locate the ceiling joists with a stud finder. Mark the locations of the runner (run perpendicular to the joists). Screw the eyescrews into the joists above the runners. Hang a 6-inch-long wire from the eyescrews. This will support (suspend) the runners.
The runners have slots spaced evenly along them to accept the tab end on the cross T’s. Insert the cross T’s into the runners to complete the grid. Slide the tiles diagonally through the grid opening and let them drop down into place.
