How To Install Drop In Ceiling Tiles
Tools Required
- Tape Measure
- Pencil
- Straight edge (optional)
- Scissors or Aviation (Tin) Snips
- Gloves
- Eye Protection
Reusing Your Old Tiles
Have old tiles still in good condition? Reuse them to add heat and sound insulation as well as support regular insulation above your new tiles.
- If your new tile design is flat on the back with no lip around the perimeter, slide it into place below your existing tile, leaving the existing tile in place.
- Or push your existing tiles up out of place and turn them slightly to rest on top of the grid system. NOTE: this is option is likely not compliant with commercial building codes, so verify if this is an option.
Insulation Above Tiles - 4 Methods
Due to the Old Tin Roof's thin construction, regular fiberglass insulation is too heavy be laid on top. If your space requires insulation above the tiles you have a few options:
- Use SoniGuard insulation: the only insulation that can safely sit directly on top of the Old Tin Roof tile.
- Support on your old tiles (see above).
- Place 1x1 or 1x2 wood furring strips across the top of the grid to use as support for insulation.
- Secure the insulation to the "real ceiling" of your space, leaving the tops of the tiles clear of any need to support weight.
Decorative Grid Strips / Grid Tape (optional)
Make sure your grid system is clean, using rubbing alcohol or 409 to remove dirt and oils.
For best results, make sure the temperature in the room is 60-80F and low humidity.
Glue
Apply small dabs of direct mount adhesive (a.k.a. glue) along the back of the strips. The self-adhesive backing IS NOT a permanent adhesive, it is meant to hold long enough for the glue to cure. Failure to use glue may result in the failure of the strips to adhere to the ceiling.
Approximately 1 tube of adhesive is needed per 5 packs of strips. We provide Red Devil General Purpose Construction Adhesive free with purchase or you can use Loctite Power Grab All Purpose Adhesive (available locally in most big box stores).
Strips should be butted up to one another. Do not overlap! Always start at the same end with each consecutive strip. Always dry-fit first, before peeling off the backing, to see if any trimming is needed.
Take your first strip. The dot at the end should be directly over the intersection of 4 tiles. Once you have the strip lined up, peel the backing from the self adhesive and apply small dabs of adhesive to the back of the strip (see above). Run all the strips one direction first.
Finish by installing the strips that run perpendicular to the tiles. Each strip will need to be trimmed, so keep a pair of scissors or snips in your pocket and cut off the dotted end.
Install Full Tiles First!
Place all of the full sized tiles first so you can:
- Verify that your grid is properly aligned/spaced prior to cutting partial tiles.
- Set aside any tiles with damaged corners to use for border/partial tiles. We ALWAYS gladly replace any tiles damaged in shipping, but if you need to cut tiles for border tiles, you'll end up cutting off 2 corners anyways. This can save you time, save the environment, and help you complete your project perfectly without waiting for replacements.
Border Tiles - 4 Methods
The Old Tin Roof ceiling tile is very easy to cut with regular household scissors. Put measurements on the back side of the tile with a pencil or grease pencil, mark a straight line, and cut! For tiles with a decorative design, you have 4 options for the perimeter of your room, choose the one that fits your taste!
- Border tile: If a border tile is recommended above, you can use this to have a flatter design for partial tiles.
- Cut edge against wall: Cut your tile so the cut edge is along the perimeter of the room. You may see some shadowing if your tile recesses above the grid.
- Finished on perimeter: This puts the cut edge on the side opposite the wall. Your repeating pattern from the full tiles will be somewhat interrupted, but shadowing along the cut edge will only be visible if you stand right next to the wall.
- Splice edges: For tiles with a simple, straight design, and a certain size of partial tile, you may be able to cut a strip out the middle of the tile and glue or tape the two halves together to essentially make a custom tile the exact width of your border. If done well, this has the added benefits of continuing the pattern from the full tiles as well as having a finished edge along the wall. However, this method is more time-intensive, can leave a visible overlap line, and doesn't work with all tiles or border widths.
FAQ - Recessed/Can/'Puck' Lights
Choose a tile design that has a large enough flat area for the light bezel to lay flush once installed. As with standard mineral fiber tiles, you must choose lights that have grid mounting brackets so that
the weight of the light is supported by the grid system and not the tile.
In testing of similar tiles with a few of the newer, clip-in 'puck' style of LED light, they were able to bear the weight without deflecting or deforming. Each type of light, its driver, and installation project is different, so we cannot guarantee results and this does void the Old Tin Roof Ceiling Tile warranty. Be sure to test a few tiles first before proceeding with installation like this.
We strongly advise you to review your local building codes and light installation instructions before installing the lights. You may be required to attach the light and/or driver to the structure of the building. We are not responsible for any issues that may arise when mounting lights or other objects directly to the ceiling tile.
Place your light fixture and tile in the grid system. Adjust the light to its final position and mark this on the backside of your tile. Use the template to mark the hole in the tile (usually the light bezel itself will be close if no template is available). Cut the opening with scissors or a razor blade.
Caution
Unshielded fixtures, especially those using halogen lighting, present a risk of fire or melting the tiles.
FAQ - 120°F Max Temperature
The Old Tin Roof tile is designed to operate in temperatures up to 120F. Higher temperatures can happen around heat registers, above stoves and ovens, around high temperature lighting, and in environments that intentionally have higher temperatures, like heat spas and Hot Yoga/Bikram studios. Contact us if your space may be subjected to any of these conditions.
These are awesome! We use them for a while project they work perfectly. Just use your imagination and these tiles and make your project look like you are a great designer. They're easy to trim they look great and with the legacy grip strips make the project seamless.