Selecting the Tiles
Most ceiling tiles are made of fiberboard. Standard
tiles measure 12" by 12", although tiles are also made in 12" by 24"
and other sizes. Acoustical tiles are made from the same type of fiber
with an additional manufacturing process to help absorb sound in a
room. A well designed acoustical tile absorbs up to 70 percent of
excess noise.
Ask the supplier to help estimate the materials you
need for installation. Most manufacturers provide charts to determine
the number of tiles, the amount of furring, and the gallons of
adhesive needed (if adhesive is used) based on the room size. Tiles
are typically packed as follows: 12" by 12" ceiling tiles in cartons
of 40, 12" by 24" are packed 20 to a carton.
Ceiling Tile Installation Methods
The most common methods of ceiling tile application
are adhesives, stapled or nailed to wood furring strips, or a metal
grid suspended from the overhead floor joists. For ceilings made of
plaster, sheetrock, or other materials that provides a smooth,
continuous backing, use adhesives to apply the ceiling tiles. If the
ceiling has cracked plaster or other defects, apply furring strips and
nail or staple the tiles to the furring strips.
Basic Rules
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All cut tiles should be used for the edges of the room
where the ceiling meets the walls.
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Cut tiles at opposite ends of the room should be the
same size.
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If at all possible, cut tiles should not be less than
half a tile wide.
Determine the Size of Border Tiles
Measure the distance from wall to wall on the longer
side of the room. If the length measures exact feet, you will not need
to cut border tiles for that direction. If the distance does not come
out in exact feet, add 12 to the number of inches remaining and divide
by two. This gives you the width of your border tiles. For example, if
the room is 10′ 6" long, add 12 to 6 (18) and divide 18 by 2. The
result of 9" is the width of the border tiles for each end of the run.
Do the same thing for the shorter side of the room. Confused? Here is
the result of the calculations: