How-To : Home Improvement

Where can metal ceiling tile be purchased? You will find that you can purchase ceiling tile that is made from metal anywhere that you can buy ceiling tile. Because most places that carry ceiling tile usually carry a wide variety of it, you should have no problem finding what you are looking for. If you are new to ceiling tiles, you can always ask in the store that you are shopping for help. Most of the time the employees are knowledgeable about what they are selling.

Does a professional have to install metal ceiling tile? Anyone can install ceiling tile that is made of metal that knows how. If you are someone that likes to do this type of thing yourself, you can find how to’s just about anywhere that you look. However, you may not want to do this job and hire a professional to install your ceiling tile for you. This is a possibility as well, and something that you will have to decide if you want to do yourself, or hire help for the job.

Is metal ceiling tile affordable? Ceiling tile that is made from metal is very affordable. Because metal is affordable, you should have no problem finding the ceiling tiles that you want in metal that you can afford. If you are on a budget for your ceiling tile, you might want to consider not even looking at the tiles that are out of your price range. When you go to looking at things that you can not afford, you might be tempted to go out of your budget. If you stick with your budget on your ceiling tiles, you will be glad that you did.

Do metal ceiling tiles come in colors? You will find while you are shopping for your ceiling tiles that are made from metal that they are available in different colors. If you are looking for colored tile for your ceiling, you will have no problem finding the color that you want in metal. However, be sure that you take into consideration the colors that are going to be in the room of the ceiling that you are having installed. When you consider the other colors, you will be sure not to overwhelm your room with too much of one color.

Get more information about ceiling tiles and home improvement at http://www.home-offers.com

[tags]ceiling tiles,home improvement,[/tags]

Products To Use

Painting an ornate, aluminum ceiling in fine detail is easy because it is painted before it gets fixed to the ceiling. Most aluminum paneling is sold with etch primer already on it so it is immediately ready to paint. You can use one colour over the whole ceiling, you can add just a touch of colour on the moldings or you can can paint every detail in various shades of paint. The patterns in aluminum ceilings are more deeply pressed than other types of ceilings so they create lovely shadows themselves just from electric light or from natural daylight.

Accordingly most people use one colour of paint over the whole ceiling. It is strongly recommended that pale shades of paint be used. Darker colours can be appealing in theory but in practice they can often give a heavy oppressive feel to a room. Oil based paints otherwise known as enamel paints, are the best products to use on metal. They give a tough finish which will last a long time. You don’t want to re-paint your lovely ceiling at any stage so use good quality paints.

In really tough wear and tear areas such as on pub walls or in front of bars it can be a good idea to consider powder coating. This is a high heat treatment which coats the panels on both sides and produces a tougher finish than standard oil paints. There is a limited range of colours used in powder coating but generally there is a colour to suit most tastes. Always consider how you will paint your panels before you order them. If powder coating is your choice then you will need to order your panels minus the etch primer. Powder coating and etch primer are not compatible. Powder coating companies can be located in your Yellow Pages telephone directory. Powder coating would generally be considered excessive on a normal ceiling which is not subject to wear and tear.

Brushes

Brushes with a width of about 2 -3 inches (6 -7 cm) are the largest you should use when painting the base color of your panels. You will need to paint at least two coats. If dark colours are used then you may need a third coat. Choose the best quality brush you can afford so that you are not continually picking off hairs from your beautiful paint job. When painting the fine details you will need much smaller brushes. Use artist brushes, sizes 6 and 4 to start with and progress from there. Always try to be consistent in the way you paint. For example, always paint your leaves with brush strokes in one direction only. Have a small pot of turpentine at hand and also a box of cheap cotton buds. Any paint excesses or errors can be smartly wiped away with a cotton bud which has been moistened with the turps.

How Much Detail to Paint

Remember that the ceiling will always be several feet above your head so exceedingly fine details may not be seen from that distance. It is easy to paint too much detail into ceiling panels. Remember “less is often best”. Too many colours can make your ceiling look too “busy”. Every so often you should stand back from your work and assess it from several feet away.

After The Ceiling Is Installed

When the ceiling is nailed up you should take a look at the nail heads – if you can find them. Because such small nails are used you may find that they are not visible. If necessary you can paint a tiny amount of paint on the nail heads.

About The Author

Jean Morrison is owner of Heritage Ceilings, a unique ceiling decoration business dedicated to bringing beautiful ceilings back into our public buildings and homes.

[tags]tin ceiling,tin ceilings,tin tiles,tin ceiling tiles,ceiling tin[/tags]

Prior to hanging sheetrock to ceiling joists it is important that strapping first be installed.

Strapping helps prevent cracks from showing up later in your home’s ceiling, as well as provides more surface area for securing the sheetrock to the ceiling.

Strapping typically consists of 1″x 3″ boards that are nailed perpendicular to the ceiling joists. Strapping can be purchased at any home improvement center as individual sticks or in bundles of 10, and comes in lengths from 8 to 16 feet.

Strapping should be applied every 16 inches on center perpendicular to, and across, the ceiling joists. Care should be made in installing the strapping such that two pieces of abutting sheetrock each have access to approximately 1.5″ of surface area of the strapping material. For example, the centerline of the 3rd row of strapping from a wall should be at 48 inches (the width of a piece of sheetrock). Not the edge of the strapping!

The installation of strapping is straight forward in concept, however significant care should be given to ensure that it is securely nailed and runs straight. Otherwise the sheetrocking effort may not go smoothly or be installed properly.

On pitched ceilings, it may help to use a chalk line and level to ensure straight lines. Also, the use of a Nail Gun is very helpful in this task, as nailing over one’s head can quickly become tiring. Not to mention, the job goes much faster.

Me_Donovan@comcast.net

http://www.homeaddition.blogspot.com

Over the past 20+ years Mr. Donovan has been involved with building homes and additions to homes. His projects have included: building a vacation home, building additions and garages on to existing homes, and finishing unfinished homes. Mr. Donovan’s formal education and profession have been as an Electrical Engineer and Marketing Manager.

[tags]home, strapping, nail, ceiling, sheetrock, hanging, joists, home improvement[/tags]