Tin Ceiling Tiles: OFFICIAL SITE

All 3 installation techniques for Ceiling Tin Tiles can be found here.

Installing tin ceiling tiles using the “Snap-Lock” method is a simple process which uses no plywood and no nails.  These ceilings are wonderful for hiding flaws in your ceiling, covering textured and popcorn ceilings, and  allowing for the moving and changing of electrical fixtures.

The first thing you will have to do is gather all of your supplies.  You need your snap lock tin ceiling tiles and crown molding.  The required tools are a ladder,  T-square, hammer, tape measure, tin snips, and a screwdriver. Additionally, you will have to have drywall screws, phillips head screws, and tin filler. A drill that can be used for screwing in the screws will speed up the job.
If you follow the steps closely, you will be enjoying a beautiful tin tiled ceiling in a short time:
•    Have someone hold the ladder when you are on it…not just for safety, but to keep it steady, which will guarantee the quality of your installation.
•    Always be very accurate in your measuring. It will save you time and money if you measure twice and cut only once.
•    Always work from one corner to the corner on the opposite wall.  The male flange goes against the wall, leaving the female flange screw plate exposed.  Drill 6 drywall screws into each female flange after installing and locking the panel.  One screw through the male flange on the wall side should be used to hold the panel in place.
•    The next row will be installed the same way, but be sure to slide the male flange into the female of both panels.  No screw will be needed for the male flange again until it hits a wall.
•    Use the T-square to set the next panel, inserting the male flange into the female flange of the previous panel.  Again, screw 6 drywall scres into the female flange.  Repeat this until you have reached the other wall.
•    Most rooms are not perfectly square, so use the hammered tin filler to fill in any small area around the edges of your wall. This is easily done by sliding it into the female flange and nailing it on the wall side.
•    The crown molding needs to be cut  to the proper length using tin snips.  Miter the ends where they reach the corner. One section will be straight and fit flush against the wall.  The adjacent piece will be mitered to fit over the edge of the other section.  These can be purchased already precut to eliminate mistakes.
•    Draw a line 3 inches down the wall (making sure it is level) and then line up your molding and nail it along that line.
•    As you install the next section, overlap it a quarter inch and then nail in place.
Touch up and spray paints are available to cover your nails.

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Nail-Up Installation Instructions

Nail-up tin tiles haven’t changed in over a hundred years, and are sold more than the other kinds of tin tiles today.  You have a choice of either using a plywood substrate on the ceiling or furring strips. The strips must be spaced twenty-four inches on center and must run both in length and width of the ceiling.   This is because each panel must be nailed every six inches on all four sides.

The standard nail-up panel is 24” by 24” and has a ¼” overlapping nail flange. This gives you a smooth line from one panel to the next, minimizing the seams as the one panel is slipped onto the flange for nailing. The nails will be exposed, but are later painted to match the color of your panels.

The tools you will need are:

•    A ladder or some kind of scaffolding-to do a quality job you need to be steady on your feet.  If using a ladder, someone should be there to hold the ladder secure.
•    Chalk line
•    Circular saw, to cut the plywood
•    Tin snips
•    Brad gun (can be rented or purchased at home improvement centers)
•    18 gauge brads
•    Tin tiles, tin filler and touch up paint
•    3/8 inch to ½ plywood

Now that you have your supplies, follow these steps:

1.    Locate ceiling joists
2.     Measure and cut plywood and nail to the ceiling, making sure that you are nailing through joists.
3.    Snap a chalk line down the middle of the ceiling, both ways, to create a center point.
4.    Nail the first tile in the center of the ceiling. These tiles have a ¼ inch nail rail all the way around them. Some prefer to start from the farthest corner of the room, but whichever way you start, always overlap from the door side of the room so that seams are less visible.
•    NOTE: Because of the depth of the pattern, you do not want to butt up to the edge of the wall.  Tin filler should border the entire ceiling, to allow for smoother fitting of the cornice molding.
5.    Always work in rows, overlapping and placing your brads six inches apart on the ¼ inch nail rail all the way around the tile.
6.    Tin snips are used to cut out holes for lighting, etc.
7.    When you hang the last tin tile before the edge of the wall do not nail the outside edge.
8.    Measure and cut your tin filler strips, allowing an extra inch to slip under the edge of the last tile. Nail in place.
9.    Install cornice sections, overlapping ¼ inch to hold them secure. Nail the sections both to the wall and the ceiling to hold them secure. If you are a beginner, it is wiser to purchase your mitred sections for the corners.
10.    Paint the nail heads with the matching touch up paint.

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Drop-In Installation Instructions

In order to do a drop-in installation of tin ceiling tiles, you will first need to install a metal grid system.  This grid system for suspended ceilings will be attached to the joists or the ceiling substrate and hang down from there, leaving a space somewhere between four and twelve inches.

This type of ceiling is convenient for allowing access to electrical and plumbing for regular maintenance.  It is also a place where additional insulation can be added, for both economical reasons and for sound absorption.  These ceilings perform as a sound barrier as well as holding your ceiling tiles in place.

The metal grid is leveled during installation, and therefore does not require that the existing joints be level or straight themselves. Follow these steps for an easy installation of your drop-in tin tile ceiling:

1.    Grid height should be three or more inches below ceiling.  Using a chalk line, install right-angle molding just covering that line.
2.    Cut the main tees to the correct length with tin snips or a hack saw.  These main runners are set on the right- angle molding and then supported by #12 wire that is attached by small eye screws to the joists above.  One every four feet will be adequate.
3.    Snap four foot cross pieces into the main tees.
4.    Although the standard size is twenty-four inch by twenty-four inch, you can also use twenty-four inch by forty-eight inch, by simply adding or removing crossbars.
5.    Your panels will now slide easily up through the openings in the grid.  Lower them into place.

3D panels have a much deeper pattern than the standard tin tile. When hanging them in the final spot next to the wall, some adjustments will have to be made.  The final grid is almost always less than twenty-three inches, so you will not have a lot of waste when cutting your tiles. You should be able to get two tiles from each. Follow these steps for a perfect fit:

1.    Measure the grid square next to the wall and also the tile you are placing there.
2.    Mark the tile and cut it with you tin snips.
3.    You need to flatten the embossed pattern one and a quarter inches from the edge of the panel using a crimper. This will give you the one inch reveal plus a quarter inch flange that can sit on the grid.
4.    The quarter inch must be bent to allow it to rest flat on the grid.

When all of your tiles are in place, if you notice any gaps where they do not lay smoothly on the grid, you can attach plastic clips that simply slide over the grid from the inside (picture a clothes pin holding an article firmly to the clothesline), where it will apply pressure to the panel, flattening it, to give your drop-in installation a professional look.