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Author Topic: Tell Me About My False Ceiling! Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 10-09-2016 12:19 PM                    My booth has an ordinary suspended false ceiling with tiles fitting in a grid. I'm doing something above it all the time. My screening room's ceiling, however, is the gridless design you see in these photos. In all the years I've had the screening room I have never had a need to do anything above it and consequently I don't know how it works. How do you pop open a tile or can you even? I do know it is a false ceiling and not just tiles glued to a surface because I can push up and the entire area rises an inch or two with no disruption of the individual tile I pushed on. The reason for the question is that my building is putting in fire suppression sprinkers. Work has been going on over the last few years and I was recently given notice that my floor is due for the work soon. The contractor says it would be almost impossible to run pipes above the ceiling and one can no longer get those kind of tiles. (The screening room was built in 1985.) The plan is to run a couple of pipes out from the booth just under the ceiling, paint it to match, and call it a day. That might in fact be a good plan. But thought I would look into the situation first. Plus there may come a time when I have need for additional cables or some other reason to get above that ceiling so it would be good to know in general. PS: Not sure if this is the best forum for this but no offense taken if a moderator sees fit to move it.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-09-2016 01:35 PM                        Those look like interlocking tiles. There's probably a grid made from 1x4s they are attached to. My old bedroom ceiling at Mom's house looks just like that. You can't really take one tile out since they all fit into slots on the neighboring tile.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 10-09-2016 04:59 PM                    Yes, most likely. I think I should make an exploratory opening from above the booth to see exactly what's up there. Interlocking tiles are supposed to have one or more removable and others can be slid that way. But probably too much trouble for the sprinkler people.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-09-2016 05:42 PM                     mostlikely they are glued to a layer of drywall above it virtually impossible to work above but there may be a access hatch  |  IP: Logged Dave Macaulay Film God Posts: 2321 From: Toronto, Canada Registered: Apr 2001 posted 10-09-2016 05:46 PM                     This is usually done because there's very limited space above the ceiling, but you have pot lights so there's at least the height for them. They can attach to light wood (1x2 is about minimum) strips at 1' spacing (assuming 1' tiles!) and they interlock like plywood sheething: one edge of a row is stapled to the wood and the next row locks into it, hiding the staples. The moulding around the walls hides the first and last rows of staples. The strapping is usually rigidly mounted but I suppose you could use wire hangers. You could rip them down and install T-bar tiles, but might not have enough clearance to get them in. I had them in a finished basement. You can cut out tiles and then reattach them with staples or brads but it is never invisible.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-09-2016 05:49 PM                     quote: Dave Macaulay they interlock like plywood sheething: one edge of a row is stapled to the wood and the next row locks into it, hiding the staples Similar to a hardwood floor, except upside down?  |  IP: Logged Richard Fowler Film God Posts: 2392 From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA Registered: Jun 2001 posted 10-09-2016 05:50 PM                     Old Celotex interlocking tile, if not glued to the ceiling can usually be taken apart starting from the corners of the room and worked out puzzle like. They where the bane of many a Musak background music installation crew.  |  IP: Logged Frank Cox Film God Posts: 2234 From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada Registered: Apr 2011 posted 10-09-2016 07:33 PM                        If there is space above the tiles that you can access from above or from the next room, or even from a corner, you might be able to fish your new fittings through over the tiles in place. For example, what if you removed the the pot lights temporarily? Now you have small access holes to work through.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 10-10-2016 12:19 AM                    It wouldn't be me. It's a sprinkler installation crew. Of course even if they mount below the ceiling they'll have to do something about the hangers. I can see why they would not like to dismantle lots of tiles to run the pipes above it.  |  IP: Logged

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