Drop ceiling or drywall?

[AlienCraft]

Whoa, never saw that stuff before. I like!

I'm with you. That would be an interesting look in a basement with non standard heights. I'll bet it makes it look taller than if just flat.

 

[PsiStar]

drywall ... very clean, cheap, repairable (especially if doing the initial install yourself), & looks much better.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

you could use a narrowline or concealed grid system, less obtrusive look.

http://www.usg.com/donn-fineline-1-8-dxff-suspension-system.html
http://www.usg.com/donn-dx-dxl-concealed-suspension-system.html

 

[Fritzo]

For a basement, I'd use a drop ceiling. It's easier, and it's a basement. You could get creative with panels to spiff it up a little.

This. You'll need to get to the pipes/lines on the ceiling eventually. Also, they have new 0 clearance tracks for drop ceilings which make them look nice.

 

[unxpurg8d]

http://www.classiccoffers.com/


Classy...

Thanks for the link - I bought an old house with real (as opposed to this spiffy prefab) coffered ceilings and love the look so much I wanted to duplicate it in another house but everything was crazy expensive. This actually has DYI instructions.

 

[Bignate603]

Thanks for the link - I bought an old house with real (as opposed to this spiffy prefab) coffered ceilings and love the look so much I wanted to duplicate it in another house but everything was crazy expensive. This actually has DYI instructions.

Yeah, the instructions don't look too hard to do either. Very interesting product.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I think people over-assume their need to access things in their basement ceilings. In fact, my 1200 SqFt basement has two 5" circular access ports (one for NG running outside to the deck, and the other a basement-only water cutoff).

That is 1/4400 of the ceiling area in the basement.

 

[Praetor]

Well, people are making great arguments against drywall and against a drop ceilling.
Drywall: pro - greater height of ceiling
Cons - a lot more work to make things accessible above the ceiling

Drop ceiling:
pro- easier to get at things above the ceiling
con- butt ass ugly

tongue and groove, with occasional strips screwed into place, rather than toenailed in

pros: not ugly, fairly easy access to above the ceiling - easy to run cables later, same height as drywall, quicker installation than either drywall or a drop ceiling, cheaper than a drop ceiling; probably cheaper than drywall once you factor in the tape, mud, sandpaper, primer, paint, and access panels.
cons:??

I have to agree with this. I bought a "previously enjoyed house" where they finished off the ceiling with drywall. It looks great, but I want to run a few cat 5e/rg6 drops, but I can't without tearing into the ceiling.

The next house will be finished with a drop ceiling.

 

[DaTT]

Well, people are making great arguments against drywall and against a drop ceilling.
Drywall: pro - greater height of ceiling
Cons - a lot more work to make things accessible above the ceiling

Drop ceiling:
pro- easier to get at things above the ceiling
con- butt ass ugly

tongue and groove, with occasional strips screwed into place, rather than toenailed in

pros: not ugly, fairly easy access to above the ceiling - easy to run cables later, same height as drywall, quicker installation than either drywall or a drop ceiling, cheaper than a drop ceiling; probably cheaper than drywall once you factor in the tape, mud, sandpaper, primer, paint, and access panels.
cons:??

They most certainly don't have to be ugly. A typical Radar tile is ugly, but there are thousands of styles to choose from....with both grid and tile. Meridian style grid is very nice, but a PITA to work with.

 

[sdifox]

drop ceiling. you need access to all the conduits.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I prefer drop ceiling in basement. that said, I did put a small section of drywall in my basement ceiling, just in the back of the home theater area....

BTW, I used black "Ceilinglink" for the grid, worked pretty damn well, and allowed me to get nice and close to the joists.... http://www.kensa.com/

 

[BurnItDwn]

I prefer drop ceiling in basement. that said, I did put a small section of drywall in my basement ceiling, just in the back of the home theater area....

BTW, I used black "Ceilinglink" for the grid, worked pretty damn well, and allowed me to get nice and close to the joists.... http://www.kensa.com/