Discussions

We own a home built in the 1950s that has an unfinished basement ceiling and would like to finish it.  
 
We don't want to drywall it, as we want to be able to access electrical, plumbing, etc. We don't want to just paint the joists and leave it open, as we would like the sound deadening from insulation and a ceiling. I'm not the biggest fan of old style ceiling tiles, but have seen photos of Snapclip ceilings and really like the look of them!  
 
The photos I've seen (and friends I've talked to who have used them) have all installed them in houses 5 years old or less. I know with having an older home, things aren't always square due to shifting and age, so I'm curious if anyone has used the Snapclip system in an older home with success.  
 
The other issue I'm worried about running into is around our heat ducting. The ducting is directly below the joists. We would like to put the ceiling as close to the joists as possible (as opposed to below th ducts) to try to keep as much ceiling height as possible through most of it. Will it work to somehow attach the Snapclip rails onto the duct work? Or what did you do to accomodate ducting?  
 
Or if you have a completely different idea or suggestion, please let me know!  
 
Thanks in advance for any info!

It looks like it's a brand on suspended ceiling? It's trickier installing it in older homes, but possible. A common strategy is that some tiles get cut askew to fit the irregularly-shaped spaces once the grid is laid out, trying to make that irregular row in a place where's it's less conspicuous. I've watched my dad install it in 30's-70's era homes over the years.  
 
The most common arrangement I've seen in most homes that have suspended ceiling is to drywall/box in the ductwork (creating bulkheads), and have suspended ceiling in the rest. That allows for maximum height while keeping a clean, attractive appearance. If there's dampers etc to access on the ductwork, my dad just put a grate that can easily be removed at that point in the bulkhead to access it.  
 
Hopefully that's helpful. We're planning on ripping out our drywall ceiling in our 70's era home and putting up something similar in the near future. It's a pain not being able to access anything.... sure not forward thinking whoever put in the drywalled ceiling in the basement!

I've always used drop ceilings in basements for the access often needed to plumbing, electrical etc. Like Abbysmum suggested I usually frame and drywall around the ductwork. You can use 2x2 on the sides and 1 x 4 on the flat accross the bottom right against the duct to keep head  
clearance to the max.  
Is "Snapclip" a plastic brand? I used plastic once many years ago and will never use it again. The track is too flimsy and needs way more support hangers. Metal is sturdier and easier to work with. Don't worry about the room being out of square. Don't put a full width tile on the outside against the wall. Plan to make the outside rows a part width row so the tiles width can vary slightly if needed.  
 
Edited by bigmoe, 2020-12-28 12:52:17

Both Abbysmum and Bigmoe gave some good points but one thing I would add is that the Snapclip system does not really allow for anything to be below the bottom of the joists (1/2" clearance I believe). So if you have any water lines, electrical, or gas line that is below the joist, Snapclip may not be the best choice unless you are willing to move those obstacles. You may also want to shoot a laser line to see if the joist bottoms are in line: if they are not, the wave effect can be quite noticeable.  
 
Hope this helps. Good luck.