Can I make my own ceiling tiles?

$80 might be for a back of 10. I doubt you could make a panel out of sheet metal yourself.

Pack

MAKE them using cardboard & putty. Cut pieces of cardboard to your desired size. Cut 2x the amount you need. Get some Sheetrock Putty, Sheetrock Tape, a pretty stencil, a putty knife & hot glue (gun & sticks) from Lowe's (or any hardware store). On a table or floor, lay a piece of cardboard down flat. Hot glue another piece of cardboard on top sandwiching them together. Start from one corner & tape across the front in rows not overlapping until the whole front is covered with tape. Turn the piece of cardboard over & repeat for the back. Tape around the edges. Lay aside & repeat for all remaining tiles. NEXT STEP ~ Take one of your ""tiles"" & lay it flat on the table or floor again. Take your stencil & tape (scotch tape) the corners of it down onto your tile. Using your putty knife, take some putty & place onto your stencil & spread it out evenly in the design area only. Once you're happy with the thickness of it, gently pull up the stencil & lay it aside. Repeat for all remaining tiles. Lay them aside overnight to dry completely. Next day, take 1 of your tiles & lay it down on the table or floor again. Take your putty knife again & this time, take some putty & gently wipe around the stencil design (like you're frosting a cake) out to the edges to hide any tape that shows. Set aside. Repeat for all of them & set aside to dry overnight again. Your tiles are ready to paint (if desired) or just hang. This will be time-consuming but ALOT cheaper than buying already made ones.

I had ceiling tiles in my basement with water stains so I turned them over, primed, and painted the back side silver metallic. Then I put them back up with the silver side showing. I loved the reflective look. If you added a stencil design over the silver, I bet they would look like tin ceiling tiles :)