How do I cover up the ugly suspended ceiling in my living room?
by
Sandy
+10
I have an old, dusty suspended ceiling in my entry and living room. Some of the 2'x4' tiles are breaking. Others have weird gray blobs attached that were left by the previous owners children. I would like to cover it with something easier to keep clean, and that reflects the country style of the house.
You could replace the panels with a more decorative one and use grid tape to cover the grid: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/527906387559040989/
Dry wall is best. If you cannot afford it then paint it white.
The old ceiling tiles can be replaced with new ones like these. (Click to go to shopping link) Also, the existing grid work can be painted to freshen them up.
I put up faux tin ceiling tiles and the company that makes them does a version for ceilings like yours that have a drop in. Check it out here: https://www.craftylittlegnome.com/install-ceiling-tiles/
100% need to paint the hardware. You can pick up new drop panels at Lowe's or Home Depot. New panels are easy to paint to suit or you can use liquid nails to adhere the backsplash style tin tiles for that look if so desire.
We had a place that had these. We used paintable wallpaper. You could use shelf paper or peel n stick wallpaper. You could cover them with fabric and u se the starch method to adhere. Spray paint should work without crumble.
Also, there's more than likely the original ceiling up above the drop ceiling. If it's in good shape, tear down that I ceiling and voila, new celling with old charm. Remember though, that panel ceiling was probably put in to hold heat as a higher ceiling line generally doesn't. However, in the rooms where we did remove that ceiling, we noticed no difference.
You can replace the panels with 1/4" thick underlayment plywood. Stain it any color you want. Paint the grids also. Home Depot, Lowes, and Menards sell 2X4 panels. No cutting needed.
You can buy decorative tiles and replace those.
We ended up taking it down, as well as the tiles underneath. Put up 1/8th inch balsa wood, then glue on styrofoam tiles from Wayfair. It now looks like a tin ceiling.