# When to cover up and when to take down - ceiling tiles



## Hendrxapprentic (Mar 9, 2018)

Hi. My wife and I have decided to make our next project the ceilings on the second floor. Some genius put up 12”x12” tiles on the entire second floor many years ago and we always hated them since moving in. I was going to pull them down and put up drywall panels. I removed one to see what was behind it and it’s basically the 1x4 rafters and then the lining of the insulation behind those. Didn’t look bad. I told my uncle my plans and he said “why take down the tiles when you can put board over them?” He suggested 1/4” since the tiles are already solid against the rafters. I figured I can find all the beams along the ceiling, remove the trim and then hang the drywall over the tiles. Does this sound like a good idea? I figure, why waste the time and trouble removing tiles at this point cause it’ll just create more trash and debris and dust than covering. The ceilings are very tall also so I won’t miss the .5”-1” that we would lose. 

Btw, this would be my first time drywalling. Considering hanging the drywall myself and then paying someone to tape/mud. It’s two bedrooms and a hallway, (roughly two 14’x14x rooms and a 8’x4’ and 10’x4’ section of hallway).


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

1X4 rafters?

Not likely.

If the structure is sound, leaving it intact, and applying sheetrock over it should be your first choice.

!/4 inch is very flimsy, you will need a drywall jack to hold it up while you screw it to through the old acoustic tiles, into the ceiling joists.

Get a grip on the joists, not the 1 x 4 stuff.



ED


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## Hendrxapprentic (Mar 9, 2018)

I think I meant joists, not rafters. I think I’ll take one or two more tiles off and see exactly what I’m working with behind them.


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## Hendrxapprentic (Mar 9, 2018)

And yea. I think 1/2” makes more sense than 1/4”. Maybe even 5/8” for good measure?


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I'd at least go with 1/2" if the ceiling joists are on 24" centers - go with 5/8"


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## jlhaslip (Dec 31, 2009)

The ceiling might be strapped with 1 x 4 's.
I can't see the detail well enough in the image.
Adding a layer of drywall over the tiles would work for me if the strapping was there.


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## Hendrxapprentic (Mar 9, 2018)

I’m going to get some better pictures up at some point. 

Found a video on YouTube where a guy uses a Phillips head to stab through the tiles till he finds the stud behind the tile. Then marks it all the way down the ceiling. Gonna look so much better and updated. IDK why anyone thought tiles looked better than a nice, flat ceiling


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Tiles were all the rage from the mid-60's until the mid 80's.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

Gymschu said:


> Tiles were all the rage from the mid-60's until the mid 80's.


Maybe it's locale specific ??? I don't remember any of those tiles being used after the early 70's ..... painted a lot of them that remained though :wink2:


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## ron45 (Feb 25, 2014)

If they are in good shape and installed properly.

Why not just spackle the joints
Sand smooth, then paint.

A lot less work, a lot less money.
And it will give you a taste.


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## Hendrxapprentic (Mar 9, 2018)

ron45 said:


> If they are in good shape and installed properly.
> 
> Why not just spackle the joints
> Sand smooth, then paint.
> ...


I have tried doing something similar before with paneling and completely regretted it. Especially being attached to the ceiling, these tiles get very warm in the summer from the heat in the attic. I wouldn’t put it past them to completely crack from expansion in the first month or two if the cracks were filled with compound . Also, some of them aren’t completely flat. And I figure it’s not incredibly pricey to get 20 sheets of 1/2” drywall delivered so I may as well.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I agree, those tiles aren't a suitable substrate for joint compound [other than a minor repair]


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## Hendrxapprentic (Mar 9, 2018)

So I ended up having to remove the tiles. I couldn’t push through them with a screwdriver like I saw in a video online so i couldn’t verify where the 1x4s were. Let me tell you, messier than all hell but it feels good to see what I’m working with. Also. Now I don’t have to remove the trim. I can just slide the drywall right in. I also needed to install a mount for a ceiling fan so this is perfect opportunity. Just sucks to find a place to trash all the tiles. And after years of squirrels in the attic (previous owner never took care of them, I did) I found a literal crap load of crap and seeds with each tile. That was fun


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

I'm glad to see progress, After removing the tile, you can do a great job putting up a real ceiling.

Yes those TREE RATS are a pain to keep out, and deter from messing up our homes.


ED


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## Hendrxapprentic (Mar 9, 2018)

de-nagorg said:


> Yes those TREE RATS are a pain to keep out, and deter from messing up our homes.
> 
> 
> ED


You ain’t kidding. Took me almost a year to fully get rid of them. . Even with multiple traps. Ended up putting a security camera on the traps and found out the female could utilize her fingers to free the traps.


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