Unless it’s a big one, just make sure the perimeter starts off level. Don’t rush, and go back and rework any part that isn’t level in-between. Once it gets out of whack it just gets worse, so overdo a bit on the precision.
If ignorance is bliss why aren’t more people happy?
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depending on how big,but a rotating laser makes it so much easier to set the angle and field pcs,as cheap as they have gotten no reason not to have one. larry
hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
The project is 30'x50'. I plan on laying out the project at center points and going from there. I've been pricing 360 lasers. Any suggestions on a product? thanks again
For a smaller job you'd only need the laser for 30 minutes, to mark the perimeter, and renting would be the way to go. For 30x50 it's probably wise to have one around for the whole job. But anymore they're pretty cheap.
If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people
happy?
once you have a few mains and 2 and 4 foot bars in place and supported with wire, I've always found it helps to drop a few tiles in place just to keep the whole thing from getting too out of square.
I just offered this advice to a friend trying to do a drop ceiling for the first time.
Level "isn't" always the way to go. First check the level of the floor. If the floor is very out of level a level ceiling will appear crooked. In this case measure from the corners of the floor up to where you want the bottom of the perimeter track and snap your lines connecting the dots. Adjust accordingly so the dots connect.
Also use "thread" thin wire initially. It makes it a whole lot easier to hang the grid and to be able to keep readjusting when necessary. Keep the wires loose but taught enough to hold up the track. You mainly want to tie the wires to the "main" T's then snap in your cross T's. You can drop in a tile every here and there to square things up. When you have a lot of the ceiling up with squared center tracks start putting some pop rivets in the MAIN T's to the perimeter track to hold everything in place.
Also...do not get the ceiling tiles dirty. Wash you hands good before handling them because most tiles aren't washable of finger prints that embed dirt deep into them I've had some luck using white chalk dust on some mildly smudged tiles but try and avoid that altogether.
A lot has to do with the tie wires and pop rivets keeping things together as you work. at the end go back and either dbl/triple up the thin wires or just add a thicker gauge one. This little trick has always helped me do the job with more ease.
Have fun
a...
If Blodgett says Tipi Tipi Tipi, it must be so!