I think a suspended grid ceiling offers a lot of options for lighting and decor. Plus insulation.
Dropped ceilings can be flexible.....but they also damage easily.....and look like **** after a few years with stains and dirt....and you can't paint them....unless you want it to really look like ****.
I would suggest drywall....easy...sound deadning.....and nothing stops you from covering that with something cool later on.
I used aluminum soffit and agree - very easy to install.Vinyl soffit is easy to install, and to keep clean. I have it in my screened porch and its great.
paint the grid and tile black to give the illusion of a higher ceiling.
If you are drywalling the sides, why not drywall the ceiling also? Just curious. It would be cheaper than a dropped ceiling. It would be the cheapest route all around really. You can rent a drywall jack for just a few bucks a day from a rental place. 25 sheets of 4x8 drywall will do it or 17 sheets of 12' drywall. If it is the mudding and sanding that is stopping you from drywalling the ceiling, you could cover the joints with say 1x4's and make a grid, or if you have a fairly smooth taped joint, they make many styles of rollers for compound that you can use to texture the ceiling. My wifes in her building looks like woodgrain. The drywaller rolled on the mud then went over it with a patterned roller.
I used aluminum soffit and agree - very easy to install.
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I just tried it on a few peices of scrap and the staples went through with no problem at all.Can the aluminum soffit be stapled. Thanks john jr

Where I work- the office space has the ceiling painted flat back and has lights hung from suspended black ceiling tile grid without the usual ceiling panels.
A lot of people like metal siding material on the ceiling. It's not terribly expensive, lightweight and easy to install.
I used aluminum soffit and agree - very easy to install.
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Mandryk - Oakville ... I know it well.PC06,
This looks really nice, clean and bright.
How have you found the sound in this area if using tools. Does it echo or cause music to be distorted vs drywall?
With thanks from Oakville, Ontario!
driver - I have a few points where I drilled through the aluminum and inserted eye hooks into the strapping or joists. I hung all my flourescents that way and there was no damage to the aluminum. I also ran a 2' wide plywood panel from one side wall to the other. I hung my electrical conduits and air lines from it. I also have 1"x6" wood along the walls at the top which is handy for running lines and connecting them to the ceiling.I also used aluminum. More expensive than drywall but easier for one person to install and i didn't have to paint the #$@@%^& ceiling. The only disadvantage has been some complications in mounting anything to the ceiling as the material will crush.
I finally got around to taking a picture of our office area-Where I work- the office space has the ceiling painted flat back and has lights hung from suspended black ceiling tile grid without the usual ceiling panels.
Maybe do something different and paint the grid and tile black to give the illusion of a higher ceiling.
