Ceiling options

[rodster_67]

I have drywall on my garage walls but never installed a ceiling due to the fact I use the area above the ceiling for some storage.

Now I'm thinking about adding a ceiling and some insulation in order to keep it a bit warmer in the winter months now that should have some more time to spend in the garage.

The roof of the garage is built with trusses, 24" centers. I've thought about drywall, plywood, foam board, ??? but not sure exactly what I want to go with.

I have overhead doors on both ends so I get a nice cross breeze but probably too nice for a suspended ceiling.

Any suggestions for a relatively low cost ceiling?

Thanks

 

[Falcon67]

7/16" OSB is about as cheap and light weight as you'll get to span 24" OC. That comes in at less than 2 lbs sq/ft. 1" foam board would do it but it's likely to be more $.

 

[rodster_67]

Yea, that's a good idea. I saw what you did and it looks good. I wonder how well OSB would take paint? I'd like to have a light colored ceiling to help brighten up the whole garage. Esp now that I replaced my old T12's with 5600K T8's.

 

[Falcon67]

OSB ***** paint like sand swallows water. The general consensus on this board is that a first coat of an oil base primer helps to seal the surface and allow for a top coat of latex primer/paint. I still think about it - then "bah".

 

[rodster_67]

Hmmm, yea that was my fear, not that painting is that bad. I just painted some one-side-sanded plywood and that sucked up the paint too.

I might have to think about running 2x4's 16" O.C. between the trusses then going w/ 3/8" drywall. I know painting and finishing wouldn't be an issue.

Foam board was an option until I read it's not fireproof and is meant to install behind something. I liked the 'lightweight' idea of foam board but wasn't sure if I would like the silver look and not sure how to neatly seam the joints?

I need a lightweight drywall!

 

[Bender78]

I need a lightweight drywall!

As you wished.

http://www.certainteed.com/products/gypsum/wall-ceiling-boards/341275

1.2 - 1.4 lbs/ft2

 

[gnxtc2]

Painted corrugated metal (metal roofing)......No cracking, no painting, no maintainence, wipe it down if it gets dirty, reflects light.

Billy T.
gnxtc22aol.com

 

[smokem2020]

I like the metal too. custom cut to the inch, goes up fast. easy on the eyes

 

[rodster_67]

Interesting, last time I was at Home Depot I saw a 'lite' drywall. I was curious to see how light it was so I grabbed a sheet and picked it up. Yea, right, lite.

Guess I was expecting foam board.

Anyhow, thanks for the link, it gives me an option if I want to go w/ drywall. Noticed it was spec'd for 24" OC framing so that works for me.

Wow, Billy T. What a nice garage. I believe I looked into steel panels quite awhile back and think it was pretty expensive. Although I imagine the price of the steel panels might vary with the price of steel. Very nice looking ceiling, esp with the way you have the lighting.

Thanks for the ideas guys, give me some things to look into in my 'spare' time.

 

[laser3kw]

OSB ***** paint like sand swallows water.

I just painted OSB. I averaged 200sqft per gallon of Kiltz original oil based primer. Top coat, 2 coats = 500sqft per gallon Sherwin Williams superscrub latex.

 

[rodster_67]

I like the metal too. custom cut to the inch, goes up fast. easy on the eyes

Custom cut? I was thinking it only comes in X' lengths. I'm guessing you overlap the seams an inch or two?

 

[brucer]

I vote metal siding..

you can order metal siding in in custom lengths or get pre-cut lengths.

 

[OccupantRJ]

The metal siding around here goes for about 80 cents a square foot retail.

 

[CharlestonJoe]

I like the metal as well.
Don't forget its already painted.
So factor in the paint cost when your comparing prices. Paint isn't cheap anymore.

Most metal places here allow you to give them measurements to the inch. So if you need a 13' 7" piece, that's what you pay for. Especially if your picking from a kept in stock type piece.

 

[coldh2o]

I used corrugated sheet steel with a galvalume coating. It was about $1/square foot delivered here in Ontario, cut to order. I ordered 10'4" sheets to span 5 bays of the 24" spacing of my roof trusses. Anything longer would have been too difficult to handle.

The steel is lighter and a lot more manageable than plywood or OSB on a ceiling, and not much more $$ when you consider paint, etc. My wife and I installed 1100 square feet in three days. I can't even imagine how long it would take us to do drywall, mudding, sanding, painting...and to hire someone would have been way more costly.

 

[bcoke]

Thinking that cost is the most limiting factor , you also wanted insulation to retain heat, I have used Celotex [ foam board wtith on side shiny foil the other dark foil cover]. It can be had in any good home improvement store or lumber yard. It comes in 4x8 foot sheets and a variety of thickness [ 1/2", 3/4" , 1" and larger] each giving a different R value. I used 1/2" as I had insulated the cieling with fiberlass batts in the garage attic I put the shiny side down for brightness and used roofing nails with plastic washers [about 1 inch dia.]under the nailheads so you do not break the foil coating. Light and fast.........pretty cheap per square foot of course it looks rather industrial.....good luck

 

[bcoke]

Hmmm, yea that was my fear, not that painting is that bad. I just painted some one-side-sanded plywood and that sucked up the paint too.

I might have to think about running 2x4's 16" O.C. between the trusses then going w/ 3/8" drywall. I know painting and finishing wouldn't be an issue.

Foam board was an option until I read it's not fireproof and is meant to install behind something. I liked the 'lightweight' idea of foam board but wasn't sure if I would like the silver look and not sure how to neatly seam the joints?

I need a lightweight drywall!

What you need is a drywall lift [cost @$200-250. sell whwn done $150-190]!

 

[hedhunter9]

I just ordered the metal. White, 10 foot 2 inch. Doing our ceiling with that as well as half of my walls of my 30X40X12 pole barn. The other half is already done with OSB. No way was I gonna try and do the ceiling with OSB by myself.

Bob

 

[CharlestonJoe]

I think Harbor Freight or Northern Tool has those lifts for that $200-250 range. You can also rent them from various rental places. Just drywall *****!!!! (to work with and finish IMHO)

I like your ceiling ColdH20!

 

[rodster_67]

Metal is sounding good and I agree, paint isn’t cheap any more. Plus all of the labor for drywall. I’m getting too old and don’t want long, drawn out , dirty projects when there is an alternative.


Coldh2o, nice looking garage! What type of fasteners did you use?

Bcoke, that was one of my ideas but I think I read that the foam board is not fireproof and not suited for an exposed application? Wouldn’t want to deal with ‘code’ issues down the road if I ever sell. Plus like you said, kind of industrial looking. Easy to install though!

I will have to start researching metal in my area…. Maybe I can even find someone with surplus stock for a faction of the price! Who knows, I just got lucky with a 42” wide exterior door. Someone ordered it and guess didn’t accept it when it arrived so I got a $300+ door for $80! Perfect for my application, a wide door at the bottom of my exterior stairs to the basement inside my Bilco door!

Thanks for all of the info folks!

 

[coldh2o]

Coldh2o, nice looking garage! What type of fasteners did you use?

Thanks!

Just 2 1/2" roofing screws, they came with the order. Some people pre-drill the steel before putting it up, but I wasn't convinced my trusses were straight enough to do that. I found it wasn't needed, the screws went right though the steel with little effort and an 18V impact driver.

 

[hedhunter9]

"I will have to start researching metal in my area…. Maybe I can even find someone with surplus stock for a faction of the price! "
[/QUOTE]

We have 3 or 4 metal forming places with-in 20 miles of us.
I paid $1.70 a foot (3 foot wide) for white interior panels. (29ga) .56 a sq foot
J-Channel was $5.85 per 10 ft pc.
FnJ Channel was $9.45 per 10 Ft. pc.
Bob

 

[Highbeam]

Bob, what is SnJ channel. I used lots of j-channel on the outside.

Do you folks typically overlap the steel sheets at one rafter only and then screw through both layers?

Do you folks typically install poly VB above the metal?

I'm sold on the metal for my ceiling even though I have a 10 lb dead load rating on my trusses. I want the light weight and shine.

Already own a drywall lift but be warned, they usually only go 11 feet high so you need to figure out an extension system.

 

[hedhunter9]

F and J channel is where the steel ceiling meets the steel wall.
Instead of using 2 pc's of J channel, you use one pc of FnJ channel.
Sorry for the typo..

Here is a link for what it looks like.
http://imetal.net/cart/images/thumbnails/67//MS-3-8-FJChannel-Trim1376586007520d0917cd9b4.jpg

Bob

 

[S Whitelaw]

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum, and am making it my mission this year to have my husband's garage insulated - he is a car guy and loves to fix things and do woodworking. It is an issue when it gets cold and the metal tools freeze to his hands......so, I am looking for ideas to face the ceiling in our garage. What started this all is that I was offered enough insulation batts to completely insulate the garage, a great saving, but what a huge can of worms!!!!The garage is 1000 sq ft with 9.5 ft walls. We have already ruled out drywall (too heavy and a pain to finish) and corrugated metal (too difficult to work with - we have a lot of lights and outlets placed already). We have done one part of the garage with vinyl vented soffit material - looks just amazing, great reflection, but kind of costly, and would like other ideas for vented ceiling material. I like the idea of the foam ceiling tiles, not suspended ceiling as we don't have room. any ideas as to where this material can be seen and purchased in the British Columbia area????Any help will be appreciated......

 

[rburke65]

I also went with the white metal ceiling liner, at $1.70 a liner foot for a three foot wide panel.....what.....56 cents a sq. ft. Screw it down and you are done! Rent a lift or buy one. Best tool for the job. I had 13' plus ceilings and we attempted to do this without a lift....BIG MISTAKE! Love my ceiling.

 

[rodster_67]

Great info folks....Thanks.

White steel sounds like the way to go. I'm thinking the local pole builders might be a good source of material. Don't think I will need a lift since my ceilings are only 10' ?

Doubt if I'll start the project this winter but I like to plan ahead and have an idea of which direction I want to go and continue to research in the meantime.

Since I started thinking about this, I now have a concern about attaching hangers for a new 16' insulated garage door on the bottom chord of a truss rated for 0psf. I posted in another topic about this concern and want to resolve it ---before--- I install the ceiling.

Great site...thanks for all of the help!

 

[rburke65]

You my not think you will need the lift, but even with 2 people, on ladders or even a scaffold, it requires both arms/hands to hold the panel to the ceiling. Now you have to grab the drill, insert a screw into the drive socket, all the while making sure you are aligned.....arms getting tired yet? This can be a one man operation, perfectly align your panel, no hurry, no mistakes. And if you have to cut out for light feeds and outlet boxes......arms getting tired yet? And the longer the sheets, the heavier. I'm talking from experience. The money is well worth the rent or purchase. How about a used one? Good luck!

 

[rodster_67]

Appreciate the input. What kind of lift did you use? Perhaps I can rent one locally.

What about a homemade T lift? Hmmmm

Yea my arms are tired!

 

[jhochst]

I hired an Amish crew to do a 30x48x12. Took them 4 hours. Best $300 I spent on whole project

 

[rodster_67]

Hmmm, now there's an idea.

 

[captaindiode]

My father built houses for years without a drywall lift. He and his brother did everything themselves. The only subed out the hvac. The had two extra tall sawhorses that got the drywall to within a couple of inches of the ceiling. Then they had two "deadmen" to push it up. They were basicly a T made out of 2x4s and just longer than the distance between the floor and the finish ceiling surface. You just kicked them tight to the ceiling. I assume this would work for the metal too. The deadmen and sawhorses were padded with old carpet scraps.

 

[coldh2o]

My panels were over 10' long and reasonably light, also the steel is very slippery. Not sure a panel lift would work, especially with my ceiling being over 14' high. And I don't know how well you could maneuver around the lift while it was up to put in the screws.

We used scaffolding on wheels, and then had a short deadman ("T") on top of the scaffold platform. My wife passed the steel up to me then climbed up, we put it in place, propped with the "T", attach, repeat. What really helped was where the sheets overlapped, we would slide the edge of the new sheet under the one already installed rather than over, to hold it in place. A little labour intensive but manageable with only the two of us, and when labour is free... We did 1,100 square feet in three days.

Ideal method would probably use a scissor lift.

 

[rburke65]

I rented a drywall lift, but I needed a lift to go higher than normal my walls were 13' 6". The rental shop had to get it from a near by store of theirs because they don't get much 'call' for that high of a lift. but the higher lifts are available. My concrete floor was in....can't imagine doing it on dirt/ mud. And there is plenty of room to secure the metal to the ceiling once you get the panel to the bottom of the truss. Raise the panel....You can control the pressure easily and are able to adjust the panel to where it should be. It can be a one person operation. I rented mine over the holidays and I was given a break because of Christmas eve, Christmas day, and new years, etc.

 

[hedhunter9]

We got about 3/4 of my ceiling done today. (30x40) Insulating it as we go along or we would have had all the panels up.. The insulating part slowed us down a lot.
My brother got a lift where he works, so that helped a ton. Otherwise we had 2 scaffolds and ladders...
Cant get pictures to load ?
Bob

 

[hedhunter9]

Had to make the picture smaller to get it to load.
Bob

 

[OccupantRJ]

We got about 3/4 of my ceiling done today. (30x40) Insulating it as we go along or we would have had all the panels up.. The insulating part slowed us down a lot.
My brother got a lift where he works, so that helped a ton. Otherwise we had 2 scaffolds and ladders...
Cant get pictures to load ?
Bob

I'm thinking about using blown in insulation after ceiling installation. I will have a 2x2 ceiling hatch as access, and will not be storing anything in my attic. I also have insulated round duct in the attic for the heat/AC, and could bury them in loose fill for further insulation. Can't decide on a plastic vapor barrier, as the shop will only be heated when I am out there. Heat pump system.

 

[hedhunter9]

My brother putting up a panel

 

[hedhunter9]

Glad we had a lift. Saved going up and down ladders and using the scaffolding.

I took down all the Old lights and stuck up just 2 new 4 footers as temps, till I run the conduit and plugs. And was amazed how bright it was in there with only 2 lights going..
I have 8 new ones going up... It will be nice..

(should mention, there is a 12 by 20 workshop that is 7 foot tall inside this barn. It is my bike work shop that I keep heated 24-7. The rest of the barn will only be heated now and then, with the fisher wood stove..) I plan on putting spare parts and some of my vintage dirt bikes on top of the work shop.

Bob

 

[OccupantRJ]

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum, and am making it my mission this year to have my husband's garage insulated - he is a car guy and loves to fix things and do woodworking. It is an issue when it gets cold and the metal tools freeze to his hands......so, I am looking for ideas to face the ceiling in our garage. What started this all is that I was offered enough insulation batts to completely insulate the garage, a great saving, but what a huge can of worms!!!!The garage is 1000 sq ft with 9.5 ft walls. We have already ruled out drywall (too heavy and a pain to finish) and corrugated metal (too difficult to work with - we have a lot of lights and outlets placed already). We have done one part of the garage with vinyl vented soffit material - looks just amazing, great reflection, but kind of costly, and would like other ideas for vented ceiling material. I like the idea of the foam ceiling tiles, not suspended ceiling as we don't have room. any ideas as to where this material can be seen and purchased in the British Columbia area????Any help will be appreciated......

Another ceiling type is ceiling tiles that are 12" square, and are stapled up with a staple gun, using staples that splay out when applied. 1x4" slats are attached every foot across the ceiling joists, then the tiles are stapled to it. This was a popular ceiling in basements years ago, and can be installed on a stepladder by one person to prevent having to beg for help or move machinery to get the job done.
The really nice thing about this type of ceiling is that it can be started and stopped at any moment without disturbing the flow of life, as you are dealing with only one tile at a time. I did one by using a stepped rolling scaffold, standing on the lower part and keeping supplies and tools on the upper part. This provides a safety rail and convenient work table in safe easy reach.