garage cieling advice needed

[dusterbd13]

as seen here:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=296181

so this is what my ceiling looks like now:





goal is neat, clean, reflective, and CHEAP. the tin quote, just for the 500 sqft of tin, was 270. that doesn't include anything else id need to get it up there.

I also have 4 4 bulb recessed/dropped ceiling light fixtures, and the 7 2 bulb four footers for lights. so, ideas? I cant get past tin or drywall or dropped ceilings. got to be a better/cheaper option. I also want to keep it pretty close to the current ceiling, so I don't lose much space. granted, I need a step ladder to get to the top shelves on one cabinet already, so maybe loosing some space wont be such a bad thing.

I don't know. so please, help me out here.

 

[dusterbd13]

my wife is a teacher, and im a social worker. were also doing maydical payments, had to rebuild a rotten deck, etc. funds are tight.

and im cheap. don't want to waste money I don't have to. time is fine to waste, but not money.

 

[jimbob_racing]

What kind of tin are you looking at? I'm sort of in the same dilemma with my garage ceiling.

 

[CJ7VFR]

You want Cheap, Reflective and Neat/clean?

You can only ever have two of these things, just like people in the manufacturing industry that say they want things Cheaper, Faster and Better.

If you want cheap and reflective, it is NOT going to be neat.

If you want reflective and neat, then it is NOT going to be cheap.

If you want cheap and neat, then it is NOT going to be that reflective.

Examples:

Buy a bunch of tin foil boxes from a food store or a place like Sams Club or Costco, and staple a bunch of tin foil, shiny side down, onto your current ceiling! That would be cheap and reflective but not neat.

Going the way you are currently going, and trying to install sheets of tin will be reflective and neat, but in the long run, it will not be cheap, as you are going to need to buy more things to install it properly not only to the current ceiling, but also to install it around the other things like the light fixtures and what-not.

You can get spray cans of reflective paint from places like Home Depot or Lowes and spray paint your ceiling. That would be cheap and if your careful it would be neat, but it would not the best at being reflective.

Good luck with this project no matter which way you decide to go! I am sure you will figure it out, and end up with a nice reflective ceiling that you can afford!

Jim

 

[Falcon67]

OSB is $0.24 sq/ft locally, corrugated tin runs $0.63 sq/ft.

 

[CJ7VFR]

I saw your other post about your garage floor.

Excellent job by the way!!! And the pictures of you and your daughter working side by side are priceless!!

She is learning a lot from you, and it's those types of moments, when your together and doing things side by side, that the two of you will remember for the rest of your life!

30 years from now, you won't remember what you did at work today, but you will always remember the good times and laughs you shared with your family putting in your new garage floor!

Jim

 

[dusterbd13]

I actually thought about osb while wondering around Lowe's after work.

What would the downsides be to gloss white painted osb?

 

[bmxdukie]

If it were me.. and you want cheap.
Get a paint sprayer and some good white paint spray everything..
tape off the walls and floor it goes everywhere..
I did this in my laundry/mechanical room. Very bright and it makes the joists, piping and such dissapear.
I taped my duct and then painted it flat black.
Looks good for relatively low price.

 

[marctheprop]

If you do go w/painted panels-paint them on sawhorses before you put them up-you'll still have to touch up some areas but you and the floor will stay a lot cleaner. Good luck!

 

[TonkaJoe]

This is how I went.. corrugated tin ceiling, white and bright!. The lights are dual Lithonia 4' T8's

 

[TonkaJoe]

If it were me.. and you want cheap.
Get a paint sprayer and some good white paint spray everything..
tape off the walls and floor it goes everywhere..
I did this in my laundry/mechanical room. Very bright and it makes the joists, piping and such dissapear.
I taped my duct and then painted it flat black.
Looks good for relatively low price.

^^^^^This right here is a very cost effective idea, and it looks great too.

 

[sublime68charger]

Off the hip what about white styrofoam board?

Light easy to work with fairly cheap
$7 per 4x8 sheet

http://www.menards.com/main/buildin...d-polystyrene-insulation/p-2740518-c-5779.htm

Just a idea

 

[dadsEH]

'I' before 'e' except after 'c'.

 

[JPinSTL]

What about plastic sign board, this is the stuff all the real-estate and political signs are made from? It has 2 layers and is corrugated between like a cardboard box. Lightweight, $10 a sheet, gloss white for reflectivity, and about $.35/sqft. I used it to line my chicken coop and it has taken some abuse.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Lord knows what other unimaginative cheap thing he did thats hidden.

So you want imaginative. What about reflective mylar?

 

[ASHMAN_AZ]

Off the hip what about white styrofoam board?

Light easy to work with fairly cheap
$7 per 4x8 sheet

http://www.menards.com/main/buildin...d-polystyrene-insulation/p-2740518-c-5779.htm

Just a idea

Consider the flammability of materials, styrofoams can burn very hot and catch fire quickly.

 

[xyster101]

Silver bubble wrap. Sells on Amazon for cheap and after you staple it up, use foil tape on the seams.

 

[cruzer75]

1/2in sheet rock is .28/sqft. That's 140 for enough sheet rock. Plus screws tape and compound and paint. Probly 250 for the entire job. Don't think you can get much cheaper.