Vinyl soffit for ceiling?

[MushCreek]

I'm trying to find the cheapest way to put a ceiling up in my shop. I don't care much what it looks like, as long as it's 1) cheap, 2) white, 3) Low/no maintenance. I'm finding white vinyl soffit on CL for 50 cents a square foot, about as cheap as it gets. I was originally going to use metal liner panel, but that stuff has gotten pricey, even used. Any chance the vinyl soffit will work without sagging? My ceiling joists are on 12" centers, so not much of a span. I'm going to insulate, but it will be fastened to the joists, so not bearing on the ceiling material. It seems like the vinyl would be light and easy to handle. Thoughts?

 

[MikeC55]

Seems like a good idea. How large are the panels?

 

[Firebrick43]

Sounds like good fuel for the fire

 

[KenC]

Sounds like good fuel for the fire

I'd prefer a non-flammable ceiling material. JMHO. I've seen the result of flammable plastic bubble insulation in a metal building fire. I'd not take a chance.

 

[jack stand]

It really makes a poor ceiling. It doesn't lap anything like regular vinyl siding, it's prone to buckling with temperature changes and almost seems to have a "static" thing to it to attract everything.
I'd pre paint the cheapest OSB before I used vinyl soffit panels for a ceiling. Great stuff for what it's intended for....overhangs. If you're floor is still clear you might investigate (mr) drywall, but then it's a 2 man job and then there's the friggin taping and mudding.

 

[MushCreek]

Yeah, no drywall. I am considering painted OSB.

 

[Firebrick43]

Yeah, no drywall. I am considering painted OSB.

With liner at 1.20$ ish a ft osb at .35$ seems pretty cheap.

But paint is also expensive now and osb absorbs an insane amount, at least 2 if not 3 heavy coats of primer and at least one coat of paint to hide it.

Might not be so cheap after your done

 

[Zeke]

With liner at 1.20$ ish a ft osb at .35$ seems pretty cheap.

But paint is also expensive now and osb absorbs an insane amount, at least 2 if not 3 heavy coats of primer and at least one coat of paint to hide it.

Might not be so cheap after your done

You need to find better ways to paint. Maybe look into PVA sealer as a cheap first coat.

 

[Skiff Builder]

Yeah, no drywall. I am considering painted OSB.

If considering osb, I'd look at 3/16 plywood , $15 .paint and hang on your 12" span .Some nice batten strips to finish.
Less weight, better to paint.

 

[The Cobbler]

I would paint the OSB before putting it up, and a final coat after installed. no way I would put on 4 coats .
1 primer, 1 good coat , and maybe a final after installed ( or just a touch up )
Vinyl soffit would work, but it may not be code compliant inside ,and... it will look like vinyl soffit

 

[finn]

Bite the bullet and do white steel.

When it’s up, it’s done, so it’s a one time expense.

I have thin osb in the parking section of my garage, but steel in the working area and in my separate shop building. I would never do osb again.

 

[BillK]

How about some inexpensive white wood paneling from one of the box stores ? Or even tile board. Looks like Home Depot has both in the $22 range for a 4x8 sheet. Slightly more than your 50 cents a square foot but you wont have to paint it or do anything else but put it up.

EUCATILE 32 sq. ft. 96 in. x 48 in. Hardboard Thrifty White Tile Board HDDPTW48 - The Home Depot

The Thrifty White 32 sq. ft. 96 in. x 48 in. Tile Board Panel can be used to add style to more functional spaces in your home. The acrylic coating resists staining, fading and mildew for long-lasting use. Ideal uses are in utility rooms, laundry area and mud rooms.

www.homedepot.com

 

[rebelranger]

White steel or white pvc.

Ribcore™ PVC White Corrugated Panel, 20 ft 4 in L x 3 ft W

Corrugated PVC panels help maintain biosecurity and safety in livestock and food processing facilities. Shop online for Corrugated PVC sheets at Farmer Boy.

farmerboyag.com

The soffit will work, I've seen it but over long runs it's never straight.

 

[Shocker]

What I did was nail 1x2 8' long furring strips along the side of each truss, then dropped in some 3m basement finishing 704 insulated panels. Got them off Craigslist. Then dropped R30 on top of them.

Now that system has been discontinued for a while now, so I am betting you could get the 4 foot drop ceiling tiles for cheap and drop them in.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I wouldn't use soffit material.

I've done foil faced foam with taped seams. Looks good at first but dulls down over time.

I've done OSB, with 2 coats of Kilz oil based followed with a top coat of white paint. I caulked large nail holes and some seams. It's heavy to hang especially by yourself. I'd do plywood over OSB as it looks better.

I've done white metal and it's a one and done. More expensive but easy to hang with a drywall lift.

From what I have learned over the years, the next ceiling will have fiberglass in the bottom chords, 3/4-1" foam on the bottom of the trusses and then covered with white metal.

 

[Jakemedic]

I used vinyl soffit for its intended use on a shop I built a long time ago. once was enough for me. It expanded and shrunk enough to be a problem. Find someone who makes their own inside tin and buy from them. My metal ceiling material came from the Amish and with the trim, and 2’ along the top of my walls was 900.00. Now granted it was just over 2 years ago, but it was cheaper than using any wood products. My shop is 768 sq ft.

 

[racecougar]

Liner panel or R-panel "seconds" from your local metal panel supplier/manufacturer will be far less expensive than the crazy box store prices.

 

[MushCreek]

I don't even consider big box stores for stuff like this. I'll check with a local manufacturer, but prices have gone up- way up in the last couple years. Money is what it is. Now that I'm retired, I have no way to make much more money, so when it's gone, it's gone. When I bought my used Miata a few years ago, my BIL asked me, dead serious, "Why didn't you buy a Porsche?"

I found a place in GA advertising liner panel for $1.85 a running foot, which is about the cheapest I've found lately. Oddly enough, the used stuff off some old chicken coop has apparently become quite valuable, as people on CL are asking stupid money for it.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I found a place in GA advertising liner panel for $1.85 a running foot, which is about the cheapest I've found lately. Oddly enough, the used stuff off some old chicken coop has apparently become quite valuable, as people on CL are asking stupid money for it.

yep, just like stuff made from old pallets.

 

[CraigStu]

I have never done it myself but I can understand osb/plywood for walls because the of the ease of hanging stuff on it. But for a ceiling? If one is ok w/ osb w/ the visible joints and screws why not much less expensive drywall and skip tape and mudding. Put it up w/ the side w/o the thinner edges showing. Also, w/ the same amount of paint applied, it will look a lot better than osb.

 

[MushCreek]

Drywall is heavy, and I'm old. Even OSB gets pretty heavy working overhead. I'm going to use scaffolding with a frame over the top to get whatever I use close to the ceiling, but I still have to get the materials up there. The ceilings are 12'.

 

[Bulldog13]

I have aluminum soffit in my patio as a ceiling…it survived Hurricane Ian.. I think it’s a bit more expensive that the vinyl but you can get it perforated or solid…

 

[racecougar]

Drywall is heavy, and I'm old. Even OSB gets pretty heavy working overhead. I'm going to use scaffolding with a frame over the top to get whatever I use close to the ceiling, but I still have to get the materials up there. The ceilings are 12'.

Drywall lift and simple deadmen on your scaffold will be a big help.

 

[no704]

Call a billboard sign company. When they change advertisements the old ones are often cheep if not free. Usually white on the back.

 

[Monza Harry]

For painting OSB, as Zeke, and then The Cobbler said paint it on the floor, face up with waste paint from your hazardous waste station usually free, or definitely cheap cheap! [or H4H Restore(?)] apply a couple of coats of free paint (thinned is probably ok to let the first coat really soak in then leave for a day or two to set up and retard additional suction) then a thin finish coat then a second thin coat once up. Plastic soffit as noted above will not be pretty for long, and Darn near impossible to clean or repaint. Aluminum will always be "waving" at you, it is not as good at hiding variations in the ceiling and harder to hang as 12' piece with little to no strength kinking is probable for those of us that don't do it daily. Please keep us posted though! Harry

 

[MushCreek]

I know I can handle a metal ceiling. I did the one in our great room, and it's 22' high. I used old salvaged tin which I got cheap. It's very heavy, and it was tricky to hang because it was so beat up, but from ground level you can't tell. New liner panel would be a piece of cake by comparison.

The hardest part will be clearing a path for the scaffolding. The shop is full of stuff; heavy stuff. The ceiling consists of three separate bays, so I'll move all of the stuff from one bay into another, then get up there and insulate and hang the ceiling. Rinse and repeat, three times. I'm thinking about dropping the ceiling a bit on the two side bays, running 2X4's on 24" centers, which will make it easier to insulate. The main floor joists are on 12" centers, which will be a pain to insulate. I only need the high ceiling if I ever put in a lift (doubtful at my age).