A drooped ceiling is basically the secondary ceiling that generally people install to hide structural damages, pipes, wires, ductwork, etc. in a room.
Since many of your’s home’s bathrooms may have piping, wiring, ductwork, etc. as well, you might wonder if you could install a drop ceiling in your bathroom too or not.
So, to put an end to your ponderings, let’s go through the explanations added ahead to get to know the answer.
Putting Drop Ceiling In Bathroom
A dropped ceiling can be installed in a bathroom as long as putting a drop ceiling doesn’t make the height of the ceiling any lower than the prescribed code of 6’8”. Also, the materials used for installing the drop ceiling must be 100% moisture-resistant or must be cured with protective coatings.
Now, how to install a drop ceiling in the bathroom certainly would be your second thought. Thus, to end this problem, detailed steps are described here that would guide you throughout the whole procedure of putting a drop ceiling successfully.
Tools you will be needing-
- L-Channel
- T-Channel
- 4 feet cross T’s
- 2 feet cross T’s
- Drop ceiling tiles
- Wire and wire hanging eyelets
- Drill eyelet adapter
- Tin snips
- A few fresh utility knives
Measure the Length of the Bathroom’s Walls:
The entire procedure will be starting off by measuring the length of the bathroom’s walls where you want to install a drop ceiling, thus, use a tape measure to measure the length of each bathroom wall, then note it on a notepad or directly write on the walls.
Also, while measuring leave 4-6 inches of room from the top of each bathroom wall so that you can install fixtures and put tiles.
Cut L-Channels to the Length of Bathroom Walls:
Next, take a pair of tin snips and trim the L-Channels to the measured lengths of your bathroom walls. L-Channels are used for supporting drop ceiling tiles and runners and usually are manufactured in 8-12 foot lengths.
Screw the L-Channels:
After trimming the L-Channels to the wanted length as your bathroom walls, screw the L-Channels into the studs alongside the lines you have drawn while measuring.
At places where you have marked studs, use 3.2 cm screws to secure the L-Channels onto the walls.
Cut the T-Channels:
In the next step, trim the T-Channels to match the length of the bathroom that runs at 90 degrees to the joists of the bathroom ceiling.
These T-Channels aka main runners will help to support the bathroom’s new drop ceiling’s bulk weight. Use a pair of tin snips to trim the T-Channels too.
Tie Strings Across the Bathroom and Screw Eyelets:
Every 4 feet away across the entire bathroom ceiling tie strings or chalk line till you reach from one edge of the bathroom ceiling to another.
Then 3 joists far from the bathroom wall and along with every chalk line or strings, start putting eyelets. Every 3rd joist you must put one eyelet.
Enter Wire Through Every Eyelet:
Take 16-gauge wire and trim it into 8-10 inches long pieces for every eyelet. Enter them through the holes of eyelets and bend the ends of the wire pieces with a pair of pliers.
Hang Main Runners and 4 T’s:
Now, take the main runners/T-Channels up and place their ends onto the L-Channels aka wall angles, that’s how the T-Channels will be resting perpendicular to the bathroom joists.
Enter the other ends of the wire pieces through one of the holes of the T-Channels and bend those ends upper side with pliers.
After hanging main runners, every 2 feet away on the main runners find slots, take 4 feet cross T’s (mini T-Channels that snap to main runners and pass parallel to the floor joists), and snap them in the slots of the main T-Channels.
If you are using 4’*2’ tiles, you won’t be needing 2 feet T’s, but if you are using 2’*2’ tiles, every 2 feet away place them along the main T-Channels.
Install The Drop Ceiling Tiles:
Finally, it’s time to install the drop ceiling tiles. Cut the tiles with a utility knife to the shape that would fit the bathroom’s edges, makes any hole in the tiles for ductwork or lighting purpose, and if the tiles don’t have flanges already, make flanges in them.
Then, starting in the midst of the bathroom start installing tiles through the grids and covering the whole bathroom ceiling.
What Is The Code For Bathroom Drop Ceiling?
According to the International Residential Code (IRC) and the Residential Edition of the Florida Building Code (FBC R305), the code prescribed for a bathroom drop ceiling follows the regulation of the minimum drop ceiling height of 6’8’’ above the bathroom floor.
This drop ceiling height above the toilet fixtures in a bathroom will allow one to use them for their planned purposes at an ease.
In the case of a bathroom located under a sloped ceiling, the code prescribed says that at least 50% of the bathroom ceiling should have a minimum ceiling height of 7 feet. And the ceiling area should have a height of 5 feet above the floor.
Types of Drop Ceilings Suitable for Bathrooms
Here is a short list of the most suitable drop ceilings for a bathroom.
PVC/Plastic/Vinyl Ceiling Tiles:
PVC, vinyl, and plastic ceiling tiles essentially are the same thing with 3 different names used by the manufacturers, and all 3 of them make one of the best choices when it comes to choosing a suitable drop ceiling for the bathroom.
PVC/vinyl/plastic ceiling tiles are 100% waterproof, thus, they act as an excellent moisture barrier and don’t allow the excess humidity in the bathroom to cause any mold or mildew growth in the drop ceiling.
Also, hence these tiles are moisture-resistant, they are nonporous, don’t sag or discolor over time, and aren’t likely to rust.
Besides, they are budget-friendly, lightweight, and single-handedly can be installed.
Fiberglass:
In most American households fiberglass ceiling tiles are widely used for installing a drop ceiling in the bathroom due to their budget-friendly price and attractive visual which makes fiberglass ceiling tiles the other best-suited drop ceiling material for a bathroom.
Fiberglass ceiling tiles as a drop ceiling material are durable and free from water damage for a long period.
Drywall:
Drywall is the other suitable drop ceiling material for bathrooms as it is moisture-resistant, lightweight, and inexpensive.
Plus, due to being lightweight, single-handedly it can be put up to hide imperfect and damaged ceilings without spending a hefty installing cost.
Do You Put Moisture-Resistant Drop Ceiling Tiles in the Bathroom?
If you are considering putting a drop ceiling in your bathroom, it’s 100% recommended that you always should go with installing moisture-resistant drop ceiling tiles in the bathroom.
The bathroom is the place with the most humidity in our houses, thus, if you don’t install moisture-resistant drop ceiling tiles, mold or mildew can grow, the tiles can sag or discolor, the tiles can rust, and eventually can get damaged earlier than expected time.
And installing drop ceiling tiles again and again can be an expensive thing to do.
What Kind of Ceiling Do You Put in a Bathroom?
The most popular ceiling options that people are widely putting in their bathrooms have been listed below for you to know what kind of ceiling you should choose for yourself.
Metal Ceiling Tiles:
You can choose metal tiles to install in your bathroom as the bathroom ceiling. Metal tiles are a great option as a bathroom ceiling option because they are waterproof, mold-resistant, lightweight, and mold-resistant.
Furthermore, metal tiles have a polished and classy appearance that looks refined in a bathroom.
Aluminum Composite Panels (ACP):
Aluminum composite panels make an ideal choice for putting in a bathroom as the bathroom ceiling, especially if the bathroom has high humidity issues.
Aluminum composite panels are moisture-resistant, so they avoid moisture and mold growth, as well as, they are lightweight and easy to install. So you can choose them to put in your bathroom.
Bathroom Ceiling Tiles:
If you live in a place with high humidity, bathroom ceiling tiles are the best option for you as bathroom ceiling tiles are waterproof, easy to clean, and have a refined appearance.
Moreover, if you want to install a steam shower, bathroom ceiling tiles make the best choice too.
Gypsum (Plaster of Paris):
Plaster of Paris sheets are lightweight, cheap, and waterproof, so you can choose to mount them on your bathroom’s main ceiling. They don’t allow mold growth too.
Final Thoughts
A bathroom can have a drop ceiling/secondary ceiling to hide imperfections, wires, pipes, etc. but the drop ceiling has to be fully waterproof and the height of the drop ceiling must have at least 6 feet 8 inches height above the bathroom floor.