Next step in the basement project is the drop ceiling. I've done my homework and decided to go with the Armstrong ceiling tiles and track. Unfortunately, I'll be special ordering the tiles. But I need to finalize the layout, first... So no big deal.

I found a pretty slick tool at armstrong.com that provides you a layout of the tiles, based on room dimensions, etc. So I plugged in my numbers based on a 2x2 grid design.

What I understand is that you should try to get the edge tile around the room to be as equal as possible. So, I tried that... And the design looks like shit, IMHO.


What I came up with is the following. Basically, I would start in one corner and basically work my way down and across. But this method goes against every rule I've read on drop ceiling designs. However, conceptually, I don't think it'll look all that bad. Essentially, I would have full tiles everywhere, exect along the wall where people enter and leave the finished area. See design below.



The alternative is to remove another main, and have 15" tiles along walls 2 and 6. But that screws things up and would make it look like shit, IMHO. The left-most main (in the image) would run the full length, like the other two and leave me with a 3-4" tile on wall 4. No thanks.


So given this... Anyone have any thoughts? Would this layout look dumb?

Thoughts?

 

Thoughts, 6" cans look stupid. Go for 4" throughout.

 

Would I get enough light with 4" cans in that area? That's what I was going with 6".

 

Looks good to me Scrib. You can't avoid cut tiles. And having them on the shorter wall like you do makes the most sense, both for looks and waste.

 

Yep, definitely want to minimize the cut tiles by having them on the short wall...

 

My firm lays out ceiling grid hourly on projects large and small, and you do what looks best, not what the manufacturer says. Sometimes, that means "unbalancing" the design so you don't end up with wierd proportions in the corner.

Whe you're looking for your cans, look at the way the reflector is designed and look at the position of the light within the can. That, more than the diameter, will tell you the fixture's "throw". You should be able to find the diagram of light throw online for most major fixtures. For most of what you're looking for, it will look like a parabola. The question will be how broad or flat the parabola will be.