Hi,

I'm looking for some way to transform my drop down ceiling from white to black, but with the chance to switch back to white relatively easily (i.e. if I decide to sell the house or something..)

My ideas are; Some sort of fabric to cover up each ceiling tile. Any suggestions? I guess my worries would be fire safety, make it look nice, and also that it is pretty cheap.. How would one fasten it on the back? Would staples work possibly, or would I have to make it more like a "seatcover" for each tile (would be a lot of work).

For the white "rail", I was thinking either either some kind of tape or magnet strip system? Any suggestions on this also?

Thanks!

Hi,

I'm looking for some way to transform my drop down ceiling from white to black, but with the chance to switch back to white relatively easily (i.e. if I decide to sell the house or something..)

My ideas are; Some sort of fabric to cover up each ceiling tile. Any suggestions? I guess my worries would be fire safety, make it look nice, and also that it is pretty cheap.. How would one fasten it on the back? Would staples work possibly, or would I have to make it more like a "seatcover" for each tile (would be a lot of work).

For the white "rail", I was thinking either either some kind of tape or magnet strip system? Any suggestions on this also?

Thanks!

For the rails, Lowes carries covers for your drop ceiling. They snap around the existing white grids.

That's awesome - thanks, Tony! (PS: Great looking theater!)

Any takers on suitable fabric for covering the tiles? :)

In my opinion, for the amount of work it would be to cover each individual tile, you might be farther ahead just painting the tiles and replacing them if you sell the house down the road.

Thanks, that's a valid opinion. I've thought about it myself too. Any recommendation on Paint & approach, if so? I don't have equipment to do the spraygun thing, so it would either be roller or spray can (or a combination).

thanks

I don't know for sure since I've never done this personally, but spraying would seem like the way to go. Depending on the size of the room and how many coats it's gonna take, it might be worth picking up a cheaper spray gun (even an electric model like a Wagner power painter, I think I got one for a specific project under $75...might have been $50 - it works pretty well).

Check out this thread below, maybe try some more searches for other ideas.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=722301

Thanks! The room is actually divided with Drop down ceiling in front, then a few feet of regular ceiling (to hide ac duct etc), then another few feet of dropceiling. I will paint the solid ceiling, and can do the front drop down, which isn't that much. Not that concerned about the back really.

I'll get some pics for you this evening if possible. I had the same questions and have a quick and easy solution.

Hit up your local furniture stores and ask their warehouse/repair people for scrap and end-rolls of their furniture backing. This is what I use. The material for me has been free; I simply cut it a little larger than the panel and use 3M spray adhesive to affix it to the backside of my panels.

Since I'm using fiberglass panels in my ceiling, I can use the white side, or flip them over and use the backside. The fabric is glued directly to the fiberglass.

Also, since the fabric is somewhat perforated (though you can't see the fiberglass through it) I speculate (but can't prove) that it gives me somewhat better audio damping at the ceiling. Probably not really significant, but it's bound to be better than the white "paper" side of the panels.

Like I said, I'll try to get some pics for you this evening. It really did turn out fairly nice.

My downside is that the metal framing or rails for my drop-ceiling is white, I've been thinking of fixing this with some black "hockey" tape for a quick-and-easy solution, in keeping with that good ol' DIY tradition. ;)

Here's a series of pics to give you an idea of what I did. Hopefully it's not too much...

The backside of one of my white ceiling tiles, some 3M spray adhesive, and a piece of furniture backing material cut to size:
http://actionplant.com/theatre/ceiling/05.jpg

Several tiles in the ceiling, on the white hardware and next to the white tiles for comparison:
http://actionplant.com/theatre/ceiling/01.jpg

Backing off a bit, with the flash on:

http://actionplant.com/theatre/ceiling/04.jpg

And with the flash off:
http://actionplant.com/theatre/ceiling/03.jpg

And another for reference, the pic came out dark but the lights in the room were on fully (two 40watt halogen can-lights over the seating area, the ambient curtain lights are blooming like crazy in this pic but actually they're quite low)
http://actionplant.com/theatre/ceiling/06.jpg

For reference it's a 110" 16:9 screen, the source is UltraHD via a Dish HD receiver projected from an Epson Cinema 400.

Here's a larger pic, click if you want to get an idea of the texture of the material: pic (http://actionplant.com/theatre/ceiling/long.jpg)

It actually looks quite nice in person once it's up, you don't really notice the texture and the material itself disappears when the lights go down, I wouldn't say it's as inky as the triple velvet frame around the screen itself but it keeps the screen from washing itself out in the room and isn't distracting in the least.

Obviously I'm not done in there yet, just wanted to share.

EDIT - I bought some black hockey tape tonight to see how it might work for covering the white hardware in the ceiling, I thought since it is a fabric-based tape it might blend in better than just painting but was not happy with it. I'll look around, I may have gotten a bad brand or may yet find a better product; I really like the idea of a black fabric-based tape up there. Who knows, I may even wind up cutting strips of the material on the tiles themselves and gluing the strips to the hardware, though it sounds like it might be more work than is worthwhile.

Time will tell.

I think it looks cool with the white grid. Nice job.

FYI on the hockey tape - it's been my experience that hockey tape fades a bit over time, but that's taped to my sticks, not the ceiling... ;)

I think it looks cool with the white grid. Nice job.

FYI on the hockey tape - it's been my experience that hockey tape fades a bit over time, but that's taped to my sticks, not the ceiling... ;)

Thanks! I've liked it like that when I first did it as well, but since the grid isn't aligned to the center of the screen it's made the room feel off-kilter, and it's still somewhat distracting. Just little annoyances I guess. I may do something like this and leave the grid showing for my gameroom though, just for that fun arcade look.

Re the hockey tape, that's been my experience as well, and was a consideration, but I figured a lot of it is because I play outdoors in the summer and it picks up a lot of dust off the pavement. Who knows, maybe I'll find something different.

Wow, great approach actionplant! Love the room too! As Scottro said, the grid actually looks pretty cool - maybe it will work a bit better in my room than yours. Can always find a way to darken it later if I'm unhappy with it.

Thanks for the advice!!

The black tiles with white grid does have a kind of sci-fi look to it. Might be an idea if someone was going with a spaceship or other similar look.

Nice Job. I was wondering what I could do also, I have not set up the projector yet so that is great warning about the screen washing itself out from the ceiling. Great idea to use the back side. Depending on the WAF Im thinking maybe even a black bedsheet somehow pinned up or somehow tucked under the tile and rail. This would cause some droop though so I don't know. Spray adhesive right to the tile back is definately more professional looking.

Thanks for the compliments guys, glad you like it. You all have me really liking the white grid again and thinking I may leave it. Before it felt a little too "rec room" and didn't seem as theater-like to me, but I'm remembering now as a kid one of our downtown theaters (it's now a restaraunt, times sure have a way of changing things) had a drop-ceiling installed. I remember gazing up and counting the tiles while I waited for Bambi to start playing. Keeping the grid as it is suddenly doesn't seem like a bad idea after all.

I was hoping to show some more progress but haven't been able to get my hands on more material this week. It's available, I just haven't been able to get it yet. Hopefully this weekend.

imromo24 - I'm sorry I don't have any pics from before; I had a similar idea and had tucked a bedsheet. Didn't stay there long because it looked like I had tucked a bedsheet up there and it just didn't have that finished look and feel. If you're going to do something that can be taken down, why not try it this way? Any time she wants I can simply flip those tiles over and the ceiling is back to "normal". That was kind of the point of doing the backside. I wanted to make sure I could reverse it if need be, and nobody would be the wiser.

I was initially given an end-roll of this material by someone else who thought I might find a good use for the black around the screen. Obviously I didn't use it there, but it certainly didn't go to waste. :)

I took all my ceiling tiles outside, and painted the a real nice dark blue to match the floor, etc. We used around 20 cans of spray paint (Boy were our thumbs tired by the end of that....)

It looks great with the white rails, and with the lights down, the white rails do not bother me at all.

Check out the pictures in my sig.

Reed

Looks pretty good!

What'd you do with all the arcade machines?

I ended up buying material that is similar to what they make t-shirts of at Joann's. Cut it in pieces about the size of the tile, stretched it moderately over the front, and used a staple gun to fasten it to the back. Looks very sharp. My only concerns are firesafety (after all it is cloth, but I think there are worse materials out there) and whether the staples will sit for the long haul (the ceiling tiles are pretty porous - I don't think the spray glue would be all that effective either with the porous and 'dusty' surface). Paid about 6.50/yard for the material btw.

I'd love to see pics of how it turned out.

I'll post some as soon as I'm done. I don't have much time these days, so I do a couple of tiles here and there :)

Actually, once that is done, I need to get some general pictures of the room and post - should have done that a long time ago..

PS: For the immediate future I may opt to stick with the white grid as well - will have to see how the boss (i.e. wife) likes it though :)

-Tom

imromo24 - I'm sorry I don't have any pics from before; I had a similar idea and had tucked a bedsheet. Didn't stay there long because it looked like I had tucked a bedsheet up there and it just didn't have that finished look and feel. If you're going to do something that can be taken down, why not try it this way? Any time she wants I can simply flip those tiles over and the ceiling is back to "normal". That was kind of the point of doing the backside. I wanted to make sure I could reverse it if need be, and nobody would be the wiser.

Yep, thats what I thought. I was looking at some Jo Ann fabrics and there was a black fleece that was only 4 bucks a yard, fleece would definately have a nice light absorbtion affect I think. How would you rate the difference with the white versus the new black ceiling, for instance did it improve the picture on the screen, or does it help focus your eyes and is less distracting (with the black) ?

(the ceiling tiles are pretty porous - I don't think the spray glue would be all that effective either with the porous and 'dusty' surface).

Spray adhesive is so tacky it will definately stick to the tile, I am mostly guessing, but the spray should bond any loose dust on the tile, plus the fabric is not too heavy.

(the ceiling tiles are pretty porous - I don't think the spray glue would be all that effective either with the porous and 'dusty' surface). Paid about 6.50/yard for the material btw.

Not a bad price.

And for the record, I don't think it gets much more porous than non-rigid fiberglass, and the glue held to it just fine. But hey, you found something that works, and that's the whole point.

Yep, thats what I thought. I was looking at some Jo Ann fabrics and there was a black fleece that was only 4 bucks a yard, fleece would definately have a nice light absorbtion affect I think. How would you rate the difference with the white versus the new black ceiling, for instance did it improve the picture on the screen, or does it help focus your eyes and is less distracting (with the black) ?

I too have looked at that material and wondered as well. Initially I was considering it for curtain material, but ultimately went with a black velour. Still, when I started working on the ceiling tiles I did remember and consider the fleece. Turns out this other material was what I had on hand and it worked great. My only concern with the fleece would be that it's, well, fleecy. As such I didn't think the glue would hold it as well. If you have a different method though by all means, it seems like it would be a very nice, dark, and warm material. :)

I'm not certain how I'd rate the difference, but I can say that darkening the ceiling, particularly within three to four feet of the screen, has made a significant improvement to my eyes. The improvement could be an illusion I suppose, much like how I used ambient lighting behind the curtains on the side to create an optical illusion increasing the apparent contrast on the screen. However, I really did feel that the extra light reflections in the room were detrimental to the picture. Eliminating a large source of those reflections seems to have made the picture on the screen a lot more snappy, life-like, and three-dimensional.

EDIT - Here's an early test-shot so you can see the reflection I'm talking about. It's actually overpowering the daylight coming into the room:

http://actionplant.com/theatre/early.jpg

I was in the same boat. I painted my tiles with a HVLP spray gun using ultra flat black from HD. I was going to spray the rails too but found that the white grid looked pretty nice and gave the room more depth.

I'd keep em black and wouldn't worry too much about selling. I doubt it would change the resale value of any house. If new owners ever want to change them back they can buy there own and pop them in, easy to do and not that expensive!

I gotta update these pictures soon LOL theater looks a lot different now, but the ceiling is the same!!! These were taken near the end of construction :D

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y137/taiser/Home%20Theater/HTFrontview.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y137/taiser/Home%20Theater/Theaterrear.jpg

Ditto.
HD kept giving me the run around about black ceiling tiles.
I hated to paint them because I heard it messes with the acoustical properties but at least they are black now. I even painted my exit sign black.

http://webpages.charter.net/glenise/theater/ceilingtile.jpg

http://webpages.charter.net/glenise/theater/ceilingtile2.jpg

http://webpages.charter.net/glenise/theater/ceilingtile3.jpg

http://webpages.charter.net/glenise/theater/ceilingtile4.jpg

http://webpages.charter.net/glenise/theater/exitsign.jpg

http://webpages.charter.net/glenise/theater/exitsign2.jpg

Very cool, guys. :) I got my material and am going to do some more tiles today as well.

I can definately see how you had some glare reflecting off the ceiling. I have never had a front projection so that picture really helps me think and plan ahead for when I do get the projector. The basement is being finished right now and the first step once the contractor moves out is carpet, second step is a bar and then the projector so it may be a little while before I find out. My den HT has a RP 46" mits with all black walls (which is very nice for lights out movies) and a white drywall ceiling. You can see the ceiling during the movie, much more so than the black walls, but the reflections aren't too bad, may have something to do with the RP TV but I will certainly find out first hand very soon how it looks with a front Projector.

PCDOC, why do you have an exit sign? Is that just for theater ambiance?

IPCDOC, why do you have an exit sign? Is that just for theater ambiance?

Yes, just for atmosphere.

Nice touch then...(exit sign)

I was also seriously considering fleece but was worrying if it perhaps would attract dust a bit too easily, plus (and this is totally subjective and with no scientific basis) it felt a bit less safe safety-wise.

The "t-shirt" material gets nice and stretched so it doesn't have any wrinkles, and you can't see the white ceiling tiles through them. They seem to absorb (not reflect) light relatively well, though fleece or velour or some other fabrics probably have better absorption qualities.

I'll keep you posted when I make some more progress.

On a sidenote, I'm also trying to find a low cost way to put fabric on the walls. My initial idea, and please shoot holes in my plan if you disagree!!!! is to buy 4x8x0.5 sheets of "foam" insulation boards. They seem pretty rigid, easy to cut etc. (I'm thinking either cutting them up so they go ceiling to wall, perhaps 3 feet wide per panel, or maybe even go 2x2 or 3x3 squares. Each panel wrapped in some fabric (current favorite is suede that can be had for $12-$20/yard). What I haven't figured out is how to get it to sit on the wall, whether to glue, use some kind of framing between the panels, etc.

If anyone think that this major issues with acoustics (I'm actually limiting to just partially on the sidewalls), fire safety, longevity, regular construction code etc, that would be interesting. (both regarding using the insulation board, and also types of cloth that may be better etc).

If you go to the theater construction area there is a sticky on how to do acoustical paneling I think, but for sure that area will have some ideas. I just had a basement system installed with the acoustical paneling and it is covered in micro suede. It looks very nice. The way it was done was stretching the fabric around the panel and spray glueing it to the back rather than spray gluing it to the front which would make it follow the contour of the panel and show dents. somehow there was also a rigid plastic edge adhered to the sides to assist with this but I don't know if it is necessary in your instance.

Check my sig. I have black ceiling tiles( YES I PAINTED THEM) and I have black railing as well.

Thanks Imromo, I guess my version would be the cheapy version :) unless anyone objects, but it sounds like it could look good (and hopefully sound good too!).

T_Minton - those tiles turned out nice too.

-Tom

Thanks TOM...BTW if you do paint them be sure they are completely dry before you place them in the grid or they will be "glued" to the grid...

I tried painting and it wasn't working too well plus everyone says you shouldn't as it messes up the accoustical properties. I went to Lowes and was able to special order Black Cortega tiles. 2 boxes were sufficient to cover my 12x14 ceiling and cost me $130 with the special order charge. I did paint the grids black. Started with flat black Rustoleum, but I didn't like it and ended up putting 3 coats of standard flat latex paint. I wish I waited as I also like the grid affect in the above pics and it would of saved me a couple of nights of painting.

I was cleaning an old low rider bike I made in highschool when I noticed that the velvet on the seat was fastened using rivets. I did this with a small hand held rivet tool, and it holds pretty tight. I didn't look at the ceiling though, but I bet this would work well for stretching material over a large span and having it tight. Fabric could be riveted to the rails. Just a thought...

Good news, success with the WAF. I am going to use some sort of black fabric that alternates with a color that matches the couch (yet to be purchased) and actually drape it in a forward wave pattern from the screen to the viewing area (with of course less drop than the projected image) I mentioned it and it was her suggestion to do the draping. Apparantly a school theater had a similar ceiling that she noticed and liked (to a larger scale). The screen is exactly (5) 2'x2' ceiling tiles so probably do 3 black and 2 colored fabrics alternating.

She heard painting the tiles reduced the soundproof properties of the accoustical tiles so that is out of the question. Im so proud of her!

Kinda off topic but does anyone have any problems with the tiles vibrating. When the bass hits it seems to make my tiles vibrate. Is there anyway around this?

I don't have the issue, but after fooling around trying to make my tiles black, I ended up ordering black tiles. So guess what I did with the old ones? Right, they are just sitting on top of the new black ones. They fit real snug as the beams are tighter at the top so the whole thing is real solid. Actually it was so tight, I ended up removing the center row of doubles where the projector is (also to simplify access as with 2 tiles it's near impossible to just "pop them up"), but as I said, I don't hear any ceiling vibrations and I have a monster subwoofer.

I was concerned about the vibration myself (even prior to hooking up the equipment) so I had initially planned to use some type of "plastic clip" Home Depot sells (~$6/bag) that snap onto the grids above the tiles to keep them tight, but I obviously didn't use them so I can't vouch if they work.

Yea i saw these clips as well. I dont understand why mine vibrate but i might have to look into those clips or either covering them in some kind of fabric in order to keep them from doing so. But ive got to find some fire proof fabric that would be good for this first.

I went ahead and purchased 10 yards of a thin microsuede from Joann Fabrics for $4.99 a yard. Then I cut to length, measure for hanging points...and then stitched 1/4" loops across the fabric for dowel rods and hung them from the drop ceiling with craft wire.

Covered only the area equal to the size of the screen in front of the screen.

Looks good.

Being a painter.If you paint your tiles allways take them out and lay them down flat somewhere.If you paint them in the grid they can sag from being wet from the paint and gravity takes over.We roll them with a roller.Also if you have a airless you can spray them.With a airless you can spray them in the grid but just do not soak them,Lighty miss them a few times to get them your color or they will sag in the middle and be worthless.BOB

Check my sig. I have black ceiling tiles( YES I PAINTED THEM) and I have black railing as well.

My tiles are painted black also and I mentioned about the acoustical properties in a much earlier thread. Home Depot and Lowe's kept giving me the run around about black ceiling tiles. I was to the point that I wanted to pull all of my hair out because of the runaround.

If the black fabric used in CD binders, such as those made by Case Logic is of suitable blackness and texture for you, then consider using landscape fabric.

Landscape fabric, as sold at Sam's Club, is essentially the same thickness and texture as the embossed black non-scratching fabric inside those CD carriers. It comes in large bolts for a much lower price than you would get at Joann's Fabrics. The bolt I have at home is 48 inches wide and unknown length long (hundreds of feet?) and cost $35 when I bought it the other year. That would certainly have more than enough for you to cover many tiles; just set the tile down on top of the fabric as a guide and cut around the tile with approx 1.5 inch border. This border lets you fold the fabric up onto the reverse side of the ceiling tile so that you can staple it on the unseen backside. No glue needed and you have preserved the acoustical qualities of the tile.

If the black fabric used in CD binders, such as those made by Case Logic is of suitable blackness and texture for you, then consider using landscape fabric.

Landscape fabric, as sold at Sam's Club, is essentially the same thickness and texture as the embossed black non-scratching fabric inside those CD carriers. It comes in large bolts for a much lower price than you would get at Joann's Fabrics. The bolt I have at home is 48 inches wide and unknown length long (hundreds of feet?) and cost $35 when I bought it the other year. That would certainly have more than enough for you to cover many tiles; just set the tile down on top of the fabric as a guide and cut around the tile with approx 1.5 inch border. This border lets you fold the fabric up onto the reverse side of the ceiling tile so that you can staple it on the unseen backside. No glue needed and you have preserved the acoustical qualities of the tile.


Thats actually a pretty good idea, but isnt that landscape fabric usually kind of see through? Anyone actually ever done this? It would be a nice cheap way of covering the tiles.

Thats actually a pretty good idea, but isnt that landscape fabric usually kind of see through? Anyone actually ever done this? It would be a nice cheap way of covering the tiles.
It is not see through. It looks just like the black non-scratch fabric in CD and DVD binders by Case Logic only the landscape fabric is possibly thicker. It even has the same "non scratch" embossing style. I also like how it doesn't smell and of course, it is basically lint-free.

The only worry is whether or not it is fire-retardant since you would be changing from a tile surface to a fabric-covered tile. Of course, if you have a ton of curtains hanging along the walls, who knows if those are flammable either.

Well I tried the Sams Landscaping Fabric idea and it worked perfect, here are some pics :)

http://www.sportsgameinsider.com/theaterb1.JPG
http://www.sportsgameinsider.com/theaterb2.JPG

That does look good! quite a difference. Also glad to see Detroit clobbering NY!

Are you going to put some on the screen casing? I covered mine and it is really eye pleasing, helped me from shifting eye movement to the casing and reflection during bright scenes.

Looks good!

Im not sure yet, what did you use to cover it?

It looks very nice to see Detroit winning! Oh, by the way, your matte black ceiling tiles look great too! *wink*

Im not sure yet, what did you use to cover it?

If it is cloth, your first approach might be to cut about a 10-inch wide swath of that black landscape fabric. Then tape it to the backside of the screen casing so that the front of the fabric hangs forward enough to have about one-inch overlap on the opening. Fold the fabric up into the opening and tape it to the backside of the upper lip of that opening. Less than one-inch overlap and the stiff fabric might not flex enough and cause loosening of the tape over time. Of course, you still have the endcaps to cover up. Don't know what to do about those.

You could possibly sew the black landscape fabric up to make a sort of endcap. Cut out a big circle of the fabric. Lay it over the end of a roll of paper towels as your form to approximate the size of the screen casing. If the diameter of the roll of paper towels is too large, find a smaller diameter circular object such as bathroom tissue. Fold down the ends of the fabric over the form and you notice that there is a lot of gathered fabric. Take scissors and make a single vertical cut parallel to the axis of the paper towel roll. This cut is should be done in that gathered bunch of fabric. This type of cut lets you basically get rid of the excess gathered fabric. After you have made enough of these simple cuts, you can take a black-coloured string and tie this fabric-end-cap snug onto the casing???

I used iron on velcro strips from Joanns on the fabric and sticky backed velcro on the casing.

pic

Well I tried the Sams Landscaping Fabric idea and it worked perfect, here are some pics :)

http://www.sportsgameinsider.com/theaterb1.JPG
http://www.sportsgameinsider.com/theaterb2.JPG

Hi

The white tees aren't disturbing? For the projector I have (Panasonic PT-AE4000U), I tought that the black level would be better and I wonder if I would get the same results with a $100,000 projector as long as I have a white drop ceiling 6" above the screen

Thanks

Wild Thing