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postheadericon Drop Ceiling Panels Have Come A Long Way






by Minnie Lowery


Drop ceiling panels are of relatively recent origin, since there was no need for this sort of suspended layer before the advent of indoor plumbing and electricity. However, once the basic design of a hanging grid and fitted tile was developed, this easy and affordable method of finishing a room became and still is popular for commercial and residential construction.

At first, all the stuff that today is hidden away was exposed. Old farmhouses, which used to have outhouses and wood stoves, now had pipes running overhead in the kitchen and up the walls in the stairwells. Warehouses and office buildings also had networks of utilities in plain sight if the workers looked up.

In the fifties, most offices also had all of these things in plain view overhead. Once the idea of hanging a panel-holding grid to hide the hardware was introduced, it was quickly adopted. Regular tiles made of gypsum, and later of tin and mineral fibers, were laid on the grid, generally in two by four foot sections. They were designed to be easily lifted from the grid to allow access for maintenance and repair.

Lighting was designed to fit in the grid, with covers that had the same dimensions as a tile. Insulation could be laid in the space between the real and the suspended ceilings. The tiles were easily cracked or stained by leaks, but the cost of replacing them was relatively low.

Today, however, decorators and architects have embraced this sort of construction to renovate a damaged or unsightly room, to make a wide open space more intimate and cozy, or to give a unique look to any space. Modern tiles can be plain or can mimic antique plaster or tin. Thousands of looks can be achieved with two foot square or two by four foot rectangular tiles, and today many brands are in part recycled materials.

Affordable, easy to install, and decorative, drop ceiling panels are a product anyone can be proud to use.




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