# Drop down ceiling help



## Xtremski77 (Feb 13, 2008)

Hello.
Im new to the site. I am doing a basement buildout for a customer. He wants me to install a drop ceiling. I have never done one before. There is no doubt i can do it im just not sure how long it would take. I know you guys dont like giving prices and im not asking for the "going rate". I just need help for install time. one room is 12x23 and the other is 10x22. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks


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## send_it_all (Apr 10, 2007)

National Estimator says:
$2.02 Sq. ft. for the grid
$1.49 Sq. Ft. for 2' x 4' textured tiles.

That is the national average before adding your mark up.
I have never bid t bar work, but I would probably charge about double that for labor and materials.
Comes out to about $1937 and change. I'm guessing that job would take a skilled guy with a helper about a day if the room is square.


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## send_it_all (Apr 10, 2007)

Just checked 2x4 tile price at Home Depot....2.50 s.f + tax. Pack of 10 tiles (80 s.f) = $32 + tax.


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## orson (Nov 23, 2007)

Why not sub it out? Drop ceilings are miserable to install IMO, but guys who do them all the time have lots of little tricks and methods to make them easier.

Would take a good ceiling guy no more than 2 days to do both rooms.


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## AtlanticWBConst (Mar 29, 2006)

Honestly....Please consider finding an "acoustic Ceiling" company in your area. You'd be surpised at the: Speed of installation, cost and rates... to sub it out.

We used to do our own, and still do certain installs, however, you can't beat the price and speed of the ceiling pros that do it for a living.

Yes...it is possible, to sub it out, and still make money off them.

...it's worth looking into.


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## Brock (Dec 16, 2007)

send_it_all said:


> Just checked 2x4 tile price at Home Depot....2.50 s.f + tax. Pack of 10 tiles (80 s.f) = $32 + tax.


OMG!!! that seems high. About triple the price last time I bought them. I'm glad I noticed this post because if I were to bid one now I would be way off. I think the last one we did was $2.00 per foot, and we paid less than a buck per ft. for all materials.


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## straycat74 (Mar 4, 2008)

I am usually just an observer. Never did the introduction yet, so this is my first post. Anyway, don't go to home depot, find an acoustical supply company near you. Call and talk to a salesman, give the room dimensions and they should lay it out and get a material list together for you. You material can vary a lot just depending on the tile you pick out. 
As for the install, if the rooms are only 10' and 12' wide, the install should go fairly easy. Estimate the time you think it will take, and that will be the price. You shouldn't end up far off either way. And then you have a reference point for your next one.:thumbsup:


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## Brock (Dec 16, 2007)

i got a little nervous when i read the post so i called a guy in the yellow pages. he said he does a standard 2' x 4' ceiling for $1.70 per foot. This includes all labor and materials for a complete job. that was more in line for what we have paid in the past.


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## Jason Whipple (Dec 22, 2007)

I've done a ton of this work as a sub with a Commercial Interior Company years back. We used to get .25 per s.f. for grid and .10 for tile, .15 for tegular tile.(labor only) I hear the prices haven't change since the 80's. I wouldn't want to do it for that price with no experience either.

Most guys could do about 1000 s.f. of grid in a day. Even when it was cut up into offices.


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## Jason Whipple (Dec 22, 2007)

And by the way, They're called Suspended Ceilings or Acoustical Ceilings, a drop down ceiling is a suspended ceiling that got done wrong:laughing:


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## AtlanticWBConst (Mar 29, 2006)

.....Everyone around here calls them simply - "dropped ceilings".


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## beachremodlr (Jan 14, 2008)

two guys / day and a half tops / rent a laser level, we have walkboards, pretty easy stuff if you are mech. inclined. Don't sub it out unless you have other work backed up! MO


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## Heritage (Mar 20, 2007)

I just did about 2,000 sq/ft commercial.

It's easy, if you prepare...and a nightmare if you don't.

Get a good pair of snips otherwise you'll wear yourself out with the torgue, especially on the main tees.


Here, you can buy 2*4 regular Armstrong ceiling tiles for .49c/ft.
I installed "special order" Armstrong, raised panel 2*4 tiles at $2.29 sq/ft.

I charge around $3/sq/ft (labour and material) for the basic .49c/ft tiles and adjust accordingly. I'm not the cheapest around by any measure...but I still get the jobs all the time.

You should probably settle for a smaller cut and sub it out on your first go, the "in theory" part is simple, but we all know the feeling of when you hit a few snags and nobody is around to guide you through it. When you have no confidence, the job usually comes out like #$&*.


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