best ceiling material

[Wes Ramsey]

My shop currently has no ceiling. The lights are mounted to the rafters, which are 8' high and sometimes get bumped when moving lumber. My goal this year is to install flush-mount fixtures and replace the fluorescent bulbs with LED tubes, and I'd like to put up a ceiling at the same time. Question is - what is the best material for a shop ceiling? I was thinking something like 7/16" OSB or similar, but I'd like to know what others have used with good success. Since my shop is not climate-controlled I would think sheetrock might sag over time, though I do plan to install a heater or maybe even a heat pump eventually. Thoughts?

[Hoang N Nguyen]

In my last basement, I did a drop ceiling. Instead of the traditional drop ceiling where you'd lose at least 6" of head room, I used a product from this company http://www.ceilingconnex.com/ . These tracks allow you to hang ceiling tiles and only lose about 3/4" of head room. I also installed LED can lights. I intend to do the same to my new basement/shop.

[Wes Ramsey]

In my last basement, I did a drop ceiling. Instead of the traditional drop ceiling where you'd lose at least 6" of head room, I used a product from this company http://www.ceilingconnex.com/ . These tracks allow you to hang ceiling tiles and only lose about 3/4" of head room. I also installed LED can lights. I intend to do the same to my new basement/shop.

Thanks Hoang. Whatever I hang needs to be strong enough to hold up blown insulation - my next project after I have a finished ceiling. I would probably like the look, but if this is a suitable application for OSB I can do my whole ceiling for ~$150.

Couple questions though - how high is your ceiling and how do your can lights perform? And how many do you have? I might prefer can lights so I can direct the light better. Hadn't thought about going that direction. Might be cheaper than 4' tube light fixtures unless my electrician cousin comes through on his promise to get me all the recycled fixtures I need from factory upgrade jobs he's been doing a lot of lately. Seems everyone is going LED.

[Andy Giddings]

Just have sheetrock in mine, no climate control and no sagging. 4ft LEDs tubes surface mounted (5 doubles in a 400sq ft space) works well for me. Ceiling is 9ft high

[Darcy Warner]

I like osb on the ceiling. Easy to mount anything anywhere.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I used plywood on the walls and sheetrock on the ceilings because the sheetrock was cheaper. I wish I had used plywood on the ceiling too. The sheetrock has 30" of fiberglass insulation on it with no sags but in several places I have bumped the sheet rock and put dings in it when moving long material.

[dan nelson]

pole barn tin,white, wont sag, you can wash it , no painting required , can buy it used , easy install. fire proof. enough said.

[Don Parker]

Check the applicable fire code before making a decision about what to hang. You might be obligated to put a layer of drywall up along with any wood. I'm no expert, but it's a thing to watch out for.

[John Ziebron]

Last year when I made my 30x40 pole barn into my woodworking shop I used OSB on the walls and painted them. But I didn't need anything that thick for the ceiling and didn't want to paint a 12 foot high ceiling. So I bought eucalyptus 4 x 8 sheets from the local orange box store for less than $10 a sheet. It's similar to masonite but has a shiny white finish on one side which is perfect for reflecting light.

They are held up on the 24 inch center rafters with 1/4 inch staples. I made an access hatch in the middle so I could get up there and blow 12 inches of cellulose insulation. The sheets are 1/8 inch thick so they are easy to handle and aren't really sagging even with the insulation. My 20 florescent hang from hooks in the rafters.

[Hoang N Nguyen]

My ceiling was 9' and I had 6 can lights in the basement. It was a small basement, only about 400 sq. ft. and I used it has a theater room so I didn't want too much lights. Even with just 6, it was still plenty bright and they were dimmable so that was a plus when watching movies. I did the 6 can lights for about $100 plus the wires. I can't tell you if it will hold blown insulation or not but I can say the tracks do a great job of holding the ceiling tile in place. If you snap it in tight enough, it pinches the tile and secures it firmly. Like I said, I plan to do the same thing to the new basement, which is about 1500 sq. ft. I have too much tires, plumbing and gas lines in the basement ceiling to cover up. I'd like to be able to get into it if and when I need to. Sheetrock is much cheaper but I do all this myself and mostly work on my own so hanging sheetrock on the ceiling is a challenge.

Thanks Hoang. Whatever I hang needs to be strong enough to hold up blown insulation - my next project after I have a finished ceiling. I would probably like the look, but if this is a suitable application for OSB I can do my whole ceiling for ~$150.

Couple questions though - how high is your ceiling and how do your can lights perform? And how many do you have? I might prefer can lights so I can direct the light better. Hadn't thought about going that direction. Might be cheaper than 4' tube light fixtures unless my electrician cousin comes through on his promise to get me all the recycled fixtures I need from factory upgrade jobs he's been doing a lot of lately. Seems everyone is going LED.

[Jim Andrew]

You can buy sheetrock specifically for ceilings. It is stiffer than wall board. Reason codes specify sheetrock is that it suppresses a fire, as it will not burn. Basically, sheetrock is 1/2" of dirt wrapped in paper. Or 5/8". Suspended ceiling tiles are treated so they will not burn. I had some scraps after installing mine, threw those scraps on top of a burn pile, and after the fire they still held together. Cellulose insulation is also treated so it does not burn. Maybe there is a osb made that is treated for use inside buildings?

[John K Jordan]

I used plywood on the walls and sheetrock on the ceilings because the sheetrock was cheaper. I wish I had used plywood on the ceiling too. The sheetrock has 30" of fiberglass insulation on it with no sags but in several places I have bumped the sheet rock and put dings in it when moving long material.

I used 1/2" plywood on my shop ceiling, put up with decking screws so a panel can easily removed in the event of significant need for access. The plywood makes it easy to hang anything and is strong enough to support a person if needed.

ceiling_IMG_20150106_185527.jpg

JKJ

[Wes Ramsey]

Thanks guys. Looks like just about any material will do. We'll see what I can afford when the time comes.