Working with a good, repeat client to design and build-out a loft space. As the attached pic shows, it is a concrete floor and concrete ceiling (11′-4″ +/-) with concrete columns. One of the design questions is how she wants to handle the ceiling … which directly impacts electrical conduit for ceiling fans, light fixtures, etc. At first she wanted to paiont the ceiling black or white and lket it be … then I pointed out that all the conduit would show, and she doesn’t like that idea. But she is ok with the idea of large spiral metal a/c duct being exposed.
How would you disguise the ceiling? Maybe 1×6 t&g boards nailed to some type of false rafters? Maybe some type of soffit material, like a commercial drop ceiling? The office-style 2×4 lay-in tiles is not an option.
This is going to be an interesting job … it is immediately adjacent to the city permit and inspection office.
Edited 8/13/2005 10:20 pm ET by FastEddie
Edited 8/15/2005 9:12 am ET by FastEddie
Replies
Just a point: Whatever you do will probably require redoing the sprinklers, except perhaps for some forms of suspended ceiling.
One suggestion is a suspended open grid -- basically just some sort of grid without any panels in it. A grid made of vertical 1x6, eg. Paint the area above black and make the grid a light color and you can hide all sorts of conduit, etc, up there.
Good point ... a "virtual ceiling". I was going to clean the sprinkler pipes and have them painted, and probably roll the ells down and use down heads rather than up heads ... pending approval of tyhe engineer of course.
I'd leave it wide open- that's an awesome space. But, it's not my place, so if she wants to conceal stuff, that's her choice. One thing to consider- it looks like you've only got around 6" to the tops of the windows, so there's not room for much of a drop ceiling. The dropped caps at the columns are also at around that level, so you'll have to work with them.
To preserve the open feeling as much as possible, I think I'd run all the electrical conduit, then put a drywall ceiling in on RigidX, dropped maybe 4" below the concrete. Let the sprinkler and ductwork run under it. That'll conceal the electrical spaghetti at least, and still preserve the open loft look.
Bob
Drop as low as you need. Return high at the windows, and use grid made to hang drywall on. Put an access panel in where neeeded though. Very expensive option but it could work if she wants things hid.An inch to short. That's the story of my life !
bstcrpntr --- I hope to grow into this name.
Bob I'm having a little trouble finding RigidX on the web, although I did get some very interesting links on Google ...
Do you have a mfgr name or anything else? Do they advertise in FHB?
I can imagine getting "interesting" results from that Google search...lol.
Go to http://www.armstrong.com and select "commercial ceiling systems. There's a tab for "special applications" I believe, where you'll find their DGS (drywall grid system), which is what you want. Either USG or Armstrong used to call their system "RigidX", but I can't find it at either site. I guess it's like calling facial tissue "Kleenex".
Bob
One thing you can do with the grids is only have them in certain areas, kind of like "clouds" hanging up there. These can be used to define spaces without walls, and to break up the wide expanse of the ceiling.
it's a loft..urban... industrial situation... conduit..duct work..ect.. add "character" i'd just blast everything and seal it... let whatever you add show to add to that "feel/character" the building is what it is... don't try to make it something else...
jmho
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Ditto the other comments to just let it go natural--clean and paint black or another fun, deep color like red. Any areas that you want to define--a work area, conference area, waiting area--you can do a suspended ceiling of 2x6 fir spaced apart a bit, to bring the scale down and warm it up.
USG makes sheets of drywall that look like raised panels for walls.
MAybe lay in some grid and cut the raised panel drywall and drop it in to resemble a tin ceiling. Paint as desired to look like copper, silver or whatever.
Be well
a,,,
The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..
We have done alot of these, and the standard is leave it all exposed, usually painted white.
I visited the sales office of one loft project and one of their selling points was "cubic feet" rather than square feet.
I get a kick out of these loft conversions today. I remember some of my artist friends lofts in the seventies, with the illegal tiolet set ups and extention cord kitchens ect.
Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.
The wide open idea is certainly what a loft is supposed to be, but I think my client wants a little more refinment. In the loft on the next floor, they are installing a 8 ft bathtub from Italy, three heads in a very large shower, and color-changing waterproof (underwater grade) lights in the shower. My client wants an all-stainless kitchen, for example. For all practical purp[oses, the budget is unlimited, so I think I'll try to keep her happy.
Ok, here's a crazy idea. Stay with the virtual ceiling idea of creating a grid, but make the grid out of conduit (EMT). Put junction boxes at every intersection, space grid about 16" apart perhaps. Then pull wiring where you need it for lighting, smoke detectors, etc. Paint the concrete black, leave the conduit galvanized.
Run all eclectrical in conduit. Paint ceiling and mechanicals one color, the piers and capitals another. Black over white, black over grey, light grey over a darker grey. Any other option will entail retooling the fire system- elbowing and dropping the branch runs thus exposing them, inverting the head unions with extensions otherwise. Next choice would be a drop ceiling, either a grid or chicago sheetrock-where the sheets are screwed up onto specially designed tee tracks, as in joists, that are suspended from wires. A suspended drywall ceiling so to speak. This will cut the windows a bit shorter requiring a simple soffit to cap the gap in the drop.
I'm with DanH on the grid cieling.....seen it done in lofts before and it was amazing.....i would do a light shade over black---use a wide channel system (1 1/2'') and set up 2x2' squares.
I've done some really nice basements with drop cielings using 2x2' tiles, they make some really nice tiles these days that get rid of the office space look, but i think it would take away from the character of that place----just my 2 cents.
What do they call it? A coffered ceiling? Careful layout will work and hide all the industrial stuff.
What's the "style" you're going for? Modern? Industrial? Country?! (just kiddin')
If it's my space... I would have it industrial, paint the ceiling black, and do the drops in particular areas to define areas without walls (as described in other posts). But it's not my space.... so my opinion doesn't count. Does look good, if done right.
I have seen suspended wood grids with black screening material stretched over the top of the grid. I have seen huge stainless troughs (for all utilities, beyond the design aspect) set against a black ceiling (really cool looking, FWIW). I have seen galvanized corrugated roofing... arranged in a random mosaic on the ceiling. I have seen huge sails strung across the ceiling in a pattern. I have seen various objects used to create a "false ceiling" (surfboards, canoes, and other water-related objects in the one I saw).
Always thought it would be cool to do a loft ceiling with either hand-gliders or salvaged airplane parts.
The possibilities are only as limited as the imagination (and taste of the client). But I would encourage you to look outside the box. Maybe get a little brainstorming session going with the client... you never know what cool things they might like that could create a really great space.
I remodeled their house on the horse ranch last year, and put in a cathedral ceiling with 1x6 t&g natural finish boards ... she thinbks she wants that again. She definately likes an open floor plan.
Salvaged airplane parts ... the building owner ( who lives on the top floors) is a patron of the arts, and there is a sculpture in the side yard made from airplane parts ... everyone refers to it as the "plane crash". I'll try to get a pic.
Here's two pics of the plane crash sculpture. It is only suppoorted by three points that you see where it touches the ground. It's a little difficult to recognize parts, but I see air intake cowls, parts of wings or tail fins, a section of fuselage, and a lot of pipes.
The new-ish building in the background of the second pic is the city One-Stop for building permits and inspections.
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"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Edited 8/15/2005 2:20 pm ET by FastEddie
Edited 8/15/2005 2:21 pm ET by FastEddie