Replies

1. 
   Mad_Dog | Nov 06, 1999 04:14am | #1

   *
   Perpendicular.

2. 
   Guest_ | Nov 06, 1999 05:19am | #2

   *
   Agree with Mad Dog...Absolutely perpendicular unless you want to deal with sagging ceilings later.

   James DuHamel

1. 
   Guest_ | Nov 06, 1999 05:29am | #3

   *Furr the ceiling and hang them perpindicular. You can solve a lot of problems with wires and pipes and not having to block at the walls.

1. 
   Guest_ | Nov 06, 1999 04:58pm | #4

   *If you must drywall a basement ceiling hang it perpendicular, but, once you drywall that ceiling you will loose easy access to the pipes, wires, ducts, and future mechanical additions. For this reason consider dropping a suspended ceiling on all or part of the area. I foolishly left a water hose connected to my frost free sillcock one winter. The pipe burst from freezing just inside the basement. Having a suspended ceiling made the repair fast and easy.

1. 
   Guest_ | Nov 06, 1999 05:20pm | #5

   *I agree with Bob. You want to have access to all your mechanicals and fittings. Suppose you spend all that time and money and need to replace a section of pipe or retrofit a duct. Drywall makes it tough.Also, there is a 1/2 drywall for ceiling use on the market.It is supposedly denser to resist sagging.

3. 
   Mark_Helling | Nov 06, 1999 05:22pm | #6

   *
   Suspended ceilings used to look really "cheese-ball" but have you seen some of the ceilings available today? I'd also opt for the drop.

4. 
   Guest_ | Nov 06, 1999 05:45pm | #7

   *
   Right, right ,right......what was I thinking of ? Furring and drywall are only for raised ranch (split level) type basements, and then only in the locations where you can't avoid it.
   Real basements (utility heaven) get the suspended ceiling treatment. Everytime I let a homeowner talk me into plastered ceilings in a basement, I'm back within the year digging something out of the ceiling.

1. 
   Guest_ | Nov 06, 1999 07:30pm | #8

   *I have that decision -- suspended or 'real' ceiling -- and know the relative merits. I still think suspended ceilings look 'bargain basement' at best ... I've been trying get to the mechanicals and such OUT of that space and run them all together up the center of the building. Also, the extra 3" is significant when the headroom is already less than 8' and the joists need furring to get a level surface. Tradeoffs, I know ...Armstrong has a flush-fitting acoustic ceiling -- 12"sq tiles -- with no grid. The tiles are removable, though with more effort than in a suspended ceiling. I may use that in some places.

1. 
   Guest_ | Nov 07, 1999 06:25am | #9

   *We used drywall for our ceiling when we finished out our basement in our old St Louis house. In the seven years that we lived in the house thereafter, we had to open the ceiling up three times. Once for a frozen water line that I laid to close to the outside wall and twice for a joint that refused to stay tight. I agree with Andrew, drywall looks best and the headroom issue is real. Most basements have 8' walls measured from the footing. Subtract 4" for the floor and add back 1 1/2" for the plate and you don't have much room for strapping or a drop down ceiling. If I were doing it today, I would consider PEX for the supply lines and run them through the joists.

1. 
   Guest_ | Nov 09, 1999 03:28am | #10

   *Don't forget that you can't bury electrical boxes behind drywall! My eye is still irritated from cutting out drywall on my basement ceiling to get to junction boxes that never should have been concealed in the first place.

1. 
   Guest_ | Nov 09, 1999 05:47am | #11

   *At least they used junction boxes! Not so here.

5. 
   Basement_Remodeler | Jan 04, 2000 11:28pm | #12

   *
   I've heard different views on how to hang 1/2 inch drywall on ceiling joists, which are 16" OC, in a basement. Parallel or perpendicular. Which is right?