I have a room that measures 35′ x 12′ and need to put in a drop ceiling. Without going out and buying a $300 laser level, what is the best way to make level lines around the walls so that I can be sure the whole thing is level? Just snap chalk lines and meet them up to the adjacent walls? Seems like there should be a better way??
Also, how far down would you hang the ceiling when you have things such as plumbing under the floor joist bottoms? I was thinking 4″ but would that be enough to get the panels in?
If at first you don’t succeed, try using a hammer next time…everything needs some extra persuasion from time to time. -ME
Replies
You can use a water level, but I rent a rotary laser.
You get out of life what you put into it......minus taxes.
Marv
water level as mentioned works fine to set the wall angles. on a 35' long wall you should use the level to mark the corners and give yourself at least one intermediate point before snapping lines.
snap lines at the top of the wall angle, it is about an inch wide.
yes 4" should give you enough room.
once you have installed the wall angles you can use string lines (one or two) across the room to get the main runners set for height. to do this you pull the strings guitar strummin tight after securing to a nail slid vertically behind the wall angle. make sure the wall angle is secure at this spot or you will pull it off.
many of the full time installers will do this in a smaller room like yours to save the level set up time.
carpenter in transition
You might want to measure off the floor and see how ya come out for level.
It's more important that it LOOKS level than that it IS level.
I've got laser, but I still use my water level every once in a while. The laser doesn't work around corners, for instance.
My water level is homemade from a 1-gallon sun-tea brewing jar and 50' of 3/8" i.d. clear Tygon tubing. I replaced the spigot with some plumbing parts to make the transition from reservoir to tube.
To use it, I hang it with an adjustable tie-down strap, and raise it by tightening the strap until it reads a little high. Then I slowly drain out a bit of my water-and-food coloring mix (into a jar, to save) until it reads right on.
If you lose any fluid out the end of the hose partway through the job you might have to recalibrate, but the larger and wider your reservoir is, the less it's affected by losing a few drops.
And before each use, it's a good idea to drain out, then pour back in, a fair amount of fluid, to make sure that you've chased any air bubbles out of the tubing. The level will not read accurately with bubbles in the tubing.
AitchKay
I did a drop ceiling by measuring down from the joists and then using a string to adjust the lines as needed. It was time-consuming even though the joists were already pretty level.
So I bought this laser level for the next job:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92801
It works pretty good and hardly costs any more than renting one. The "trick" to using it is to not rely on the bubble level (which is not very accurate), but instead to set it up so it makes a mark about the same distance from the joists on all 4 walls. The ceiling may not be dead level, but it will be very close and it will be in plane which is what you really need.
If you have a wall that the laser level can't see, just use a chalk line to continue the laser line.
4" should be more than enough to get the panels in. If there's a conduit that steals some of that space, you can always slide the panel across from an adjacent opening.
there are a ton of cheap laser levels... look on ebay... i picked up a few at SAMS club for $19 each with a tripod & case... self leveling and shoots vert & horz lines... lots of cheap ones out there make sure you get a self leveling one... i have a 3k hilti set up that never leaves the tool room... i use these cheap ones everyday... use'n em to set cabinets now... ( i will use the hilti outside cause it has the remote... or on runs of over 100ft)
i swear by these cheap ones
p
Use a string called jet line once the wall angles are installed. It is available at acoustic supply houses.
If you cant get it you can use dental floss as it is very similar. The advantage is it is very light and very strong, so it's less likely to sag on a long run. Use it to set and align your main T's.
Rich