Good Questions: Disguising drop ceilings?

Hello AT,
Help! I'm moving into a great, rented, small space, but two-thirds of the main room (12' X 32') has drop-ceiling! Since I can't get rid of it, what ideas do you have to disquise/hide/dress-up the skyward eyesore?

Love your site!
Thanks!

Tim

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Hey Tim- Drop ceilings are like vacuums- they suck. We think that the only real way to hide them is with a big ol' art project, Like carefully removing each panel and covering with
A) colored tissue paper that could go on with an adhesive spray, or
B) carefully wrapping each panel in a thin fabric, and taping them on the top side. You could use two different colors or patterns and take advantage of the drop ceiling’s built-in grid,
or
C)If you are a fan of the kitsch, you could get ribbon and evenly staple foot long curling strands over the entire ceiling, which, when done right can be pretty spectacular (we’ve seen it with bright silk flowers hanging down like vines as well. This could be done with subtle tones to make it less "wack-a-doodle".

Anyone else?

Comments (1)

Realize these are old posts BUT ..

*never* put ordinary fabric on your ceilings! Fabric is a fire hazard, particularly since heat rises. The low flash point of fabric makes even the smallest flame a genuine hazard.

An alternative .. drywall mud. It will work with the stapled acoustic tiles, you can tint it to any color and create any pattern (particularly if you are artistic). It will also hide damage on walls, when applied like stucco.

If you have insulated tiles with fiberglass on one side and thin vinyl on the other simply replace the thin covering with a more flame-proof, heat resistant covering like speaker cloth or Therma-Flec (the material used in ironing board covers, pot holders etc).