SnapLock™ Eases Tin Ceiling Installation!

Installing a tin ceiling can be an arduous task. Lugging 4'x8' sheets of plywood and/or furring through the house to install the wood substrate required by a traditional nailup tin ceiling can be labor intensive and costly. That's why we invented the SnapLock™ tin ceiling panel. You'll spend less physical effort installing a SnapLock™ and eliminate additional installation materials that can often double the cost of your tin ceiling.

Regardless of what ceiling type you select, be it SnapLock™ tin ceiling panel , nailup tin ceiling panel or dropin tin ceiling panel, you can use our installation tips as a guide to installing your beautiful tin ceiling.

Tin Ceiling Installation - Overview

Layout and design of your tin ceiling should be planned prior to purchase. Our designers are available for consultation Monday through Friday: 8am – 6pm, and Saturday: 9am- 1pm.

The substrate material of your ceiling will dictate the type of panel required, and the panel type used will dictate the method of installation. The room layout will dictate the pattern selection and vice versa.

You should draw a plan to scale of the project area prior to purchasing your product. Draft the layout of panels, moldings, filler, crown and other accessories you wish to use. You can then easily determine the type and quantity of product necessary. Transfer the layout of your plan to the project area by making a grid with chalk lines.

The installation starting point will depend upon what type of panel you are using (SnapLock™, Nailup or Dropin), and the layout you have selected. Generally, SnapLock™ starts in one corner with the male flange facing the wall and works towards the opposite side of the room. Nailup starts from the center of the room and works out to the walls. The edges of the metal are very sharp, so heavy duty leather gloves are recommended.

The panels are installed first, and then crown and trim is installed over the panels. If possible, it is preferable to position seam overlaps away from prevailing light, entrances or areas of prominence. Nailup installations require nails every 6" inches around the perimeter of the panels, moldings and filler. Miter your molding and/or crown. Inside corners are coped, outside corners are mitered.

Caulk any gaps or open seams in the panels, molding, filler and crown to create a smooth, tight fit. Painted panels: Use painter's caulk. Unfinished, silver or steel colored: Use clear caulk at your discretion. To hide fasteners (nails), dab the nail head with matching touch-up paint.

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Why are Tin Ceilings so popular today?

Tin Ceilings remind us of a different time in our country's history. Tin Ceilings stir memories of gentler days when elegance and beauty reigned. A slower paced era where style and grace were the watchwords in home decor. Old time victorian homes, formal parlors, farmhouses with wood burning stoves and other historic architecture we've seen in literature and film or remember from our childhood.

It is said that "Everything Old Becomes New Again". It reinvents itself and becomes fashionable again, perhaps because it was so fashionable in the first place. Fashion goes in and out of style as modern ideas are introduced to the market. But the popular styling's of the past always cycle back into modern contemporary culture. The Tin Ceiling exemplifies this concept.