Installing a suspended ceiling — instructions & professional tips

What are the advantages of installing a suspended ceiling? Which materials are most suitable for the job? What other kinds of ceilings are there? Let’s take a look at the answers to these questions in more detail now.

• When you install a ceiling, you also need to consider how you will integrate your lighting. A suspended ceiling can open so many more opportunities for bespoke and personalised lighting. The new ceiling cavity can be used to route cables and hide any unsightly mechanisms. What is more, the space between the old ceiling and the new suspended ceiling makes maintenance incredibly easy.
   
• High ceilings, especially in old buildings, are not everyone's cup of tea and not just for aesthetic reasons. Heating rooms with high ceilings is anything but energy efficient. Due to the larger volume area of the room, it takes much longer for them to reach the desired temperature.

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• Quality sound insulation can also be an important factor. If you can often hear neighbours moving around above you, installing a suspended ceiling can be an effective, noise-cancelling solution. The space between the old and new ceiling can be easily filled with soundproofing panels and materials. This is a topic we will cover in depth later.

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• Installing a suspended ceiling can not only reduce external noise, but it can also improve the acoustics of the room itself. A lower ceiling allows for even sound distribution and for sound to travel further. High ceilings create a large, cavernous space, which in extreme cases, can even cause an echo. This is because furniture or other items do not reach high enough or take up enough space in the room to absorb sound.
   
• Suspended ceilings can also serve a decorative purpose. For example, you can hide an otherwise shabby or dated-looking ceiling by installing a suspended ceiling, thereby creating a more aesthetically pleasing and modern look.
   
• Ceiling tiles come in countless attractive designs and, if you want to get creative, you can freely design your new ceiling and match it to your style and preferences.

First, you need to assess the current situation and unique requirements of the room in which you intend to install a new ceiling.

In a living room or bedroom, the situation is often quite simple. The main challenge is drilling the holes if the walls and/or the ceiling are made of concrete. If that is the case, you will not get far with a traditional drill, which lacks the power to effectively drill holes through concrete. You will need to bring out the heavier artillery here in the form of a pneumatic impact drill – otherwise known as a rotary hammer.

In a bathroom, the situation can be a little more complicated. The walls are often tiled, and you also need to know exactly where the pipes have been laid. Here you can find out what to do when your drill hits a water pipe and how to prevent it.

Bathrooms have high humidity levels, especially after showers. This needs to be kept in mind when you install a ceiling.

Sloped ceilings are a separate topic altogether because of the challenges they present. Simply furnishing an apartment or home with sloping ceilings can represent a considerable challenge, never mind installing a suspended ceiling. Do not be afraid to ask a professional for advice – especially for more demanding ceiling suspensions.

During the planning stage, first decide whether you want to construct the supporting frame out of wood or metal. Which is better suited to your needs?

Wooden ceilings can be cumbersome to install and more difficult to realise than metal ceilings. They take longer to install, weigh more, require more extensive fastening and the panels are not as easy to replace. Wood is also harder to work with as it cannot be shaped arbitrarily, and any work must take the natural grain into account.

Additionally, wood expands and contracts much more than metal with temperature and humidity changes. As a natural material, it will also deteriorate quicker over time and requires greater maintenance.

The greatest advantage of a metal frame when it comes to installing a suspended ceiling is that there are already specifically designed products available in a wide range of dimensions. These include UD and CD profiles, as well as direct hangers and profile connections that are matched to the individual components.

Hanging a ceiling with UD and CD profiles is particularly suitable for lower suspension heights that do not exceed 12.5cm (the common maximum length of direct hangers). If you want to hang your ceiling lower, you will most likely have to use a wooden substructure.

As the overall cost is very similar for both variants, we recommend a metal ceiling suspension for standard heights.

While the work steps differ based on whether you choose metal or wood as a building material, the end goal remains the same, namely to build a stable and load-bearing design that is aesthetically pleasing and serves its purpose.

In our step-by-step guide, we show you how to install a ceiling using metal components designed for a standard suspension height.

If you have started the planning phase for your new ceiling, you have likely already encountered the "UD" and "CD" abbreviations for profiles. What exactly do they mean and what are the differences? Here is our explanation:

U and C profiles are the main profiles for drywall. Each letter represents the general shape of the profile. Both profiles are open at the top, the main difference is the shape of the sides. The edges of a U profile are straight, like that of the letter U. In contrast, the edges of a C profile are more bent, again just think of the shape of the letter C.

C profiles are designed to carry the main load while U profiles are used to create shape and form.

Following the U and C classification, there is always another letter to differentiate components even further. In drywall construction, you will typically see these letters followed by either a ‘W’ or a ‘D.’

W simply stands for wall, while D profiles are used to connect the wall to the ceiling. We will, therefore, be using UD and CD profiles. UD profiles serve as the frame, while CD profiles make up the substructure that provides load-bearing stability.

High ceilings are often difficult to access and work on and you will almost certainly need a ladder. This can make measuring and marking particularly challenging. Using traditional methods, you would need to climb up and down the ladder several times with a spirit level in hand, ensuring you maintain a constant height, that everything is aligned horizontally, and that nothing slips.

This method can take several hours before you even begin the process of installing a suspended ceiling. And you will need to repeat the process when you begin connecting your CD profiles to the hangers.

You can save an enormous amount of time with the help of a line laser. All you have to do is position it in the middle of the room and align it once to the appropriate height. Now simply draw your markings on the wall with a pencil at approximately one meter apart and you will have completed this step in a matter of minutes.

To determine the correct height of your CD profiles and ensure you install your ceiling straight, you could use a plastic template with magnets (available at most hardware stores) and ensure the laser hits the appropriate mark during alignment. The initial cost of a laser can quickly pay for itself, especially if you have several rooms to measure. Not only is it a real time saver, but also your nerves as your measurements will be more accurate.

Noise can travel through ceilings because they are connected to the floor above, as well as the surrounding walls. The principle of structure-borne sound comes into play here. To rectify this problem while installing a suspended ceiling, you always want to avoid direct contact with the walls. This prevents sound from reverberating around the room. Keep this in mind at each stage while following our installation guide.

It is best to use direct hangers and insulate the UD profiles with sealing tape – even if you do not intend to install actual sound insulation in your suspension cavity. Now is the perfect time to incorporate soundproofing measures into your ceiling. The additional cost and time are usually minimal.

This guide is for installing a suspended ceiling using a metal frame and drywall or plasterboard.