Exploring Various Options
Anyone homeowner looking for a great option to spruce up the interior of their house can choose plastic ceiling tiles as an inexpensive and practical means of design and support. Unlike tiles constructed from stone or wood, plastic is the cheapest building material available and requires practically no upkeep. A wide variety of ceiling tiles can be found at major home improvement stores — such as giants like Home Depot or Lowe’s, or even online — in various models and colors. A plastic ceiling tile format may only cost around twenty to thirty dollars to install on a ten by ten foot surface, nearly a tenth the cost of metal or ceramic fixtures. Indeed, plastic can even be painted in any custom design or color to a customers specifications — a popular choice for families with small kids who want to be in on the design process and paint their own ceiling!
Basic White Plastic Ceiling Tile
Before any type of decision is made about choosing or purchasing sets of tiles, it is crucial to figure out the exact specifications required for a room or an entire house, along with any building codes that might restrict certain options for tiling. While few houses have any specific limits, some ceilings are load bearing fixtures that are difficult or even dangerous to install further products on. Other construction materials carry the electrical wires or plumbing tubes so close to the surface that using nails or screws to install tiles can rupture a line. Ensure, furthermore, that the particular plastic is clean and sterile before purchase, or else mildew and mold can grow and either cause the material to rot or produce harmful spores.
Home improvement stores often have do it yourself demonstrations of installing materials or repairing fixtures, but plastic ceiling tiles are very low maintenance and do not require any specific training. Nonetheless, it is important to know what tools are required for installation of a complete ceiling set. Glue is an easy and low effort means of attaching ceiling fixtures, but all glue must be industrial strength and capable of setting to metal, wood, or drywall. This glue is considerably more expensive than paper and wood glue; it is also much more toxic, so that accidents require hospitalization. If you would prefer to install tile sets with nails or screws, there is less risk of slipping tiles, but much greater effort required to install the set.
Plastic tile is most often used in bathrooms, as the plastic does not absorb water and will retain its shape over a wide range of temperatures; unlike wood there is no concern for rot, and unlike metal there is no concern over rust. Indeed, plastic ceiling tile options for bathrooms outsell the rest by so much that it may be difficult to find colors and patterns that are meant to fit in other rooms. Darker, earth tones are much rarer among plastics — the default color is simple white — as the reflective material is also meant to circulate more light around a room.