Overview: Suspended ceilings are like a second ceiling placed underneath an existing ceiling or basement under the floor joist structure. They used to hide pipelines or ductwork and give the space a finished look. They are usually attached and suspended on wires from the overhead above and are laid out in a grid pattern where ceiling tiles are fitted in place. The false ceilings can be made with a lot of different materials. Installing a suspended ceiling is a relatively easy DIY project.

Once the suspended ceiling structure (runners and rails) have been installed you can fit in fluorescent lights or install air ducts above the ceiling. Insulation is often installed in suspended ceilings to absorb heat and sound. The individual suspended ceiling tiles are easy to remove so maintenance can take place in the void that is made when the ceiling is installed.

When designing and purchasing a suspended ceiling system you will need to decide whether or not you want the ceiling to be demountable or completely non-accessible. If you make your suspended ceilings demountable you can easily access the ceiling void and perform maintenance on the ceiling or on other objects that the ceiling is concealing. If you make your suspended ceiling non accessible then you will not be able to perform ceiling maintenance easily as you will not be able to get into the ceiling void. Consider your choice seriously as the ceilings will need to be redone if you wish to be able to change a non accessible ceiling into a demountable one.

There are many different types of suspended ceilings systems but all are different depending on your requirements yet the concept is the same. For example there is the free span suspend ceiling system that is mainly used for corridors. This kind of system is made up of ceiling planks which are held by the perimeter trim on their short edges. This kind of system can be installed quickly and pretty easily and can produce a very nice effect when finished. These types of suspended ceilings can be made de-mountable for maintenance or non-accessible. If you opt for the de-mountable type then the ceiling planks can be removed to allow easy access.

A most popular suspended ceiling system is the bandraster grid system; these types of suspended ceilings are very flexible and can be made to match with any kind of building architecture. They also can be made accessible or non accessible. These suspended ceiling are designed with either concealed or exposed sections which link up to lateral bracing permitting them to be modified to fit any building.

Another system is the exposed suspended ceilings system which is a system that can be installed quickly and efficiently and also allows for you to do maintenance work in the ceiling cavity easily. These types of suspended ceilings have tiles slotted into a suspended grid that are easy to remove.

These are the basic choices in suspended ceilings.

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