Suspended ceiling

[Alan Zoff]

Anyone had experience of using an office-type suspended ceiling in a house? I am completing rewiring and replumbing (with 3 new upstairs shower rooms) a rural French house which has high lath and plaster ceilings in so-so condition and a first floor made of hundreds of small interlocking oak parquet boards. A convenient solution would seem to be to run all the new wiring and pipework below the existing ceiling, allowing easy routes to all fittings, all accessible above the new, lift-out ceiling panels. It will also save having to pull apart the flooring, a real pain of a job.

I would need, though, a grid and panels that would look OK in a domestic situation, if these are available.

[Théière]

I have put up plenty, usually offices and some communal areas in multi occupancy developments. I just can't imagine having it in a rural french domestic situation. Why not do most of your ideas re: cabling and services then use a drop ceiling from plasterboard on the metal laths?

[idun]

'In a rural french domestic setting', that is exactly what our friends had. They had those 'squares' like a tiled ceiling, with baton type things running along at regular intervals. (don't know the terms in french or english, sorry )  Their old house had high ceilings and they were delighted with the new lower one.

We have, well not actually 'me' have lowered the ceilings in a room in our current house and the builder put a wooden frame up and then  attached the plaster board to it. All cables and pipework are attached to the 'old' ceiling.

[Alex H]

A long time ago, someone I knew had these panels in a living room in a large Victorian house. Because of the high ceilings they wanted a lower, more modern feel. To add insult to injury, they had some tiles which were semi-transparent, behind which were placed coloured lights.

It looked awful.

In my opinion, the ONLY place they are suitable for are workplaces :-)

Why do you need access to the ceiling void ? Wiring and pipework are notnormally accessable along all their routes are they?

If you really want to do it, search for 'plafond suspendu' in the search engine of your choice. Armstrong seems to come up a lot, but judging by the website it's not going to be cheap.

[sid]

I have recently got rid of just such a ceiling! I was horrible.

It was in a bedroom, and for our first 4 years here it was our main bedroom. I used to hate waking up in the morning and seeing this "office" ceiling. We've extended the house and created a new bedroom which we've used ever since so it's taken this long to get round to removing the old ceiling. I've installed a new plasterboard ceiling mounted on metal rails. You can use "montants" (instead of the normal ceiling rails) doubled-up if necessary to create a ceiling with large area, eg up to 2.50m with M48 (or 4.10m with the big M90 montants which I've never seen) but the addition of some suspension points would increase this area. I haven't explained that very well but it's all in this document from the Placo.fr website http://tinyurl.com/3se8w3u

[Alan Zoff]

Thanks all for the useful comments.

The main attraction, having suffered a succession of electrical and water problems in inaccessible places, was being able to get at everything easily, just by lifting a panel. But it needs to look right, of course.

[idun]

There is nothing so sure as us all having different tastes. You  get what you like. If it is this 'office' type ceiling, well what the heck, if you like it, you have it.

My friends have decorated their places in ways I couldn't live with in a thousand years. They like what they have, so good for them.

 

I am currently doing up our old house to sell. Did I chose colours I like, no, not at all. Looked at fashionable colours and went with them. I like the colour, but not on my walls and not to live with. But, I'm selling, not living there, so have put in what I think the market will want.

The house I'm in now, which I hope I'll stay in, is to my taste. May not suit anyone else, but, my choice. The strange thing is that all our male friends who come in have said nice things, and I wasn't expecting them to even notice. Don't know what that says about me or my tastes either.[blink]

[Alan Zoff]

Can't argue with that, Idun.

I can see the reason for maintaining the style and character of old buildings but I don't understand the fixation with doing things as they have always been done. Old houses were built the way they were because they suited their use at the time, and because they didn't have alternatives. If you didn't have lots of (or perhaps any) electrical appliances and very limited water supply, it made no odds that everything was sealed over with plaster or other renders. But to me it seems barmy to spread a setting paste over every surface and then have to dig through it to hide or to get at cables and pipes. Use modern technology to the best effect, subject of course to having an acceptable appearance.

So I haven't yet given up on the idea. Just looking for the right compromise.

[sid]

I can't see the reason for doing things the old way every time either Alan, but placo and ossature metallique is a relatively new idea surely? [;-)]

You can insert "trappes" at convenient points if you think you'll need access.

[Alex H]

[quote user="Alan Zoff"]But to me it seems barmy to spread a setting paste over every surface and then have to dig through it to hide or to get at cables and pipes. Use modern technology to the best effect, subject of course to having an acceptable appearance.

[/quote]

Well, the 'modern way' is to encase all your cables in a plastic tube, so you still won't be able to get access to them unless there is a junction box. The same goes for pipes running through walls :-)

[just john]

Same problem, differant solution; I've employed, remove skirting and architrave, run cables and piping round and then replace on battens with screws, so they can accessed if necessary[I]

[Alan Zoff]

That was what I had in mind for the stuff that wasn't in the void above the new ceiling, John.

[Alan Zoff]

Seems there are patterns for domestic use:

Looks acceptable to me, at least for ground floor rooms. But haven't looked at suppliers and prices yet.

[idun]

Some posters will like it, some will not. YOU get what you like.

My friends often buy things I don't like, but I like them being happy with what they have bought, so I'll make the necessary 'nice' noises, because it actually doesn't matter a damn if I don' t like what they live with, it matters that they are happy;

IF I am out with them and they ask I will say at that point.

 

Now a few weeks ago a friend of ours came to look at our house and in one room said, 'your're going to do this what a yucky colour?' I said, that it was fresh and done, but he had said it then. Got to their house and they have the self same colour in their kitchen, how I kept a straight face I have no idea. Maybe he hadn't picked the kitchen colour and hates it. I commented not about 'their' colour.

[sid]

I think the OP hasn't decided what he likes, although you keep pushing him! He simply asked if anyone had experience of suspended ceilings to help make up his mind! Have you any practical experience of them? [Www]  Are you an ex-ex-pat?

 

[Alan Zoff]

Don't worry, Idun, I learnt long ago - Mum said I was about 3 months old - to do my own thing.

I have obtained a lot of helpful advice from this forum, and hopefully given the odd bit, too. But you also get a lot of negativity from people who have nothing useful to say, and seemingly nothing better to do. But I just ignore that. Of course, some negative comment is well-meaning and good advice. You just have to be selective.

It's a case now of finding a supplier with the stuff I want at a price I am willing to pay.