IMPORTANT TO READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE INSTALLING. FAILURE TO DO SO MAY CAUSE DAMAGE TO PRODUCT AND/OR PROPERTY. THESE GUIDELINES ARE PROVIDED IN GOOD FAITH TO HELP PREVENT ANY PROBLEMS CAUSED BY ERRORS IN INSTALLATION. THE MANUFACTTURER OF THIS PRODUCT SHALL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR INSTALLATION ACTION TAKE OR NOT TAKEN. FAILURE TO FOLLOW BELOW INSTURCTIONS WILL VOID ANY EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES.
Determine your starting point:
There are several options of a starting point to choose from when starting the installation. In most cases, it is best to start from the middle of the ceiling. This is especially advisable in smaller or narrow rooms where opposite sides of the ceiling should have even (equal) cuts. You may already have a lap or ceiling fan installation in the middle of the room. If not, you will have to find the center using strings drawn along the ceiling diagonals. Once the diagonal lines are marked, draw additional two perpendicular lines to divide the ceiling into four equal rectangles.
Alternative starting point can be one of the corners. This will minimize waste material and provide minimum to no cuts on two of the walls. This will, however, make the tiles being cut at a different size on the opposite walls. This option is recommended in large areas or where the ceiling tiles will run through several inner connecting rooms where center of a room is difficult to find.
Gluing the tiles:
Although there are several glue recommendation from other sellers and youtube videos, Antique Ceilings only recommend using Soudal 50a which can be purchased at www.AntiqueCeilings.com as well as found on Amazon. This adhesive is imported adhesive specifically designed to be used for the foam ceiling tiles. It is a fast grabbing and setting adhesive that will ensure proper adhesion to most any surface. If you are installing the foam tiles onto the a textured surface such as Pop Corn Ceiling Texture, we strongly encourage you to use Soudal 50a.
An alternative adhesive that is locally available is Acryl Pro Ceramic Tile Adhesive. This adhesive works very well to install the foam ceiling tiles. Please ensure to follow the application instructions below as applying too much of the adhesive will in fact make the installation difficult. This is a good example of the popular saying where using less will yield better results.
Laying the tiles:
Apply one tile at a time making sure that ceiling tiles are pressed hard enough for the Soudal 50a or Acryl Pro to adhere thoroughly to the surface. Pressing the tiles with a palm of your hand will allow you to put enough force without damaging the foam ceiling tile.
Lay the following tiles to ensure that the corners align together. Push the tiles towards one another so that there is no spacing or seams visible.
Trimming and Cutting:
Any trimming and cutting should be performed using razor knife. Razor knife will slice through the foam tile easily and make the cut-line smooth. If chipping is noticed, please change the blade.
For straight cuts, we recommend using a straight edge as a guide.
Final Touches:
Applying Caulk:
Caulking can be used to fill in any gaps. Best type of caulking to use is a water-based painters (paintable) caulking. We like Alex DAP caulking brand but others can be used as well. The caulking should be applied only if needed. It is not a requirement.
Crown Moldings:
Trims such as quarter-round and crown moldings can be used in conjunction with the foam tiles. Depending on the design of the foam tile, it might be beneficial to install a trip/crown-molding before the ceiling tile installation. The reason for this the 3-D design or depth of most foam ceiling tiles. The deep design of the tile would make the crown molding stick down (away from the flat surface) leaving gaps that would have to be filled. This is not an issue when a crown molding is installed prior to the ceiling tile installation. The foam tiles will simply be attached against (butt into) the molding's edge.
Painting:
All of the foam ceiling tiles can be painted. Please make sure to use WATER BASED PAINTS ONLY. Paints such as Oil-based or spray can paints will damage foam material. The painting can be done as a touch-up if necessary or to provide a different finish overall. We recommend using either flat or semi-gloss paints. Our proffered are: Behr, Valspar, PPG, and Sherwin Williams. Other water-based paints can also be used.
Although most spray paints cannot be used, there are still many options for colors including metallic shades. For metallic shades, please consider paints available from:
Home Depot's PPG brand. They offer a large array of metallic colors such as; Copper, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and others.
Lowes' Valspar as well as Martha Stewart brands. Just as PPG, they offer nice shades of Copper, Bronze, Silver and Gold.
Painting can be done using a Roller for textured surfaces, brush, spray gun, as well as sponges. For single-tone finish Roller is a preferred method.
Please consider watching following videos made by our in-house associates showing installation process:
We are here to assist you and answer any of your concerns when considering ceiling tiles or having installation question. Please contact as at 1-866-988-4537 or SMS txt at 1-941-726-0417 or email: info@AntiqueCeilings.com with questions.
