Let’s Install Ceiling Tile in Sister’s Sewing Room!

Recently, my sister asked if I wanted to help her on a project the next time I visited. My answer, as it usually is when someone asks if I want to help on a project, was YES! I was even more excited about the project when she told me what it was! Many, many years ago, she painted & stenciled the room. While has loved it all these years, she was ready for a change. So, she had started updating her sewing room, changing it to a dark and moody vibe. The cabinets were now black and the walls a deep purple. With the painting done, she was ready to tackle the ceiling.

Step 1 – Choose tile pattern

Step 2 – Paint & antique the tile

By the time I came to visit, she had painted 2 coats of most of the tiles, so we started on the antiquing process. To create the look she wanted, we watered down some black craft paint and applied it using paintbrushes. We covered the entire tile with the black, then using wet cloths, wiped off most of the black color from the raised design, leaving more in the hollows. This was a messy process, but it was also a lot of fun!

Step 3 – Decide on layout

I figured we would install the tile in a standard grid pattern, but sister had a different idea. She wanted to lay the tiles on the diagonal. From our research, we found that a lot of people start installing the tile on one side of the room and continue to the other side. We decided to start in the middle of the ceiling; or, I should say, where the light fixture was.

We had assumed the light fixture was in the center, but it was not. Using a straight line chalker, we snapped 4 lines on the ceiling, with one of us holding the line in the middle of the fixture box and the other holding it by the wall. Since we would be laying the tiles on the diagonal, we thought it important to have the lines to keep the pattern straight.

Step 4 – Install the tile

The adhesive we used to install the tile is Loctite Power Grab Express All Purpose Construction Adhesive. It is packaged in different containers; we chose to use the tube and used a caulking gun to apply the adhesive to the tiles. I was the one using the caulking gun. After applying adhesive to a tile, I handed it to sister, who installed it on the ceiling by lining it up with the chalk line and pressing it with her hands. You can also roll a dry paint roller over the tile to ensure even bonding.

I didn’t take pictures of how much caulk was applied to the back of each tile, but I applied a bead around the perimeter and center, then dotted some on each corner and in several other places. Since the tile is SO lightweight, you don’t need a lot of adhesive to keep them up. However, you do want enough to get a good bond between the tile and the ceiling. Each tube of adhesive was enough to install 6-7 tiles.

Step 5 – Cut tiles to fill in the spaces

It took us about 4 hours to install 35 tiles. Most of them were full tiles, with the exception of 4 along one wall. Cutting the tiles is REALLY easy! You can use scissors or a razor knife. If you use a razor knife, a straight edge, like a metal ruler, will come in handy. I had to leave before the rest of the pieces could be installed, so sister finished this project on her own. She sent me pictures as she worked. She said the corners of the room where two tiles met were the trickiest to figure out because it took two small pieces of tile to fill the gap. Not the small pieces she’s holding, those were from tiles where the space was big enough for almost a full tile.

Step 6 – Add light fixture

After the rest of the tile was installed, it was time to add a new, moody vibe, light fixture. We were both thrilled to see that our goal of having the first tile centered at the light fixture was a success! You would never know these tiles are made of Styrofoam, they look like they are punched metal!

Do we need trim and/or paint touch-ups?

As we were installing the tile, we wondered if we might need to plan for trim where the ceiling met the wall. But once all the pieces were cut along the edges of the ceiling, we saw that there was no need to trim it out. I think the stenciling sister did along the top of the walls is ‘trim’ enough. Also, we also wondered if we should have painted the ceiling first because these tiles don’t butt up exactly and we could see some of the original ceiling color in the ‘grout’ lines. However, you can only see them if you are looking straight up. Otherwise, they are not noticeable. At this time, sister has no plans to do touch up painting in those lines.

About installing ceiling tiles

My sister ordered her ceiling tiles from Wayfair. They have a calculator that will help you determine how many tiles to order. When the calculator showed that it would take 56 tiles for this 11′ x 10′ room, we were both skeptical. We were even skeptical that when we had installed the first 35 tiles that it would take another 21….however, it DID take 56 tiles to do the room!

While the tiles are the same size – 19.6″ x 19.6″, they are not exactly the same. Even though we were very careful to line them up and install them as close together as possible, there were still some gaps between some of them. In my research, I saw that some people chose to caulk the gaps. Most of those guys hadn’t painted their tile copper with black antiquing. If you think the gaps will make a difference in how you like the finished project, prior to installing the tile, you can paint your ceiling the same color you paint your tiles.

These tiles are also available in color, but they cost about 3 times as much as the unpainted ones. If you do plan to paint the tiles, be prepared to have them strewn about your house while they are drying :)

Thoughts on this project

Now THAT’s a Vibe!

Sewing room ceiling: Before, during, after

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