Ceiling Tile Question
 

I bought a 2x4 ceiling tile at Home Depot (Lowes only sells by the box).

I was surprised how fragile these are. In the store, I picked up one end and ended up with two chucks in my hands....

Anyway, I notice that if I applied pressure with my thumb, the material will give way a bit and you can get an indentation. This is especially true for the bottom. Obviously, this is bad if you put weights on the build and end up having it sink a little and lose level.

I have the tile on a 2x4 sheet of MDF to keep it flat and hopefully protected.

My questions:

1. Build on top or bottom? The top is harder but has holes while the bottom is smooth but softer.
2. If top, should I fill the holes?
3. If bottom, should I put a coat or two of latex paint to stiffen it up? After all, ceiling tiles top is already coated with a latex. In fact, either way I think I will paint the bottom just to stiffen it up.


Thanks.

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

Chemie, I use the top of them. I buy the ones with the least amount of holes. I used to be able to find them with no holes. I also cover them with contact shelf paper to keep the surface cleaner and to protect from spills. I use lead donuts to hold parts while the glue dries and have never noticed a problem with deformation. My workbench top is 3/4 plywood.
Chuck

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

How about glueing it to a piece of 1/4" plywood? I just thought of this myself. The next time I will. I use either side of the ceiling tile but I prefer the unfinished side.

Bill

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

I have used ceiling tiles for a long time. I use the bottom side and I've never noticed any problem with deformation due to weights applied. I have a friend that uses sheetrock, but IMO, it is to difficult to insert pins into.

Robert

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

I used ceiling tiles for years and never had any real problems with them other than initially getting the 2'x4' tiles to lie flat. A year or so ago I purchased the balsa building boards from Great Planes and find them so much nicer to use. They remain flat, hold pins in a secure manner, and can be placed back in their protective shipping containers, where they remain flat, when not in use. A very neat alternative to replacing tiles when finished with a build.

Soft landings.

Joe

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

I also found them too soft to use. You can find a wall material at the home stores that is black on the inside and tan on the outside. It will take pins better. The best material I've found is Homasote but it is now hard to find. Do Goggle and the web site gives availability locations.

Paul

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

I also found them too soft to use. You can find a wall material at the home stores that is black on the inside and tan on the outside. It will take pins better. The best material I've found is Homasote but it is now hard to find. Do Goggle and the web site gives availability locations.

Paul

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

I've used the Homasote for years but I bought it in the 60's. It seems so perfect for pins.

http://www.homasote.com/WhereToBuy/

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

The site that w8ye gave us shows a product called NovaCork paneling. Looks like something that would work great. Anyone try it?
Huck

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

I painted the back and it did two things:

1. makes it much less dusting
2. definitely made it fimer

I will go with the paint back for a smooth and firm backing.

Drywall is to ohard and $30 bucks for a board seems over kill.

Thanks.

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

I use the back of 2x4 Home Depot ceiling tile in conjunction with a a 30" hollow core door. I added some mdf molding around the perimeter to hold the tile in place. The top of the molding if flush with the tile surface. I then cut 2x4 tile to fit. The fit it very tight. Replacement is simple.

I think I'll try painting the surface to harden it a bit.

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

Thanks for the link. I did the search, and found two local stores that carry homasote. I was having difficulty locating it.

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

I use ceiling tiles from Menards Hardware as they will sell them one at a time for about 2 dollars each or so. I use the tile with the tan fiber construction backing and use the back side on my work bench. Years ago I built two wooden work benches each 4x8 feet to construct full scale airplanes on. I just lay the tile on the bench and have at it. For larger wings I use 1/2 inch drywall. Pins are a bit of a challenge in drywall, but they hold well and it is not an expensive base.:D

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

chemie, even though the price on the shelf is for a box, when I enquired, they also have a price per individual square.

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

My son-in-law uses Sheet Rock or Drywall on a interior door across two saw horses and gets by very well

They sold him a 2' X 4' piece

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

http://www.chatfield-clarke.com/viny...ds/default.htm

I use vinyl tack board screwed to a solid core door and set that on my work table. Got the door from Home Depot (damaged door discounted). I get the tack board from work. It's a school district, and they have cut pieces that they throw away. The tack board sheets come 4' x 8' and a lot of times they cut off sections for smaller areas and end up with various left over size pieces. The tack board works great, and holds pins in place. Someday though, I'm going to switch to the magnetic system.

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

I use a hollow core door with a piece of 3/4 inch foam insulation on top of it. It lays flat and accepts push pins easily. It is made by DOW and is blue in color. One piece cut in half can be used to make four planes. You just turn it over after the first one and replace with the other half on the third plane. I love it.
Alan

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

Read this A post I read and pasted here! Homasote Company
Fernwood Road
Trenton, New Jersey

Dear Sir:

I am one of 56 men who constructed and then lived in the Byrd Expedition buildings (at Little America, Antarctica, for over a year in 1934-35) which were assembled from Homasote lined sections left over from the establishment of the first Little America in 1929. These sections were already the veterans of five years' storage in damp New Zealand warehouses, but were still so strong and easy to saw, fit, and assemble that we were considerably surprised. But when we had dug down to the old camp and found also that the Homasote in the original buildings was in perfect condition after one year of soaking in melted snow (1929-30) and five years under the terrific pressure of 20 feet of ice, we were completely sold. When other wallboards would have pulped, cracked or dissolved, Homasote remained firm and trustworthy insulation against blizzards and temperatures of minus 75!

I am not in the habit of using my few leisure hours to throw bouquets, I have too much to do, but I feel that merit deserves reward, so here goes - believe it or not, the above remarks are paled into obscurity by my present opinion of your fine product. When, as a technical observer, on the recently concluded Navy "Operation Highjump," I was one of the few who were privileged to dig down 12 feet to our old home 10 miles from the newest camp site. I found the 18-year old Homasote in the walls and ceilings of the "Mess Hall" and "Science Lab" (the only buildings we could reach) absolutely unharmed by time, water, cold. Hundreds of tons of ice had forced up the wood floors and pushed down the ceilings until they met in the center of the rooms, and puddles of ice everywhere evidenced the repeated freezing and thawing of the many seasons, but the walls were straight, unbuckled and scarcely stained.

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

I built my homasote building board in 1990. I'm still using it today, but after 18 years of epoxy and CA spills, it finally needs replacement,

I can't think of a better product to use for a building board.

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

Tom:

Where did you find homasote in our area?

Soft landings.

Joe

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

Joe, I bought mine from Wix, which is long gone. By doing a search, from the link provided above, I found that Brown's Lumber and Menards carry it.

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

Brown Lumber Company 1701 South Airport
Traverse City, MI 49684 231-922-0609 0.0
Menards 4155 US 31 South
Traverse City, MI 49684 231-943-0607 0.0
UBC Supply Highway US 31 South
Grawn, MI 49637 231-943-8100 9.7
Northern Lumber 100 Dame Street
Suttons Bay, MI 49682 231-271-3804 13.7
Alden Lumber Company Alden Highway
Alden, MI 49612 231-331-4600 22.9

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

That was quick !!!

Menards and UBC are closest to Joe.

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

WOW!!!!!!! What a great comeback guys. Thanks for the help and BIG source listing. I'd completely forgotten about using homasote until reding the above. It was a great product when I used it in the '70's and '80's and I'll get some more soon.

Soft landings.

Joe

RE: Ceiling Tile Question
 

I find that I use my "tiled" workbench as my primary work surface for any and all RC-related stuff. One downside of using reversed acoustic tile is that the surface is pretty darn abrasive. It is abrasive enough to scratch the Ultracote covering on my planes. How have you other builders protected your plane's surfaces when using a tiled surface for day-to-day activities?