Marissa Taylor wrote:
aemeijers wrote:
Marissa Taylor wrote:
I have basement ceiling tiles that are about 12 inches square,
without any visible border between them. Due to a potential leak
above one, I need to remove a tile. How can I do this safely?

I can't tell what holds the tiles in place. The tile is made out of
a white fiber-like substance, with lots of holes, most likely to
absorb sound. Can I just pry around the edges?

Thanks!

You ain't gonna like the answer. You start at a wall, remove the trim
to expose one edge of tile, and start working backward. Hopefully you
guess right the first time and expose the lip with the staples or
tacks or whatever. Lotsa luck finding matching tiles if you break any-
that stuff is getting rare. Most people end up tearing it all down in
frustration, and putting up something else.

That shouldn't be too bad in my case, as the tile in question has only
one other between it and the wall. However, an electrician once removed
one in the middle of the room to run a thermostat wire. I'm wondering
if there is a trick to do that.

My tile wiggles when I press it, but how is attached...

they interlock, like tongue and groove flooring. Two edges have
tongues, two edges have grooves. One or two edges of each tile will
have staples or brads holding it up. usually they're stapled to furring
strips, which are nailed to the joists of the floor above.

and if anyone needs some furring strips, I ripped a whole mess of this
stuff out of my laundry room a while back. Who needs a ceiling in the
laundry room, anyway? Not like you're going to hang out in there while
your guests admire the furnace.

nate

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