I have been researching information about what some people call a "Chicago
grid" drywall ceiling system. Apparently, they call it a Chicago grid
because the metal framing for the ceiling to which the drywall is attached
is made by Chicago Metallic Co. Other manufacturers such as Armstrong also
make similar metal "drywall ceiling grid" systems.

For a number of reasons, I want to use this system for the ceiling in a
basement apartment that I am having completely redone in a 3-unit apartment
building that I own.

Since I have never done this type of ceiling before, I plan on hiring a
contractor who knows how to do Chicago grid ceilings to do the rough-in of
this ceiling. But, at the same time, I want to be able to watch and see how
it is done and also have my own regular contractor watch or help with the
installation so he too can see how these are done. I found a couple of
local building supply places that sell the Chicago grid metal framing and I
will be asking them for names of local contractors who buy the metal framing
from them and who regularly do Chicago grid ceilings. Ideally, I would like
to find an experienced contractor who will charge me by the day for the
labor part of the job, and I will pay for the materials.

The apartment that needs the new ceiling has a living room, bedroom,
kitchen, bath, and two closets -- all of which will be getting a Chicago
grid drywall ceiling. I really only need the contractor for the metal
framing part, and maybe to hang some or all of the drywall. My regular
contractor knows how to hang drywall and can do all of the finish work --
taping, painting, etc.

My question is, does anyone have a rough idea of about how long it would
take a contractor and a helper to do the metal framing on a 4 room apartment
such as the one I am having redone? The total square feet of the 4 rooms is
a little less than 500 square feet. I am thinking that a contractor could
probably do all of the metal framing in less than a day, and maybe do the
rough hanging of some of the sheetrock in the same day.

Does anyone know if that is about right?

For those who are unfamiliar with this ceiling system (as I was), it is
basically similar to a regular drop ceiling system except the metal framing
is stronger and the drywall gets screwed into the metal framing from
underneath and the seams later taped and finished, rather than dropping
panels in on top of the metal framing.

And, here are some links and YouTube videos about the system:

http://www.chicagometallic.com/produ...Drywall-PG.pdf


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo3m9GO3pns



http://products.construction.com/man...rid-nst32093-p



http://www.armstrong.com/commceiling...icle63637.html



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDJT3xvQC-g&NR=1



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12Vcr8k31Ac



Thanks.

On Apr 2, 5:39*pm, "RogerT" wrote:
I have been researching information about what some people call a "Chicago
grid" drywall ceiling system. *Apparently, they call it a Chicago grid
because the metal framing for the ceiling to which the drywall is attached
is made by Chicago Metallic Co. *Other manufacturers such as Armstrong also
make similar metal "drywall ceiling grid" systems.

For a number of reasons, I want to use this system for the ceiling in a
basement apartment that I am having completely redone in a 3-unit apartment
building that I own.

Since I have never done this type of ceiling before, I plan on hiring a
contractor who knows how to do Chicago grid ceilings to do the rough-in of
this ceiling. *But, at the same time, I want to be able to watch and see how
it is done and also have my own regular contractor watch or help with the
installation so he too can see how these are done. *I found a couple of
local building supply places that sell the Chicago grid metal framing and I
will be asking them for names of local contractors who buy the metal framing
from them and who regularly do Chicago grid ceilings. *Ideally, I would like
to find an experienced contractor who will charge me by the day for the
labor part of the job, and I will pay for the materials.

The apartment that needs the new ceiling has a living room, bedroom,
kitchen, bath, and two closets -- all of which will be getting a Chicago
grid drywall ceiling. *I really only need the contractor for the metal
framing part, and maybe to hang some or all of the drywall. *My regular
contractor knows how to hang drywall and can do all of the finish work -- *
taping, painting, etc.

My question is, does anyone have a rough idea of about how long it would
take a contractor and a helper to do the metal framing on a 4 room apartment
such as the one I am having redone? *The total square feet of the 4 rooms is
a little less than 500 square feet. *I am thinking that a contractor could
probably do all of the metal framing in less than a day, and maybe do the
rough hanging of some of the sheetrock in the same day.

Does anyone know if that is about right?

For those who are unfamiliar with this ceiling system (as I was), it is
basically similar to a regular drop ceiling system except the metal framing
is stronger and the drywall gets screwed into the metal framing from
underneath and the seams later taped and finished, rather than dropping
panels in on top of the metal framing.

And, here are some links and YouTube videos about the system:

http://www.chicagometallic.com/produ...Drywall-PG.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo3m9GO3pns

http://products.construction.com/man...etallic-corp-n...

http://www.armstrong.com/commceiling...icle63637.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDJT3xvQC-g&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12Vcr8k31Ac

Thanks.


That system is just like a drop ceiling, the fire rated ones will
take longer to install because the grid members have to be
strung up in more locations with additional support wires
compared with non-rated ceiling applications...

500 square feet is an awfully small apartment so it shouldn't
take too much time -- in fact like any room you are doing a
ceiling system in the smaller the room the more of a pain in
the ass it is...

Are you going to use the ceiling to support standard drop-in
grid system lighting ? Might be worth considering to save
adding light fixtures which would stick down into the room...

Anyone who does a fair amount of commercial building
construction work doing suspended grid systems would
be fine to do this project -- you would want someone who
knows how to do the commercial ones rather than the
residential grade stuff because you want it done right the
first time as you aren't using tiles you could pop out to
tighten something up which has come loose...

~~ Evan

On Apr 2, 4:39*pm, "RogerT" wrote:

snip

*Ideally, I would like
to find an experienced contractor who will charge me by the day for the
labor part of the job, and I will pay for the materials.

snip

Those are called day laborers and usually can be found early in the
morning at some of the Borgs in big cities. Some speak English, some
don't. English speaking ones will better understand what you need
done.
If you want to have a real contractor on the job, ask for references
and get quotes. Forget about buying the material. He will probably be
somewhat amused and decline the job, and the amount isn't worth
haggling over.

Joe

Joe wrote:
On Apr 2, 4:39 pm, "RogerT" wrote:

snip

Ideally, I would like
to find an experienced contractor who will charge me by the day for
the labor part of the job, and I will pay for the materials.

snip

Those are called day laborers and usually can be found early in the
morning at some of the Borgs in big cities. Some speak English, some
don't. English speaking ones will better understand what you need
done.
If you want to have a real contractor on the job, ask for references
and get quotes. Forget about buying the material. He will probably be
somewhat amused and decline the job, and the amount isn't worth
haggling over.

Joe

Thanks. I defintiely don't want a day laborer. I do want an experienced
contractor who often does Chicago grid ceiling systems. My thinking is that
it may cost around $400 to $500 per day for that type of person (based on
maybe $50 to $62.50 per hour) for an experienced contractor -- but I'm not
sure.

I didn't mean that I would buy the matierials to save money or whatever. I
just meant that I would pay the person for his time plus whatever the cost
of the materials turned out to be.

Get a commercial ceiling hanger. If you want to save time and if
you are able, establish level and install the perimeter wall angle
in all rooms as this is a time consumer. If you had all the
hanger wire installed it would save time, but I doubt you could
get the hanger wire where required.

I doubt that anyone will take the time to explain what they are
doing or why. Drywall grid doesn't have to be as "square" as a
finish ceiling, but basic methods will probably provide about the
same product. It is not rocket science and I would think you
could have it up and done in the time you've already spent
researching it. Maybe what you want is to pay commercial wages
for a day to one man to teach you.

It is too lengthy a process to explain in an email, but there is
plenty of information available:
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=...9decee79d1fe4a

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DanG
Keep the whole world singing . . .


"RogerT" wrote in message
...
I have been researching information about what some people call a
"Chicago grid" drywall ceiling system. Apparently, they call it
a Chicago grid because the metal framing for the ceiling to which
the drywall is attached is made by Chicago Metallic Co. Other
manufacturers such as Armstrong also make similar metal "drywall
ceiling grid" systems.

For a number of reasons, I want to use this system for the
ceiling in a basement apartment that I am having completely
redone in a 3-unit apartment building that I own.

Since I have never done this type of ceiling before, I plan on
hiring a contractor who knows how to do Chicago grid ceilings to
do the rough-in of this ceiling. But, at the same time, I want
to be able to watch and see how it is done and also have my own
regular contractor watch or help with the installation so he too
can see how these are done. I found a couple of local building
supply places that sell the Chicago grid metal framing and I
will be asking them for names of local contractors who buy the
metal framing from them and who regularly do Chicago grid
ceilings. Ideally, I would like to find an experienced
contractor who will charge me by the day for the labor part of
the job, and I will pay for the materials.

The apartment that needs the new ceiling has a living room,
bedroom, kitchen, bath, and two closets -- all of which will be
getting a Chicago grid drywall ceiling. I really only need the
contractor for the metal framing part, and maybe to hang some or
all of the drywall. My regular contractor knows how to hang
drywall and can do all of the finish work -- taping, painting,
etc.

My question is, does anyone have a rough idea of about how long
it would take a contractor and a helper to do the metal framing
on a 4 room apartment such as the one I am having redone? The
total square feet of the 4 rooms is a little less than 500
square feet. I am thinking that a contractor could probably do
all of the metal framing in less than a day, and maybe do the
rough hanging of some of the sheetrock in the same day.

Does anyone know if that is about right?

For those who are unfamiliar with this ceiling system (as I
was), it is basically similar to a regular drop ceiling system
except the metal framing is stronger and the drywall gets
screwed into the metal framing from underneath and the seams
later taped and finished, rather than dropping panels in on top
of the metal framing.

And, here are some links and YouTube videos about the system:

http://www.chicagometallic.com/produ...Drywall-PG.pdf


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo3m9GO3pns



http://products.construction.com/man...rid-nst32093-p



http://www.armstrong.com/commceiling...icle63637.html



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDJT3xvQC-g&NR=1



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12Vcr8k31Ac



Thanks.

Evan wrote:
On Apr 2, 5:39 pm, "RogerT" wrote:
I have been researching information about what some people call a
"Chicago grid" drywall ceiling system. . . . . .

That system is just like a drop ceiling, the fire rated ones will
take longer to install because the grid members have to be
strung up in more locations with additional support wires
compared with non-rated ceiling applications...

500 square feet is an awfully small apartment so it shouldn't
take too much time -- in fact like any room you are doing a
ceiling system in the smaller the room the more of a pain in
the ass it is...

Since it is a small apartment, that is why I was thinking it probably
shouldn't take more than a day to do all of the metal framing and begin to
hang some of the sheetrock. But, I'm not sure about that.

The 4 room sizes are approximately:

Living Room 12x15
Bedroom 12x13
Kitchen 8x9
Bath 7x9

Are you going to use the ceiling to support standard drop-in
grid system lighting ?

No. There will be 4 ceiling fixtures (one per room) -- including ceiling
fans -- for which the electrical boxes will already be mounted on blocks.
The blocks for these electrical boxes will already be in place at almost the
correct ceiling height, but will be ready to be padded out to the exact
height as soon at the metal grid is in place for each room. My regular
contractor will be there to do this as the metal framing is going up.

Anyone who does a fair amount of commercial building
construction work doing suspended grid systems would
be fine to do this project -- you would want someone who
knows how to do the commercial ones rather than the
residential grade stuff because you want it done right the
first time . . . .

I agree.

DanG wrote:
Get a commercial ceiling hanger. ....

I doubt that anyone will take the time to explain what they are
doing or why. . . . .

Thanks. I don't really need the person to explain a lot. The regular
contractor that I use already knows how to do regular drop ceilings,
including the level ine, etc. So, he won't need to be taught that aprt of
the job.

We basically just want to be able to see how the commercial contractor does
the Chicago grid sheetrock ceiling stuff -- including what materials to buy,
what spacing is required for proper support, etc. -- all of which I am sure
is simialr to a regular drop ceiling but is not the same.

. . . Maybe what you want is to pay commercial wages
for a day to one man to teach you.

Exactly. Or, more specifically, to just do the metal ceiling grid and hang
a few sheets of drywall while my regular contractor (and I) watch and help.

It is too lengthy a process to explain in an email, but there is
plenty of information available:
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=...9decee79d1fe4a

Most of those links appear to relate to regular drop ceilings, which I know
are similar, but not to Chicago grid drywall ceilings.

Sorry, exact same process. The material is slightly wider, but
other than that it is identical to hanging a drop ceiling.

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DanG
Keep the whole world singing . . .


"RogerT" wrote in message
...
DanG wrote:
Get a commercial ceiling hanger. ....

I doubt that anyone will take the time to explain what they are
doing or why. . . . .

Thanks. I don't really need the person to explain a lot. The
regular contractor that I use already knows how to do regular
drop ceilings, including the level ine, etc. So, he won't need
to be taught that aprt of the job.

We basically just want to be able to see how the commercial
contractor does the Chicago grid sheetrock ceiling stuff --
including what materials to buy, what spacing is required for
proper support, etc. -- all of which I am sure is simialr to a
regular drop ceiling but is not the same.

. . . Maybe what you want is to pay commercial wages
for a day to one man to teach you.

Exactly. Or, more specifically, to just do the metal ceiling
grid and hang a few sheets of drywall while my regular
contractor (and I) watch and help.

It is too lengthy a process to explain in an email, but there
is
plenty of information available:
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=...9decee79d1fe4a

Most of those links appear to relate to regular drop ceilings,
which I know are similar, but not to Chicago grid drywall
ceilings.

"RogerT" wrote in message
...

We basically just want to be able to see how the commercial
contractor does the Chicago grid sheetrock ceiling stuff --
including what materials to buy, what spacing is required for
proper support, etc. -- all of which I am sure is simialr to a
regular drop ceiling but is not the same.

DanG wrote:
Sorry, exact same process. The material is slightly wider, but
other than that it is identical to hanging a drop ceiling.

Well, I assume that one difference may be in the spacing of the metal
framing when hanging drywall on the frame (including 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch
drywall) and the required number and size of the support wires. I know with
a regular drop ceiling the framing can be done to allow 2'x4' or 2'x2'
openings, but maybe (for example) the Chicago grid requires 16-inch framing
for the sheetrock.

"RogerT" wrote in message
...
I have been researching information about what some people call a "Chicago
grid" drywall ceiling system. Apparently, they call it a Chicago grid
because the metal framing for the ceiling to which the drywall is attached
is made by Chicago Metallic Co. Other manufacturers such as Armstrong also
make similar metal "drywall ceiling grid" systems.

For a number of reasons, I want to use this system for the ceiling in a
basement apartment that I am having completely redone in a 3-unit
apartment building that I own.

Since I have never done this type of ceiling before, I plan on hiring a
contractor who knows how to do Chicago grid ceilings to do the rough-in of
this ceiling. But, at the same time, I want to be able to watch and see
how it is done and also have my own regular contractor watch or help with
the installation so he too can see how these are done. I found a couple
of local building supply places that sell the Chicago grid metal framing
and I will be asking them for names of local contractors who buy the metal
framing from them and who regularly do Chicago grid ceilings. Ideally, I
would like to find an experienced contractor who will charge me by the day
for the labor part of the job, and I will pay for the materials.

The apartment that needs the new ceiling has a living room, bedroom,
kitchen, bath, and two closets -- all of which will be getting a Chicago
grid drywall ceiling. I really only need the contractor for the metal
framing part, and maybe to hang some or all of the drywall. My regular
contractor knows how to hang drywall and can do all of the finish work --
taping, painting, etc.

My question is, does anyone have a rough idea of about how long it would
take a contractor and a helper to do the metal framing on a 4 room
apartment such as the one I am having redone? The total square feet of
the 4 rooms is a little less than 500 square feet. I am thinking that a
contractor could probably do all of the metal framing in less than a day,
and maybe do the rough hanging of some of the sheetrock in the same day.

Does anyone know if that is about right?

For those who are unfamiliar with this ceiling system (as I was), it is
basically similar to a regular drop ceiling system except the metal
framing is stronger and the drywall gets screwed into the metal framing
from underneath and the seams later taped and finished, rather than
dropping panels in on top of the metal framing.

Thanks.


Speaking both as a retired contractor and as a person like yourself, hire a
contractor to do whatever portion you want them to do, have your
friend/contactor over for both of you to watch, ask the minimal amount of
questions and learn what you can.

I personally never minded a client watching. I did not mind them asking a
few questions. I absolutely did not want their help. The potential
liabilities were not insurable.

No contractor is going to offer to teach you, but you should be able to
learn by watching.

I only have a nickel. Do you have my 3 cents change?


--
Colbyt
Please come visit http://www.househomerepair.com

I frame Chicago grid ceilings union carpenter in Boston. Framing 500 sq ft should take no more than 1 day. Installing the angle around the perimeter is the most time consuming part after that it all snaps together just like acoustical ceilings.