Drop Ceiling Cost vs Drywall

Are you tired of the same dull ceiling staring back at you? If you wish to do some home improvements, replacing your old ceilings can be the little makeover project you are looking for. If you are torn between drop ceiling vs. drywall and are trying to narrow down your options, you are in the right place, as we’ll be sharing with you all about drop ceiling cost vs. drywall.

If your ceiling gives you an outdated vibe, replacing it is a great idea to freshen it up. Or perhaps it is the time of doing some fixing around it. Either way, you are probably wondering what your options are. Keep in mind before making any investments, your ceiling represents an excellent way for you to express your taste as you accentuate the spaces inside your home.

That’s why finding the right ceiling for you is vital. However, when you aren’t an architect or a professional decorator, things may seem a bit challenging, so where do you even start? Before choosing the right ceiling for you, you should study different options. Do not worry because we’ll share everything you must know about drop ceiling cost vs. drywall with you.

Drop Ceiling Cost vs Drywall FAQs

Is a drop ceiling more expensive than drywall?

Drop ceilings are more expensive to install than drywall making drywall the cheaper option. However, if you can install a drop ceiling by yourself, you can save on labor costs. You should also factor in paint costs for a drywall ceiling and whether you are hiring a professional to install and paint for you.

Is the drop ceiling more expensive?

Drop ceilings are more expensive to install than drywall at $5 to $28 per square foot. Installing drywall costs $1 to $3 per square foot, but that does not include painting prices, which are $2 to $6 for each square foot.

Are drop ceilings worth it?

One of the biggest benefits of a drop ceiling is that you have easy access to plumbing, wiring, and ductwork. If any maintenance issues arise, you can remove a ceiling tile. If a tile gets damaged, remove it and replace it.

What is the cheapest ceiling to install?

Drywall is the most inexpensive ceiling to install at $2 to $3 per square foot. Tray ceilings are equally affordable at $2 to $4 per square foot, and so are tongue and groove designs.

Can I replace the drop ceiling with drywall?

If your drop ceiling looks a little shabby and you’re ready for a change, the first step is to remove the suspended ceiling in the opposite order it was installed initially: tiles, lights, and metal grid. Once removed, you can repair the original ceiling or add new drywall sheets, if possible.

How much does it cost to drywall a 2000 square foot house?

Our page on Average Drywall Installation Cost & Prices shows that the cost to drywall a house per square foot is roughly $1.30 – $4.00 per square foot.

Are drop ceilings lower than drywall?

Drop ceilings are typically a few inches lower than a drywall ceiling. So if you have a low ceiling in spots, a drop ceiling can be a pain.

Can I drywall the basement ceiling?

Installing the basement drywall ceiling is the most cost-effective method of covering the floor joists and beams and finishing your basement ceiling properly.

How to change a drop ceiling to drywall?

Remove the Drop Ceiling

1. Lift a tile and tilt it slightly to lower it from the drop ceiling grid. Climb up the ladder until you can see over the drop ceiling. Quickly inspect the condition of the drop ceiling and the ceiling above it. At this time, you must determine if you can repair the original ceiling or need to install new drywall.
2. Remove the other ceiling tiles. Leave the ceiling lights in place until all the tiles are removed.
3. Turn off the power to the room at the circuit breaker service panel by switching the breaker toggle to the “off” position.
4. Untwist the wire nuts to one of the ceiling lights, taking care not to touch the bare wires with your hands. Place the ends of the voltage tester on the black and white wires that protrude from the ceiling to test for electricity.
5. Unscrew the light from the ceiling. Remove all other light fixtures from the ceiling. Gently tuck the electrical wires into the ceiling cavity for later use when installing new lighting.
6. Remove the metal framing of the drop ceiling system. Depending on the system, you may need to snip or twist off wires suspended from the ceiling and unscrew the angle pieces from the room’s perimeter walls.

Rebuild the New Ceiling

1. Place a drywall board on the drywall lift and spin the lift’s wheel to raise the board to a corner in the ceiling. Make sure that one end of the panel abuts the corner of the room and the other breaks over the center of the ceiling joist.
2. Screw the board to the ceiling joists with one drywall screw every 8 to 12 inches. When you drill in the screw, drive it so that the head presses just below the paper’s surface, creating a dimple.
3. Measure, cut, and lift your next board. To cut drywall, score the measuring line several times with the utility knife to break the paper’s surface. Press down the drywall section on the line, and the section will snap, leaving a clean cut. Ensure that the long ends of the drywall board rest on joists. Screw them into place.
4. Continue installing additional boards. Stagger the drywall board seams so that the ends of the next row of drywall do not line up with the ends of the first row, and so on.
5. Cutaway, round portions of the drywall to accommodate the lighting boxes. Measure the distance from the lighting fixture and transfer the measurement onto the drywall. Cut a hole with a drywall saw or drywall cutout tool. Insert the extension box into the electrical lightbox and screw it into place. Pull out the electrical wiring to suspend the wires into the room for later lighting installation.
6. Cover the seams between the boards with mesh tape. Apply a layer of joint compound over the seams and all screws with the 4-inch drywall knife. Allow drying.
7. Apply another layer of joint compound to the seams and screws, feathering out the edges. Allow drying. Sand smooth with the sanding sponge.
8. Apply a third layer of joint compound with the 6-inch knife, further feathering out the edges. Allow drying. Sand smooth.

Drop Ceiling Vs Drywall Applications

Living Room

When it comes to your living room, you might not have even considered a dropped ceiling. However, a drywall and drop ceiling can work well in a living room.
If you choose to add a dropped ceiling to your living room, you will probably want to invest in a more expensive ceiling tile style.

Art3d Drop Ceiling Tiles

Easily lay into a standard 15/16″ T-bar drop ceiling grid system or glued over any flat substrates. It’s thin and lightweight, pretty easy to work with, paintable, cut with a snip, scissors, or utility knife for quick and easy installation.

It’s made out of lightweight PVC, flexible and will not crack, water and corrosion-resistant for exceptional durability, safe and fully recyclable.

It contains 12 tiles sized 24 “x24”, and a 1 part blank tile for border filling. Covering 48 sq.ft

Features:

• Floral Pattern
• Lay or Glue
• Plastic

One significant aspect of this model is that if you want to install a fan, you can quickly drill a hole without causing any damage and mess; perhaps check out the Best Ceiling Fan for Large Living Room, where you likely used this specific type of ceiling tile.

Bedroom

Bedrooms are a place to relax and unwind, and they are less about making a statement than other rooms in the house. Drywall ceilings are a good option for bedrooms. They are easy to keep neutral and straightforward for a relaxing environment. That doesn’t mean you can’t install a drop ceiling in your bedroom. It’s just not as expected.

Daylight Drop Ceiling

AIJIA’s upgraded energy-efficient LED flat panel light is the perfect replacement for fluorescent light and gives you greater light control.

Mounting the LED flat panel lights directly flush mount in a drop ceiling grid or use a suspension kit for hanging from the ceiling with ease.

This high-quality, long-life-lasting type of LED drop ceiling light fixture projects illumination for business applications. Built made of firm materials, this fixture has excellent heat.

Features:

• Traditional
• Ceiling Mount
• Dimmable

Garage

Garages often have an unfinished ceiling. Other times they are drywall. Drywall is an excellent cheap option and will provide a good base if you choose to add other ceiling materials. Both drywall and drop ceilings will work in a garage.

Art3d Drop Ceiling Tile

Art3d ceiling tiles/panels are fabricated from classic, stylish, and elegant designs. It’s made of premium PVC, which is thin, lightweight, paintable, humidity and corrosion-resistant.

It’s thin and lightweight, pretty easy to work with, paintable, cut with a snip, scissors, or utility knife for quick and easy installation,

These elegant, stylish 3D designs are excellent no matter for remodeling or new construction to ceiling or wall decoration.

Features:

• Modern Ceiling
• Matte
• Glue Down

Drop Ceiling Cost vs Drywall

Drop Ceiling Pros

• Easy access: Drop ceilings give you easy access after installing them. This is a big choice between a drop ceiling or a drywall ceiling. With a suspended tile ceiling, you can get in there any time you want without hesitation. Simply pop out the tile, and you are in.
• Repairs are easy: Drop ceilings are easily fixed if there is water damage to an area. Simply pop out the tile and put in a new one. Probably one of the fastest DIY home improvements/repairs you will ever do.
• Lighting: Installing lighting fixtures and changing lighting with a drop ceiling is much easier.
• Sound insulation: Ceiling tiles are a great way to insulate the sound in a room. Different tiles can have a better acoustical rating to block sound. This is great for a movie theater room or just to muffle the sounds of people walking around upstairs.

Drop Ceiling Cons

• The appearance is not for everyone: Even though there are many different tiles and layouts, if you prefer a smooth-looking ceiling over a tile ceiling grid, drop ceilings aren’t your jam.
• Loss of height: Drop ceilings are typically a few inches lower than a drywall ceiling. So if you have a low ceiling in spots, a drop ceiling can be a pain.
• Installation: While the systems and steps are all very clear-cut for installing a drop ceiling, the process isn’t a fast one, and it can take a lot more time than you think.
• Drop ceiling cost: The drop ceiling cost will range from around $4 a square foot for materials and installation. Labor can be more, and if you want to do fancier tiles like darker for certain rooms in the house or better sound muffling, then your price goes way up.

Drywall Ceiling Pros

• Appearance: It’s hard to argue that the look of a lovely smooth drywall ceiling isn’t pleasing to the eye. It blends into the room and gives an easy aesthetic to the room. Allowing the more prominent features of a room to grab your eye.

Drywall Ceiling Cons

• Installation: If you are doing it yourself, the costs of installing a drywall ceiling are minimal. The materials are just some drywall, screws, tape, and mudding. But that’s the rub. Mudding drywall is an art. If you get it wrong, you will see the seams forever.
• Screw pops: When you do drywall, inevitably, over time, the drywall shifts, this can make the screws start to protrude through the drywall, show the screw bump, and not really give it the initial smooth look you were hoping for.
• Lighting: When you do a drywall ceiling, it’s for a lot of reasons. In a basement, you want to not lose the inches that you would have to give up to a drop ceiling. So when you have a drywall ceiling, you want to put in pot lights (or recessed lighting). This type of lightning requires boxing in the light and can cost you a lot of time and effort.
• Repairs: When you have water damage on a ceiling tile, you swap out the ceiling tile. When you have water damage on drywall (after you are done staring at it for five years), you have to cut out the whole damaged area put in a new piece of drywall. That includes screwing it in, taping it, mudding it constantly, and repainting it. Then you have to hope it looks the same as the rest of the ceiling, which it won’t because the paint will be fresher than all around it, and it will take a long time for it to blend in if it ever does.
• Accessibility: Drywall ceilings are hard to run wires, and cutting into them is hard for most DIY homes.