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Show TRUE-FALSE QUIZ ON CEILINGS If you know what you re doing, a suspended ceiling can be the height of good design. But are you up-to-date or 20 years late in your knowledge of ceilings? This quiz will help you tell. First, some facts on the interesting background of suspended ceilings. As houses built during the post-World post-World War II boom became cramped, homeowners looked for inexpensive ways to convert attics, basements and garages into extra living space. The suspended ceiling, which had been used in office buildings and stores for many years, was drafted into residential service. The large panels, supported by a metal grid, were ideal for concealing exposed joists and rafters. The pegboard pattern on the panels posed no threat to - Michaelangelo, and the obtrusive gridwork suggested sug-gested an oversized erector set. But the "dropped ceiling" ceil-ing" did give a room a clean, completed look, and it also quelled noise. Together with a coat of paint on the cinderblock walls, a couple of throw rugs and a second-hand ping-pong ping-pong table, the suspended ceiling transformed a legion of basements into "rec rooms" during the 1950s and '60s. In fact, the suspended ceiling became too popular and prevalent for its own good. Its image froze in the minds of some homeowners at an early stage of its development. devel-opment. While every bit as practical, economical and easy to install as in bygone days, the suspended ceiling today has come a long way both stylistically and functionally. To judge for yourself, take this short true-false test and discover if you're still thinking in the past with regard to suspended ceilings: 1. Since the metal grid that supports the panel is visible, it interrupts the de- ' sign and gives the ceiling a "commercial" look. True or false? 2. The perforations punched into the panels to make them acoustical severely limit design possibilities. possi-bilities. True or false? 3. Incorporating light fixtures fix-tures in a suspended ceiling is a complicated affair beyond be-yond the abilities of the average do-it-yourselfer. True or false? 4. Suspended ceilings should be installed only in rooms with very high ceilings, ceil-ings, since a minimum drop p-L fi ......, of one foot is required. True or false? 5. An old ceiling that is badly damaged will not be able to support the large lay-in panels. True or false? If a "true" turned up in one or more of your answers, you may be pleasantly pleas-antly surprised by the following explanations: 1. False. Although the grid is exposed, a new type of suspended ceiling it's called Headliner integrates it into the design on the panels. Virtually undetectable, undetect-able, the grid becomes part of the wall-to-wall ceiling pattern. 2. False again. Some ceiling ceil-ing designs camouflage the acoustical perforations, thanks to new manufacturing manufac-turing techniques. These designs, which include realistic real-istic reproductions of inlaid wood and ornately sculptured sculp-tured plaster, qualify suspended ceilings for the best rooms in the house. 3. Negative. Fluorescent fixtures which provide low-cost, high -efficiency lighting can be bought pre-assembled. pre-assembled. These are attached at-tached to the grid in just a few minutes with a screwdriver. screw-driver. Should lighting needs change, relocating the fixtures fix-tures is equally easy. 4. No way. A suspended ceiling can be lowered as little as three inches from the old ceiling. That small space can provide big benefits,, though, by hiding cracks and stains in the old ceiling as well as overhead pipes and wires. 5. False. Unlike ceiling tiles which are cemented or stapled directly to the old ceiling, lay-in panels don't come into contact with it. They are held aloft by the grid which in turn is supported sup-ported by the entire wall-ceiling wall-ceiling structure. Further updating on suspended ceilings can be obtained in the booklet "Consumer Guide to Selecting Select-ing the Right Ceiling." You can get a free copy by writing to Armstrong Cork Co., P.O. Box 3001, Lancaster, PA 17604. |