ProLITE Decorative Grid Strips (Pack of 25)

• Tape Measure
• Pencil
• Straight edge (optional)
• Scissors or Aviation (Tin) Snips
• Gloves
• Eye Protection

Have old tiles still in good condition? Reuse them to add heat and sound insulation as well as support regular insulation above your new tiles by pushing your existing tiles up out of place and turning them slightly to rest on top of the grid system. Watch our video
NOTE: this is likely not compliant with commercial building codes, so verify if this is an option.

Due to the ProLITE Decorative Grid Strips (Pack of 25)'s thin construction, regular fiberglass insulation is too heavy be laid on top. If your space requires insulation above the tiles you have a few options:

• Use SoniGuard insulation: the only insulation that can safely sit directly on top of the ProLITE Decorative Grid Strips (Pack of 25) tile.
• Support on your old tiles (see above).
• Place 1x1 or 1x2 wood furring strips across the top of the grid to use as support for insulation.
• Secure the insulation to the "real ceiling" of your space, leaving the tops of the tiles clear of any need to support weight.

Make sure your grid system is clean, using rubbing alcohol or 409 to remove dirt and oils.

For best results, make sure the temperature in the room is 60-80F and low humidity.

Grid Strips
Should be butted up to one another. Do not overlap! Always start at the same end with each consecutive strip. Always dry-fit first, before peeling off the backing, to see if any trimming is needed.

Take your first strip. The dot at the end should be directly over the intersection of 4 tiles. Once you have the strip lined up, peel the backing from the self adhesive. Run all the strips one direction first.

Finish by installing the strips that run perpendicular to the tiles. Each strip will need to be trimmed, so keep a pair of scissors or snips in your pocket and cut off the dotted end.

Grid Tape
Start in a corner and work one direction. Trim the tape to fit when you reach the end of a run. Finish off by covering the remaining cross T's (shorter grid sections). Trim the tape to fit the space exactly (do not overlap).

Place all of the full sized tiles first so you can:

• Verify that your grid is properly aligned/spaced prior to cutting partial tiles.
• Set aside any tiles with damaged corners to use for border/partial tiles. We ALWAYS gladly replace any tiles damaged in shipping, but if you need to cut tiles for border tiles, you'll end up cutting off 2 corners anyways. This can save you time, save the environment, and help you complete your project perfectly without waiting for replacements.

The ProLITE Decorative Grid Strips (Pack of 25) ceiling tile is very easy to cut with regular household scissors. Put measurements on the back side of the tile with a pencil or grease pencil, mark a straight line, and cut! For tiles with a decorative design, you have 4 options for the perimeter of your room, choose the one that fits your taste!

• Border tile: If a border tile is recommended above, you can use this to have a flatter design for partial tiles.
• Cut edge against wall: Cut your tile so the cut edge is along the perimeter of the room. You may see some shadowing if your tile recesses above the grid.
• Finished on perimeter: This puts the cut edge on the side opposite the wall. Your repeating pattern from the full tiles will be somewhat interrupted, but shadowing along the cut edge will only be visible if you stand right next to the wall.
• Splice edges: For tiles with a simple, straight design, and a certain size of partial tile, you may be able to cut a strip out the middle of the tile and glue or tape the two halves together to essentially make a custom tile the exact width of your border. If done well, this has the added benefits of continuing the pattern from the full tiles as well as having a finished edge along the wall. However, this method is more time-intensive, can leave a visible overlap line, and doesn't work with all tiles or border widths.

Choose a tile design that has a large enough flat area for the light bezel to lay flush once installed. As with standard mineral fiber tiles, you must choose lights that have grid mounting brackets so that the weight of the light is supported by the grid system and not the tile. The ProLITE Decorative Grid Strips (Pack of 25) is not strong enough to support even newer, light-weight clip-in 'puck' style of LED light. Our heavier-duty Signature Series Ceiling Tiles have worked with certain styles of puck lighting.

Place your light fixture and tile in the grid system. Adjust the light to its final position and mark this on the backside of your tile. Use the template to mark the hole in the tile (usually the light bezel itself will be close if no template is available). Cut the opening with scissors or a razor blade.

Caution
Unshielded fixtures, especially those using halogen lighting, present a risk of fire or melting the tiles.

The ProLITE Decorative Grid Strips (Pack of 25) tile is designed to operate in temperatures up to 120F. Higher temperatures can happen around heat registers, above stoves and ovens, around high temperature lighting, and in environments that intentionally have higher temperatures, like heat spas and Hot Yoga/Bikram studios. Contact us if your space may be subjected to any of these conditions.

If you are installing tiles outdoors or near a door, you may find that a few of your tiles have a tendency to lift out of the grid. The very simple fix is to use our Uplift Prevention Clips or tape inexpensive, powerful magnets to the back of the tiles in a few spots to hold it to the grid. 30-pack on Amazon

• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Chalk line (recommended)
• Straight edge
• Scissors or Aviation (Tin) Snips
• Adhesive (about 1 tube for every 8 tiles)
• Paper towels and water for clean-up
• Decorative Strips (if not overlapping tiles)
• Eye protection

• Sheetrock, Drywall, Plaster, Cement, Wood Paneling, Plywood
  Install the tiles directly to the ceiling using an adhesive that is compatible with both the ceiling and the ceiling tile.
• Wood Furring Strips
  Furring strips are a great solution for rough ceilings that would require a lot of work to fix. Level with shims as you install them to give a flat mounting surface. Space out the furring strips according to your tile spacing determined below. If installing 2x4 tiles, we recommend doing a 2x2 pattern so the middle of the tile can also be adhered.
• Popcorn / Stucco / Cottage Cheese Ceilings
  Ceiling tiles should never be applied directly to popcorn ceilings. Either remove the ceiling texture, add a new layer of drywall or 1/4" hardiebacker over the surface, or install furring strips. NOTE: If removing texture installed before the mid-1980's, test beforehand for asbestos, which may require removal by a licensed contractor.

Due to the manufacturing process, the width of the flat border around a ceiling tile isn't always perfectly uniform. NEVER use the outside edge of the tile to determine placement. Instead, use the edge of the tile design (just inside the flat border).

Note: If the ceiling tile you have chosen has a large amount of relief, consider using a flatter border tile in the spaces where there are lights, vents or other obstructions.

Consider the main, most visible area of your space as well as the longest runs of tiles. These are usually the lines you want square to your starting wall (used as the base for your lines). Most rooms are not square and many times tile layout is a compromise of room shape and border tile size needs.

Using the tile spacing you determined earlier, add the tile grid to your drawing. Many people prefer equal width border tiles on opposing walls. Also, a larger border is often preferred over a small one (e.g. in an 11' wide room many people prefer 4 full tiles and 2 18" wide border tiles over 5 full tiles and 2 6" wide border tiles).

Use a chalk line (or pencil) to put your layout onto the ceiling to keep everything straight. Be precise; if you are off by only 1/8" on each tile, after 8 tiles you will be off a whole inch!

Apply a bead of adhesive all the way around the perimeter of the backside of the tile. Make the bead 1/8" to 3/16" in size. If the tile center lays flat on the ceiling, add a 4" "X" to the center section with adhesive. If the tile has a design where only a few areas touch the ceiling, place dabs of adhesive on those sections. Keep a damp towel handy to clean up any adhesive that may seep out.

Gently place the tile close to its final location next to your chalk lines. Lightly press the tile to the ceiling as you slide it into position. This lets the adhesive spread out and smear a bit. Once you are satisfied that the tile is in place, firmly press it to the ceiling, rubbing out any bumps in the adhesive.

Strips should be butted up to one another. Do not overlap! Always start at the same end with each consecutive strip. Always dry-fit first, before peeling off the backing, to see if any trimming is needed.

Take your first strip. The dot at the end should be directly over the intersection of 4 tiles. Once you have the strip lined up, peel the backing from the self adhesive. Run all the strips one direction first.

Finish by installing the strips that run perpendicular to the tiles. Each strip will need to be trimmed, so keep a pair of scissors or snips in your pocket and cut off the dotted end.