# Suspended Acoustical Ceiling Estimating



## A+ Texture LLC

Anyone have a rough idead the labor time it takes to hang this stuff. Job is 9', and 10' to rafters. I know it will vary depending on crew just looking for a ballpark idea. And if you want to be real helpful send me a PM, I'd also like a ballpark price per sq ft. If not no worries a labor idea will get me close enough. I know this will also vary but I'd like to do this whole job and need to include a price for the drop ceiling as well. Thanks guys.


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## FOR THOSE ABOUT

Can you walk stilts? How many ceilings have you done? Do you have a rotary laser? How many square feet?


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## A+ Texture LLC

Yes I can walk on stilts, this would be my first suspended ceiling, no I don't have the laser, yet. A little over 4000'.


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## FOR THOSE ABOUT

sending you a pm


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## joepro0000

*Acoustical Ceilings*



A+ Texture LLC said:


> Yes I can walk on stilts, this would be my first suspended ceiling, no I don't have the laser, yet. A little over 4000'.


 
The hardest thing for me doing them is tieing the wires at the level for the grid. Make sure you have stilts. Charge about 1-1.25 sq ft. This includes labor for grid and tile installation. Not sure how much labor you can do it in, but most jobs, a real acoustical installer can do it by himself with a baker or stilts.


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## joepro0000

BTW: charge more it is reveal in tile.


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## FOR THOSE ABOUT

Hey Joe...the word is TEGULAR. This is Bill from Florida stuck in Maine !


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## jackleg

do yourself a favor and don't bid the job... you are not qualified....


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## A+ Texture LLC

Is that to say you should never think of expanding what your buisness does? Or should I go work for another company after owning my own buisness for 8 years just to learn how to do it. It's not rocket science dude. If you don't venture into the unknown sometimes you will never learn anything new.


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## penandscale

1.25 sqft for labor will work. add.15 sqft for 2x2 grid. unless it is a small job under 2000 sqft add another .30sqft 
9' to rafters could be a problem if duct above. tight space may need additional wires.
smaller laser will work fine unless its a large space over 70'


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## jackleg

if you need a laser to do quality work, then you have already lost!!! millions of square footage of ceilings were installed long before the laser existed.. nothing is better than a mechanic that has a trained eye. green installers have become dependent on the laser and their finished product is, at times, less than stellar.


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## FOR THOSE ABOUT

jackleg said:


> if you need a laser to do quality work, then you have already lost!!! millions of square footage of ceilings were installed long before the laser existed.. nothing is better than a mechanic that has a trained eye. green installers have become dependent on the laser and their finished product is, at times, less than stellar.


I agree, I learned ceilings prior to a laser. I believe in this application it would be helpful.


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## d-rock

jackleg said:


> if you need a laser to do quality work, then you have already lost!!! millions of square footage of ceilings were installed long before the laser existed.. nothing is better than a mechanic that has a trained eye. green installers have become dependent on the laser and their finished product is, at times, less than stellar.


 That's ridiculous. should we frame houses with a handsaw ??? next time you go see your doctor, and he wants to use the x-ray machine, tell him NO. Tell him millions of people were diagnosed with a 'trained eye' !!:blink:


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## jackleg

for larger areas, 2000 sq. ft. or more, the laser is a valuable tool... but a mechanic should have the ability to run, at least, 1000 sq'. flawlessly without one... blind faith with a laser can give poor results, just as blind faith in a level that has been dropped many times. before laser technology, we were relied on plumb bobs and water levels. archaic tools, no doubt, but the results were universally correct. plumb bobs and water levels don't lie. very little human error... i have seen many laser applications that were unacceptable...


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## d-rock

i always use a plum bob. They are excellent. WATER LEVELS SUCK !!! they are inconsistent and tempermental. My lasers are 150% dead on. AND FAST. i could do it the old fashion way, but why bother? it's silly. In the end, if a guy is a SHI* Carpenter, all the lasers and water levels in the world won't help !


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## jackleg

d-rock, your opinion and mine are the same.. that's why my original post on this subject stated that one should not bid a job he is not qualified to perform.


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## rebel20

joepro0000 said:


> The hardest thing for me doing them is tieing the wires at the level for the grid. Make sure you have stilts. Charge about 1-1.25 sq ft. This includes labor for grid and tile installation. Not sure how much labor you can do it in, but most jobs, a real acoustical installer can do it by himself with a baker or stilts.


Who ties wire these days


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## d-rock

there's a trick to tie the wire using *****. mark the ***** and twist to the laser line. we use drop clips around here, with black iron


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## rebel20

Here is what is used here


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## dgibbons21

Hey Rebel 20, wow that's quite a contraption. So what is the cost on that thing anyway. And btw is it even legal in the U.S. cause I've never seen one.


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## dgibbons21

To A+Texture. Penandscale's number's are pretty good even for out west here. I am in Cali. Sacramento. We're about the same. Tying the wires is very important but not that hard I don't really like revealing alot of trade secrets but I think alot of people know how we tie our wires using a crank handle. Just give yourself about 8" of extra wire put it through the main runner bring it over the main and past itself bend it up like a crank handle crank the main down to the laser light or magnetic torpedo level hanging on cross tee and give it three good tight raps w/in 1". That's code. And those numbers are very good and accurate if I were licensed to work in Arizona I would come down there and hang it for you for that price + expenses.


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## rebel20

dgibbons21 said:


> Hey Rebel 20, wow that's quite a contraption. So what is the cost on that thing anyway. And btw is it even legal in the U.S. cause I've never seen one.


Because you can't buy them there. They are here in Europe and they have a special profile channel. and yes it is legal probably just to expensive to ship for around 7000 sq/ft you are looking at 13,000 for the whole construction with the panels complete


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## ceilingguy

*get some help*

I'm all about learning but 4000 sq ft is way to much for a trial run and please unless you throw up 3000 sq ft a day like I do don't give ceiling advice and if you cant talk inteligently about lasers leave them out of it


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## igorson

jackleg said:


> do yourself a favor and don't bid the job... you are not qualified....


You are wrong body, he should try it even if he makes some mistakes otherwise he never start anything new and in that case he loose for sure. 
http://1drywall.com


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## merinamolly

Visit here: suspended acoustical ceiling It is a high quality, fabric covered sound absorbing board designed to reduce unwanted room reflection, flapping and fluttering echoes and providing a more pleasant and accurate listening environment.


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## Johhny D

jackleg said:


> if you need a laser to do quality work, then you have already lost!!! millions of square footage of ceilings were installed long before the laser existed.. nothing is better than a mechanic that has a trained eye. green installers have become dependent on the laser and their finished product is, at times, less than stellar.


That's a garbage answer. With the technology we have today no ceiling should be built without a laser. Also if you don't know anything about ceilings or tying wires then you also have no business building ceilings. Either leave it alone or hire a professional to do it for you.


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## Johhny D

jackleg said:


> for larger areas, 2000 sq. ft. or more, the laser is a valuable tool... but a mechanic should have the ability to run, at least, 1000 sq'. flawlessly without one... blind faith with a laser can give poor results, just as blind faith in a level that has been dropped many times. before laser technology, we were relied on plumb bobs and water levels. archaic tools, no doubt, but the results were universally correct. plumb bobs and water levels don't lie. very little human error... i have seen many laser applications that were unacceptable...


Most laser applications that are "unacceptable" are do to poor training and lack of care in there quality of work. If you know what your doing and you regularly check your laser to make sure their calibration is good and are using the correct laser for the right job then there's really no issues. We don't live in the plumb Bob and water level ages anymore and we will probably never be there again so let's not pretend that way is quicker or more efficient. Lasers a quicker and easier to use and work wonders if you know how to use them correctly.


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## Johhny D

d-rock said:


> i always use a plum bob. They are excellent. WATER LEVELS SUCK !!! they are inconsistent and tempermental. My lasers are 150% dead on. AND FAST. i could do it the old fashion way, but why bother? it's silly. In the end, if a guy is a SHI* Carpenter, all the lasers and water levels in the world won't help !


Couldn't have said it better myself!


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