I'm thinking about dropping the ceiling in my 12x12 room, which is currently 10 feet high. The reason for this is that the existing ceiling has been heavily painted with a lead-based paint. I don't want to just paint over it to seal the lead, so I'm considering covering it up completely instead. We're also planning to install pot lights. My question is: can I frame the perimeter with 2x6s and then use 2x4s for the rest? I'm a bit concerned if that won't be enough support for the drywall. Has anyone here done something similar or have any advice on how to approach this?
1 Answer
You can totally use 1x4s flat as strapping attached to the joists or trusses. It’ll give you enough room for wiring and let you install those pancake LED pot lights easily.
That’s a good plan! I worry about the speckling on the ceiling though; shouldn’t you scrape the areas for a flush install? But then again, scraping means lead particles everywhere, and with a newborn on the way, that sounds risky!