Armstrong Ceilings 1278 Installation guide

Easy Elegance

™

Ceiling Panel

Installation Instructions

R

C3

22

3

-

8

1

9

DE

S

I

G

N

CO

N

S

IDERATI

O

N

S

•

C

l

ea

r

a

n

ce:

Easy Eleganc

e

™

ceiling panels are a drop/suspended ceiling, using Armstrong Prelud

e

®

15/16-in Grid. You will need to have

a

pproximately 6-in of clearance above the

g

rid face to install 1280BXA Deep Coffer panels

a

n

d

3-in above 1282BXA Shallow Coffer

panels and onl

y

2.5-in above

f

or 1278 Flat White, 1279 Flat White Panels.

• L

i

ght

i

ng

:

Easy Elegance panels work with most modern light ﬁ xtures. Leave a 1/8-in gap between recessed light housing and panel.

A

dditionally, the 1280BXA panel is 2.5-in tall, so light ﬁ xtures may require a height extension component to provide clearance above the

panel when installed. Consult local electrical code or lighting ﬁ xture manufacturer for all light ﬁ xture requirements.

• Heat Source

:

Do not install Easy Elegance products in direct contact with open ﬂ ame or a heat source that can exceed 130 degrees

fahrenheit. Most recessed lighting options will meet this requirement, especially modern CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lighting) and

LED li

g

hts

.

• Cuttin

g

Panels for Border/Perimeter

:

Cuttin

g

1280BXA and 1282BXA Coffer panels is not recommended. We recommend usin

g

1278

a

nd 1279 Flat White for all border cuts or ﬁ nishin

g

off your perimeter with drywall usin

g

our MBAC and DWAC clips installed on your

15/16-in

g

rid

.

•

D

i

rect

i

onal Installat

i

on

:

1278 and 1279 Flat White must be installed directionally. Arrows on the back o

f

the panels will show the

proper or

i

entat

i

on.

Installation Instruction

s

(

RESIDENTIAL USE ONLY

)

W

ARNIN

G

:

P

anels should not be ex

p

osed to tem

p

eratures in excess o

f

130° F.

MATERIAL

S

AND T

OO

L

S

Materials Needed:

• 12-

g

au

g

e Han

g

er Wires and Wire Fasteners or QuickHan

g

™

h

oo

k

s

a

n

d

b

r

ac

k

e

t

s

•

P

re

l

u

d

e

®

Main Beams and

C

oordinating Tee

s

• UHD

C

Universal

C

lear Hold Down

C

lip

s

• Easy Ele

g

ance

™

P

a

n

e

l

s

•

W

a

ll

M

o

ldi

ngs

(

7800

R)

• Main Beam Attachment Clips

(

MBAC

)

and Drywall Attachment Clips

(

DWAC

)

—for use with drywall perimeters

T

oo

l

s

N

ee

d

e

d:

•

S

afety

G

lasses • Utility Knife

• Cut-resistant Gloves • Metal Sni

p

s

• Chalk Line • Car

p

enter’s Level or Laser Level

• Measuring Tape • Drill with Driver bit

• Hammer • Ball of String

• Pencil •

C

lamps (4–6)

S

TEP 1: PLAN LAYOU

T

S

ample Room Panel Layou

t

See

ill

us

tr

a

ti

o

n

s

1

&

6

S

tart by determinin

g

the size of your border panels. Armstron

g

Ceilin

g

s

recommends border panels are 1-ft or larger for a clean visual in your space.

T

o ac

hi

eve t

hi

s v

i

sua

l

,

y

ou w

ill

nee

d

to measure t

h

e room

di

mens

i

ons an

d

determine how many

f

ull size panels will

ﬁ

t alon

g

the wall, startin

g

with your

m

ain beam direction

(

mains always run opposite o

f

the

j

oists

)

. This can be

c

alculated by sectioning the length of your wall into 2-ft increments (full size

panels) until you have a remainder less than 2-ft. Next, take your remainder

a

nd add 2-

f

t

(

one

f

ull size panel

)

and divide by 2

f

or equal panels on opposite

sides. This number indicates your border panel size for your ﬁ rst wall. Repeat

this process to determine the size of the border panel for the adjacent wall

.

E

XAMPL

E

:

The length o

f

Wall A (

i

llus. 1) i

s

1

5

-ft 7-in.

Sec

ti

o

n thi

s

w

a

ll int

o

2

-

f

t increments,

ﬁ

ndin

g

a remainder o

f

1-

f

t 7-in. Now add 2-

f

t

f

or a total o

f

3-ft 7-in and divide by 2, to get 1-ft 9-1/2-in. This is the size of the border

p

anel for Wall A.

T

he length for Wall B is 11-ft 3-in.

S

ection this wall into 2-ft increments,

ﬁ

ndin

g

a remainder o

f

1-

f

t 3-in. Now add 2-

f

t

f

or a total o

f

3-

f

t 3-in, and

divide by 2, to get 1-ft 7-1/2-in. This is the size of the border panel for

W

a

ll B.

O

nce you know the border panel size for the ad

j

acent wall, locate the

placement o

f

the

ﬁ

rst main beam. This will be 2-

f

t plus the border panel size

from the wall. For Wall B, our border

p

anel size was 1-ft 7-1/2-in,

p

lus 2-ft

f

o

r

a

t

o

t

a

l

o

f

3

-ft 7-1

/

2-in.

See

ill

us

tr

a

ti

o

n 1

T

h

e

r

e

m

a

in

de

r

of

th

e

m

a

in

bea

m

s

a

r

e

in

s

t

a

ll

ed

o

n 4-

f

t

ce

nt

e

r

s

f

r

o

m th

e

ﬁ

r

s

t

m

a

i

n

b

eam

.

I

nstall 4-ft cross tees as shown in illustration 1

,

then install 2-ft cross tees as

s

h

o

wn in ill

us

tr

a

ti

o

n

6

.

S

ee illustrations 1 &

6

S

TEP 2: INSTALL WALL MOLDING

S

ee illustration

2

• Mark height desired for new ceiling (A)

.

R

EMINDE

R

: Y

ou

n

eed

6

-in

of

c

learance above the

f

ace o

f

your wall moldin

g

to install 1280BXA Dee

p

C

offer panel

s

a

n

d

3

-in for 1282BXA Shallow Coffer panel

s

a

n

d

on

ly

2.5-in above for 1278 Flat White, 1279 Flat White

p

anels.

• Add height o

f

Wall Molding and mark a level line around 3 walls (B)

.

• Snap a connectin

g

chalk line on the 4th wall.

•

N

a

il

W

a

ll

M

o

ldi

n

g

to t

h

e wa

ll

stu

d

s

(

C

)

.

U

se anc

h

ors as appropr

i

ate

f

or wall t

yp

e.

• If nailing molding directly to wall is not possible (for example, a

so

li

d

c

oncrete or stone wall

)

, han

g

a section o

f

main beam next to the wall

a

s a substitute for re

g

ular wall moldin

g

(D)

.

Easy Elegance

™

Ceiling Panel

Installation Instructions

R

C3

22

3

-

8

1

9

G

rid layout, example: main beams, 4-ft tees and hanger wire.

1

5

'

7

"

1' 9-1/ 2

"

Mai

n

Bea

m

s

3

' 7-1

/

2

"

Rows of 4-ft

C

ross Tees

Snap chalk lines for wire fasteners and secure han

g

er wires every 4-ft alon

g

chalk lines

11

'

3"

W

a

ll

A

W

a

ll

B

6

11

'

3"

R

o

w

s

of

2-

f

t

C

ross Tees

1

5' 7"

3

' 7-1

/

2"

1

'

9

-1

/

2

"

E

xample o

f

complete

i

nstalled gr

i

d system.

B

A

C

D

2

S

TEP 3: INSTALL SUSPENSION GRID

I

nstall

f

asteners and Hanger W

i

res

See

ill

us

tr

a

ti

o

n

3

• Sna

p

chalk lines for Main Beams 4-ft a

p

art.

•

S

crew in Wire Fasteners 4-ft apart

(B)

.

• Wrap Han

g

er Wire securely around itself 3 times

(

C

)

.

P

re-bend han

g

er wires

S

ee illustration

3

• Measure up 7

/

8-in from the bottom of the molding. Drive nail into wall joist

j

ust a

b

ove mo

ldi

ng.

• Do the same on the other side of the room.

S

tretch a strin

g

from nail to

nail along a row of wires

(A)

.

•

S

win

g

han

g

er wire over to strin

g

and bend each one at 90° where they

touc

h

t

h

e str

i

ng

(B)

.

S

tretch additional strings to prebend other hanger

wi

res, to

h

e

l

p

l

eve

l

ent

i

re ce

ili

ng

.

• Remove Levelin

g

S

trin

g

s after prebendin

g

wires.

NO

T

E

:

For a DIY-friendly residential installation, try QuickHan

g

™

h

oo

k

s an

d

b

rackets

(

see Addendum for instructions

).

Trim th

e

m

a

in

beam

S

ee illustration

4

• Refer to

y

our room la

y

out. Trim end of ﬁ rst Main Beam

(

A

)

so

th

a

t

a

C

r

oss

T

ee slot on the Main Beam is the border panel distance

f

rom the wall

(B)

.

(I

n our examp

l

e

i

n

I

llustrat

i

on

1

, this is 3-ft 7-1/2-in from wall.

)

H

an

g

the

ﬁ

rst ma

i

n bea

m

S

ee illustration

6

•

S

tretch a

g

uide strin

g

from one end of the room to the other 1

/

2-in past

th

e

ce

nt

e

r

o

f th

e

ﬁ r

s

t m

a

in

a

n

d

be

l

o

w th

e

bo

tt

o

m

o

f th

e

w

a

ll

mo

ldi

ng.

EXAMPLE

:

If the ﬁ rst main should be 3-ft 7-1

/

2-in from the wall

,

measure

out 3-

f

t 8-in

f

rom the wall at each end o

f

the room and stretch the string

f

rom one end o

f

the room to the other.

• Place the cut end of the main on the wall molding and insert a hanger wire

i

nto a hole in the main directly under the wire

f

astener so the wire is plumb

and wrap the wire around itsel

f

at least three times

.

• Insert any other wires into the main and wrap the wire around itself at least

t

h

ree t

i

mes.

Cut Border Cross Tee

s

See

ill

us

tr

a

ti

o

n

5

• Find the location of the ﬁ rst border cross tee.

(

Border panel distance from

end of main beam)

.

• Place the end o

f

the white

f

ace o

f

the cross tee a

g

ainst the ed

g

e o

f

the

w

all moldin

g

at the side and cut the cross tee where it crosses the

g

uide

str

i

ng

(B)

.

Easy Elegance

™

Ceiling Panel

Installation Instructions

R

C3

22

3

-

8

1

9

W

all molding outside corne

r

W

all mold

i

n

g

i

ns

i

de corne

r

3

A

4

S

tep

1

S

tep 2

L

eve

l

str

i

ng

B

90

°

A

J

oist

Easy Elegance

™

Ceiling Panel

Installation Instructions

•

In

se

rt th

e

u

n

cu

t

e

n

d

of

th

e

c

r

oss

t

ee

int

o

th

e

m

a

in

a

n

d

r

es

t th

e

cu

t

e

n

d

of

t

h

e tee on t

h

e mo

ldi

n

g

(A

-1,

Ill

us. 7

)

.

•

The far edge of the main should be directly above the string

.

•

If you are using hook end cross tees, measure from the wall to the string

a

nd cut the cross tee to that length. The string will then line up with the

near edge of the main.

•

C

ut the second cross tee to length and insert it

.

•

Temporarily

f

asten the tees to the wall moldin

g

so they do not move

us

i

n

g

c

l

amp

.

•

Illustration 6

shows an example of a completely installed grid system.

6

S

quaring the

G

ri

d

S

ee illustration

5

•

Now install the

ﬁ

rst section o

f

the second row o

f

mains a

f

ter cuttin

g

o

ff

o

ne end so a cross tee slot is the border

p

anel distance

f

rom the end

.

•

In

s

t

a

ll tw

o

fou

r

foo

t

c

r

oss

t

ees

be

tw

ee

n th

e

tw

o

m

a

in

s

in lin

e

with th

e

ﬁ

r

s

t

tw

o

bo

r

de

r t

ees

(C)

.

•

Measure across the diagonals of the 2-ft x 4-ft opening. The

measurements will be the same if the grid is square. If the measurements

a

re not the same, shorten one of the mains until the diagonals are equal

.

Install Gri

d

S

ee illustration

7

•

Complete the rows of mains joining the ends.

•

Finish cutting border cross tees between the wall and the ﬁ rst row

o

f m

a

in

s.

•

Use the le

f

t-over ends o

f

the mains to start other rows o

f

mains i

f

y

our

room re

q

uires them

.

•

I

f

you have additional rows o

f

mains to install, stretch a second strin

g

f

rom one side o

f

the room to the other ali

g

nin

g

it with the

ﬁ

rst 4

f

oot cross

tee as s

h

own

(D)

.

S

ee illustration

5

•

This second strin

g

will be your

g

uide

f

or cuttin

g

the remainin

g

rows o

f

mains. Just measure from the end wall to the string to determine the

d

istance

f

or the

ﬁ

rst cross tee slot you will use.

•

You must line up cross tee slots for the grid to be square!

•

M

easu

r

e

a

n

d

cu

t

bo

r

de

r

c

r

oss

t

ees

a

t th

e

o

th

e

r

s

i

de

o

f th

e

r

oo

m.

S

TEP 4: IN

S

TALL PANEL

S

ee illustration

8

•

Cut panels that will integrate with lighting; leave 1/8-in gap

b

etween pane

l

an

d

recesse

d

li

g

h

t

i

ng

.

•

Install lights (need height extension when using 1280BXA panels).

– 2 1/2-in above grid line for 1280BXA deep coffer panels

– 7

/

16-in above

g

rid line for 1282BXA shallow coffer panels

R

C3

22

3

-

8

1

9

Guide Strin

g

2nd Guide Strin

g

C

heck Dia

g

onal Measurement

s

B

D

C

A

Bo

r

de

r

C

r

oss

Tees

cu

t

a

n

d

c

li

ppe

d

to

m

o

ldi

n

g

so

Mai

n

Bea

m

a

li

gns w

i

t

h

s

tr

i

ng

Sec

ti

o

n

o

f 1

s

t

Mai

n

Beam

F

u

ll 4-

f

t

C

r

oss

T

ees

Section of 2nd

M

ain Beam

5

6

11

'

3

"

Rows of 2-ft

C

r

oss

T

ees

1

5'

7

"

3

' 7-1

/

2

"

1

'

9

-1

/

2

"

A

-1

A

7

B

W

a

ll

M

o

ldi

n

g

B

order Panel Distance

Se

t trimm

ed

e

n

d

o

f M

a

in B

ea

m

o

n

Wall Molding

C

r

oss

T

ee

S

l

o

t

Easy Elegance

™

Ceiling Panel

Installation Instructions

RC3

22

3

-

8

1

9

• Cut 1278 Flat White and 1279 Flat White border panels, usin

g

a sharp mat knife.

• Install UHDC Universal Hold Down Cli

p

s as necessar

y

to kee

p

anels

from shifting (possible near doors

/

windows)

.

ADDENDUM

QuickHan

g

™

H

a

r

d

w

a

r

e

F

O

R RE

S

IDENTIAL

US

E

O

NLY

:

N

O

TE

:

The QuickHan

g

™

hardware is desi

g

ned to work with solid wood

a

nd engineered wood joists in residential ceiling applications. QuickHang

hardware allows for ceiling drops from 2.5" to 6" with 6" grid hook kits

o

r 2.5" to 12" with 12" grid hook kits, below the bottom of the joists.

Q

uickHang hardware is not for use on ﬁ nished drywall ceilings.

Safet

y

Tips

• Do not cut QuickHang hooks. If the hook needs to be shortened due to an

o

b

struct

i

on, t

h

e to

p

ort

i

on can

b

e

b

ent

by

h

an

d

or w

i

t

h

pli

ers

.

TIP

S

:

M

easure an

d

mar

k

your

j

o

i

sts pr

i

or to

i

nsta

ll

at

i

on.

U

se a str

i

ng

li

ne or

ch

a

lk

li

ne to a

li

gn mar

k

s perpen

di

cu

l

ar to

j

o

i

sts across t

h

e room.

How to Install the QuickHang

™

Hooks and Brackets

•

H

an

g

your str

i

n

g

li

ne or snap your c

h

a

lk

li

ne to pos

i

t

i

on your ma

i

n

b

eams

4'

a

p

art

.

• Make a 1" long vertical mark up the side o

f

each joist where a bracket will

be located (A

)

.

•

U

se t

h

e center

h

o

l

e

i

n t

h

e

b

rac

k

ets to

li

ne t

h

e

b

rac

k

ets u

p

w

i

t

h

y

our

ma

r

ks

(B)

.

• Hammer in the 2 tabs

f

or a temporary hold

(C)

.

•

N

a

il

t

h

e

b

rac

k

et to t

h

e

j

o

i

st t

h

roug

h

t

h

e two open

i

ngs a

b

ove t

h

e

h

ammer

ta

b

s w

i

t

h

t

h

e na

il

s

i

nc

l

u

d

e

d

i

n t

h

e

ki

t

(D)

.

–

O

PTI

O

NAL

:

You can also secure the bracket to the

j

oist with a sin

g

le

#5 Wood

S

crew through the center hole (screws not included in kit

h

ardware

).

• With the bracket securely attached to the joist, insert the grid hook using

the diamond-shaped holes in the brackets. Thread the small end o

f

the

h

ook,

f

rom the back, through the lower hole (E

)

. Push the hook up and

r

otate to thread throu

g

h the upper hole, squeezin

g

the sprin

g

tabs to allow

t

h

e w

i

re to go t

h

roug

h

(F)

.

IMP

O

RTANT

:

Do not cut

Q

uickHang hooks. If the hook needs to be shortened

d

ue to an obstruction, the top portion can be bent by hand or with pliers

.

• Turn all hooks in the same direction, parallel to the joists.

• Set the hooks at about the same height; the bottom of the hooks should

align with the top o

f

the wall molding

.

• To adjust the height o

f

the hook, squeeze the upper and lower spring tabs

while liftin

g

or lowerin

g

the hook

.

N

O

TE

:

You will do ﬁ nal levelin

g

once all of the

g

rid is installed

.

7800 Wall Molding

Main Beam

Cross Tee

Easy Elegance

™

Panel 1280BXA

12 ga Hanger Wire to Structure

1278 & 1279 Flat White Panels

Main Beam

7800 Wall Molding

Main Beam

12 ga Hanger Wire to Structure

Easy Elegance

Panel 1280BXA

8

Hammer

tabs

C

1" long

vertical

mark

Joist

A

Align

center

of bracket

with vertical

mark

Bracket

B

Insert

grid hook

E

D

F

Easy Elegance

™

Ceiling Panel

Installation Instructions

R

C3

22

3

-

8

1

9

Eas

y

Eleganc

e

™

FAQ’

s

Can I paint Armstrong

®

Easy Elegance Coffers?

• All Armstrong Easy Elegance products can be painted with latex paint before installation. Make sure that your ceiling panels are

clean and dry, and experiment on a sample with your paint of choice before painting the ceiling in its entirety. Field painting will

vo

id

t

h

e warranty.

A

re Armstrong Easy Elegance Coffers ﬁ re rated?

• All Armstrong Easy Elegance products meet residential building codes for safety. While we do not recommend for commercial use,

local code ofﬁ cials can provide guidance.

A

re your ceiling tiles moisture resistant

?

• Our ri

g

id PVC ceilin

g

tiles are extremely moisture resistant. In fact, they are unaffected by humidity, and will not absorb water at all.

Th

e

y

are mo

i

sture, mo

ld

an

d

m

ild

ew res

i

stant

.

C

an I mount Armstrong Easy Elegance Panels directly to my ceiling

?

•

O

ur lightweight designs are made exclusively for grid mount

/

drop ceiling applications.

Will air ﬂ ow cause my tiles to lift out of the ceiling grid?

• For normal installations, most desi

g

ns do not require hold down clips. Hold down clips are only required in extreme conditions. If there is

a rapid chan

g

e in the air pressure above and below the tiles, they may move. You can purchase hold down clips

(

Item #UHDC

)

if you feel

that you will need them for your ceilin

g

tile installation

.

Where can I ﬁ nd black grid

?

• You can purchase a 24-in x 24-in black

S

uspended

C

eiling Installation Kit (model #6362BL). Each kit includes everything you need to

install 64-sq

f

t o

f

panels

.

How do I maintain my panels?

• Sim

p

l

y

wi

p

e clean with a dam

p

cloth

.

For additional information on installing Eas

y

Elegance ceilings, including special installation tips, please visit our website at ceilings

.

com or call customer service at 1 877 ARMSTRONG

(

276-7876

)

.

For warrant

y

i

n

f

ormat

i

on, please v

i

s

i

t ce

i

l

i

ngs.co

m

Armstrong Ceilings 1278 Installation guide

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Armstrong Ceilings 1278 Installation guide

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