Nail up panels are installed using 18 guage brad nails and an automatic brad gun (available to buy or rent from Home Depot). 25 lbs pressure on the gun will go through two overlapping tin nail up panels and seat itself in the wood. Brad nails are used around the panels every 6 inches to maintain a tight overlapping seam throughout the ceiling. You can begin a nail up installation in the middle of the room and work out to the edges and cut your panels in. OR you can begin on the wall facing away from the entrance to the room. That way the panels are seamed towards the "dead" wall and wont be seen from the entrance. It is a different way to install the nail ups and is suggested to do this when using white or any lite colored finish. Although the tin panels are only 1/100th of an inch thick, they overlap and will show the seams. The heads of the brad nails are then painted to match the color of the panels.

The Nailup tin ceiling panel is the traditional product that initially popularized tin ceilings at the turn of the century. The Nailup tin ceiling panel hasn't changed in 130 years and is commonly what most retailers sell today. It requires a plywood substrate or furring strip grid spaced twenty-four inches on center. The grid must run both directions to support nailing every six inches on all four sides of the Nailup tin ceiling panel. The Nailup tin ceiling panel has a quarter inch overlapping nail flange that helps create a smooth transition from panel to panel, and minimizes the appearance of seams. Exposed nails are characteristic of the Nailup tin ceiling panel. The standard Nailup tin ceiling panel measures 24" x 24" plus the 1/4" overlapping nail flange.

Nailup furring strip grid.

12" Patterns vs 24" Patterns

12" and 6" embossment patterns gennerally have shallow profile depths. Tin ceiling panels with shallow profile depths, usually under 1/4", can be installed wall to wall with the final perimeter panels cut to fit flush against the wall. Crown molding is then installed directly over the tin panels, hiding the cut edge. If the panel does not reach the wall, the remaining gap can be hidden by the crown molding, assuming the projection of the crown is sufficient to cover the gap. This is the most common installation scenario and is the easiest.

Most 24" patterns have significant profile depths, sometimes exceeding a 1/2". Installing crown molding over a panel with such a deep profile will result in a noticeable gap. This gap is unacceptable by most standards, therefore 24" patterns require an alternate installation method. The embossed panels are installed uncut, then the remaining area around the perimeter is finished with a filler tin ceiling panel, opposed to cropping the 24" embossed panel flush against the wall. The seam where the embossed panel meets the filler panel is commonly covered with a flat molding to produce a more pleasing aesthetic transition.