SnapLock™ vs. Nailup

SnapLock™
Nailup
Installs directly to drywall, plaster & textured ceilings.
Requires a plywood substrate or furring grid 24" on center.
No visible fasteners.
Nails are exposed.
Eliminates the additional cost of installing a wood substrate.
Mandatory wood substrate installation can often double the overall ceiling cost.
Installation begins in one corner and progresses to the opposite side of room.
Installation begins in the center of the room and progresses out to the edges.
Can be installed over existing acoustical tile that is nail or glued to a wood or drywall substrate.
Existing acoustical tile must be removed prior to installation and a wood substrate must be present.
Can be self-leveling to resolve 'warped' drywall or plaster ceilings.
Substrate must be level prior to installation.

Our SnapLock™ and Nailup tin ceiling panels are manufactured using identical authentic quality tin plated steel, stylish pattern embossment and beautiful high-end powder coat finishes. The primary differences between the SnapLock™ and the Nailup tin ceiling panels are their installation methods.

Nailup
The Nailup tin ceiling panel hasn't changed in 130 years. 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.
#17 Custom Antique Gold w/ C1 crown.

SnapLock™
The SnapLock™ tin ceiling panel is the only tin ceiling panel that can be installed directly to drywall, plaster and textured substrates. With the introduction of the SnapLock™ tin ceiling panel, consumers with existing drywall ceilings can bypass the costly process of installing a wood substrate and enjoy a beautiful, authentic tin ceiling for half the average cost of nailup or dropin tin ceilings. Approximately 80% of all consumers have existing drywall ceilings, and the SnapLock™ system allows for a do-it-yourself installation, so handy consumers can eliminate overpriced contractors and save hundreds, sometimes thousands, by performing the installation themselves. For those who prefer professional installation, American Tin Ceilings' dealer locator provides contact information for tin ceiling installers nationwide.
SnapLock™ panels connect via interlocking flange system.
SnapLock™ starts in one corner with male flange facing wall.

The SnapLock™ tin ceiling panel has a patent pending male/female interlocking flange system. The SnapLock™ installation begins in one corner of the room with the male flanges facing the wall, then progresses to the opposite side, usually one row at a time. Each of the two female flanges host a screw plate with 3 predrilled screw holes, by which six drywall screws are used to secure the panel directly to the drywall, plaster or textured substrate. The male flange of a second panel snaps into a female flange of the secured panel, then the second panel is secured to the substrate with six drywall screws. The process continues until the ceiling is complete. Tap holes through the Male flanges to secure them at the wall's perimeter. If your substrate does not accomodate drywall screws, select an appropriate fastner. Drywall anchors, concrete anchors and TapCons are examples of alternate fastners. Some installers use a combination of drywall screws and drywall anchors as needed. The SnapLock™ tin ceiling panel measures the standard 24" x 24" size, plus the 1/2" interlocking male and female flanges.

Click here for more information on the SnapLock™ tin ceiling panel >>

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Why are Tin Ceilings so popular today?

Tin Ceilings remind us of a different time in our country's history. Tin Ceilings stir memories of gentler days when elegance and beauty reigned. A slower paced era where style and grace were the watchwords in home decor. Old time victorian homes, formal parlors, farmhouses with wood burning stoves and other historic architecture we've seen in literature and film or remember from our childhood.

It is said that "Everything Old Becomes New Again". It reinvents itself and becomes fashionable again, perhaps because it was so fashionable in the first place. Fashion goes in and out of style as modern ideas are introduced to the market. But the popular styling's of the past always cycle back into modern contemporary culture. The Tin Ceiling exemplifies this concept.