Tegular Vs Lay-in Tiles: What Are They?
Written by Milan Jara on 2nd May 2022
Do you want to decorate your house using protruding tegular or flat lay-in ceiling tiles? Here’s everything you need to know.
Choosing the right ceiling tiles depends on many factors other than just aesthetics. You’ve probably heard that ceiling tiles can help prevent fire from spreading and reduce sound and noise in your space. They can also set the room’s mood and ease your maintenance work. But you also need to consider the quality of material and durability of the ceiling tiles.
Choosing the right ceiling tiles depends on many factors other than just aesthetics. You’ve probably heard that ceiling tiles can help prevent fire from spreading and reduce sound and noise in your space. They can also set the room’s mood and ease your maintenance work. But you also need to consider the quality of material and durability of the ceiling tiles.
Tegular and lay-in tiles help in making a suspended ceiling. But what are they, and how do you choose between the two? Here’s everything you need to know about tegular vs lay-in tiles.
What Is a Suspended Ceiling?
Both tegular and lay-in are types of suspended ceiling tile. These ceilings are like secondary ceilings used to hide the upper side of the building. Unlike traditional ceilings, tiles are easy to remove if you need to access HVAC systems, plumbing, and electrical systems. Also, tiles are likely to suffer fewer damages than traditional ceilings in case of a broken pipe. At the same time, they help improve the appearance inside the building.
Before installing ceiling tiles, you must put the support structure in place. First, suspend continuous T-shaped beams from the top of the building using hang wires. Then, add shorter T-shaped beams to make square frames for holding the tiles. Once the structure is complete, adding and removing the tiles is easy since there’s no permanent attachment.
Ceiling tile panels come in various forms and materials, like mineral fiber and fiberglass. Mineral fiber tiles are more common and have higher noise-reducing abilities. Apart from the panel material, you can also choose from various designs like smooth or rough surfaces, in-printed designs or patterns, and different edge options.
Most large institutions like hospitals and schools use suspended ceilings. Nowadays, many homeowners are also using them in residential homes.
What Are Tegular Tiles?
Tegular ceiling tiles hang a quarter inch from the ceiling grid. Usually, standard tiles have square edges. This means they require trimming before installation to make them protrude from the beam. Tegular tiles come in various types and designs. Most have a perforated surface made of compressed fiber. The high-density fiber is great with acoustics, making it ideal for places exposed to a lot of noise.
What Are Lay-In Ceiling Tiles?
Lay-in ceilings are a type of suspended ceiling. They have square edges, and you don’t need to trim them before installation. The installation process is simple. You only need to lift the tile upwards and drop it on the suspended T-beam. Like the tegular tiles, lay-in tiles come in different types and designs. So what’s the difference between the two?
Tegular Vs. Lay-in Tiles
The difference between tegular and lay-in ceiling tiles comes from the edge design.
Tegular ceiling tiles have a revealed edge. They protrude up to a quarter-inch from the metal grid, leaving a clear gap between one tile and the other. Since the tiles aren’t flush with the suspended beam, they form a pattern of square boxes throughout the ceiling.
On the other hand, lay-in tiles tend to be flush with the suspension beam. You can’t see the edge of the tile, but you can see the beam covering the bottom of the tile. The installation process of the two tiles is the same.
For a tegular tile, there’s more work since you have to trim the edges to make the tile protrude. Trimming may not be easy, especially when adding a small piece to fill a spot. Luckily, you can buy the tiles ready for installation.
Flat lay-in tiles always use a 15/16-inch grid system, while tegular can use either a 15/16 or 9/16-inch grid system.
Since lay-in tiles involve less work, they’re cost-effective. So how do you decide between the two, considering that only the edges make the difference?
Making Your Choice
When deciding to go for tegular or non-tegular tiles, the choice depends on appearance only. If your interest is the convenience you get from a suspended ceiling, tegular tiles won’t have any advantages over lay-in tiles.
Tegular tiles provide more depth, texture, and pattern to the entire ceiling. On the other hand, lay-in tiles are plain. Therefore, most people may consider the tegular pattern as more aesthetically pleasing. But since appearance is a matter of personal taste, not everyone would agree. However, you can change the look of tegular tiles by going for rounded edges.
Types of Edge Styles
Most acoustic ceiling tiles are similar except for the edge detail. It’s possible to have a tile covering all or part of the beam. The different edge styles available include:
- Beveled tegular edge: Beveled tegular is the same as the regular tegular except that the edges are curved. Some people may prefer the softer look of the rounded corners to the sharp edges.
- Square edge: This is the edge design of a lay-in tile before trimming.
- Shiplap edge or concealed T: The edges of the tile intersect such that they hide the T-beam.
- Semi-concealed: The edges of the tile intersect but reveal the beam slightly. The ceiling appears as if suspended below the beams.
Types of Edge Styles
Ceiling tiles come in different sizes. You can decide to go for squares like 20x 20 inches or 24x24 inches. Or you may prefer to go for rectangles, such as 24x48 inches. Your choice is also dependent on the type of beam you want to use.
The type of room in which you want to install the ceilings will also determine which type of tile you select. Institutions like hospitals, schools, and government buildings have their standards. Most will go for large, white, plain-looking tiles. But for your house, you may want something to match your interior décor. So you can choose more stylish designs and colors depending on your preference.
You can also choose ceiling tiles based on the materials like PVC plastic, copper, aluminum, and Styrofoam. Other factors you may want to consider are the ability to add other fixtures and the ease of cleaning and replacing the tiles.
In Summary
Ceiling tiles provide an opportunity to decorate your house and get acoustic benefits. Depending on your budget and taste, you can find different ceiling tiles at Decorative Ceiling Tiles. If you need assistance or have any questions, reach out to us through our contact page.
