commitmentphobe seeks solution for drywalling ceiling
 

Hi folks,

I'm finishing my basement, and am in a conundrum about the ceiling. We had 9' walls poured, so i have room for a drop ceiling, but i like the looks and soundproofing of drywall with a knock down finish.

Problem is, i like to tinker, and a drywall ceiling makes me nervous because i know i'll have it up for 6 months and realize that i want to change things up.

Now i have to run a 4' wide soffit down the center of the ceiling to route some hvac/electric/low voltage/plumbing. Has anyone tried building a 'removable' soffit? The idea would be to maybe make it a foot wider than it has to be so i can remove a section of the soffit and access the area above the drywall to run wires, plumbing, whatever. I'm thinking if i make the soffit out of timber, beadboard or somesuch, i could screw it up (literally, lol) and tack in some molding to cover up my tracks.

Any other ideas?

Thanks in advance!!!

I have made them with MDF. which paints fine and will be easy to work with. Use trim head screws and you not even notice them.

I dislike drywall on a basement ceiling for the reasons you mentioned. If you ever want to run any wiring or plumbing, you have to tear down the ceiling. Go with a drop ceiling with acoustic tiles.

And if you were considering the need to run wiring or plumbing (in the future) between the main floor and second story of your home,would you put a drop ceiling on the main floor. Drywall the ceiling and make access in the soffit. It could be as simple as a couple of return air grills, strategically located. Realistically, how often are you going to add a long length of plumbing pipe?? You could even stick a couple of lengths up there for future use and cut them to length when you need to. Drop ceilings are for commercial buildings unless there's no other option.........