# You guys cut your own ceiling tiles?



## Bbsound (Dec 16, 2011)

cultch said:


> Just wondering about the rest of the country. Around here we always have to cut our own ceiling tiles when doing exit signs, recess ect. I remember 1 job I was on long ago where our foreman had the finishers do it and it was no biggie.
> 
> These guys have some $135.00 ceiling tiles...I don't want to touch them!


Yes we do, and yes I recently did some of those tiles. They were a composite wood and looked like pegboard, ugly as hell.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

cultch said:


> Just wondering about the rest of the country. Around here we always have to cut our own ceiling tiles when doing exit signs, recess ect. I remember 1 job I was on long ago where our foreman had the finishers do it and it was no biggie.
> 
> These guys have some $135.00 ceiling tiles...I don't want to touch them!


In a case like that ,,,Let them do it.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

$135 per tile? Who makes gold-leaf covered tiles?


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## Awg-Dawg (Jan 23, 2007)

A few, I will do them. (If they are ok with it)

Alot, they do them.


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## jza (Oct 31, 2009)

Depends how good the GC is. At $135/tile, I wouldn't agree to cut them.


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## cultch (Aug 2, 2011)

Bbsound said:


> Yes we do, and yes I recently did some of those tiles. They were a composite wood and looked like pegboard, ugly as hell.


I'll take a pic when I see them. They are in a high ceiling in a music room. I got some of those lights that hang down from aircraft cable and such. Their supposed to be like 3 inches thick.

HA HA btw across the hall from that room is the dance room where they want 12' ceilings...too bad the prints said 9'6" and the whole room was completed...eh only the duct man, sprinkler man, plumber, electricians, F/A ect had to move ALL their shiz 3 ft higher...oh lord!


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## duramaxdarren (Sep 12, 2012)

yeah, i did have a union guy on a job claim i was stealing his work


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## cultch (Aug 2, 2011)

Awg-Dawg said:


> A few, I will do them. (If they are ok with it)
> 
> Alot, they do them.


We got about 500 exits and a couple hundred recess...most are 2x4 lay ins tho...just around 2000 of those.:blink:


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## eejack (Jul 14, 2012)

I do it whenever I am able. The condition of the tile reflects upon my work, so I will take the time and do it nicely.


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

We always cut our own tiles. I'd spend more time finding someone to cut them, keeping track of which tile went where, then if I just did it myself. I can just imagine one of the apprentices telling me he can't hang lights or exits because he's waiting for one of the ceiling tile guys to cut his holes....

It's something easy to do and it puts hours in the guys paychecks.:thumbsup:


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## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

duramaxdarren said:


> yeah, i did have a union guy on a job claim i was stealing his work


i do actually work with some union carpenters/finishers from time to time and they do the tile cutting


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## chewy (May 9, 2010)

I place tiles into spots I'm running cable down the walls, did I get fingerprints on them? probably, do I care? No.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

chewy said:


> I place tiles into spots I'm running cable down the walls, did I get fingerprints on them? probably, do I care? No.


Good because you're FIRED....:laughing:


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

duramaxdarren said:


> yeah, i did have a union guy on a job claim i was stealing his work


 And if you let him do it, he'd do nothing but bitch about having to do it.


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## chewy (May 9, 2010)

480sparky said:


> $135 per tile? Who makes gold-leaf covered tiles?


$95 installed per tile here in NZ, had a $40,000 bill from one GC....


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## cultch (Aug 2, 2011)

Well I guess they weigh like 6 lbs and all need to be supported. We're not doing that...

In general however on a big job like this somewhere it should be stated cause it turns into a lot of work with several thousand tiles ya know. It would be no prob to set the 8b box or the recess can then when they tile come back and trim out.

I got no prob doing it but it's a bid job ya know...


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## LARMGUY (Aug 22, 2010)

Always cut our own. I would have reservations about these high dollar ones and would check, double check and triple check the plans before doing so.


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## 360max (Jun 10, 2011)

duramaxdarren said:


> yeah, i did have a union guy on a job claim i was stealing his work


...are they your tiles?


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## walkerj (May 13, 2007)

Do you expect them to remove your work, cut the tile, then reinstall it?

That's bass ackward.


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## cultch (Aug 2, 2011)

walkerj said:


> Do you expect them to remove your work, cut the tile, then reinstall it?
> 
> That's bass ackward.


Y would they have to remove it? Where did I say I expected anybody to do anything? It should be factored in is all as to who is doing it and they get paid for it.


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## chewy (May 9, 2010)

HARRY304E said:


> Good because you're FIRED....:laughing:


Tile guys should have done them then.


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## keepdry (Jul 24, 2012)

Here it is the ceiling contractors responsibility to cut all tiles. On big jobs I give their Forman the dimensions and counts. They make the cuts and we install the tiles. It just takes a little planning while the grid is going in. 
I would be fired if we were to cut our own tiles on a big job. It is not in our contract and is not our responsibility. My boss gets pissed if I cut one.


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## cultch (Aug 2, 2011)

I'm gonna bring it up to my boss if I ever get to talk to him. This company I'm working for is just begining to get these real big jobs. (3 and 4 year jobs) I KNOW they are not thinking about this. Thanks for your comformation that the different dynamics of a 'biggish' job are different and need to be thoght out.


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## rmozolic (Apr 20, 2013)

I usually cut the tiles, i recently bought a hole cutter from klein


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## JohnR (Apr 12, 2010)

I have found that it is faster for me, to cut my own tiles, revealed edge included, than to bother hunting down the ceiling guy and ask him if he could take time out of his day, whining and complaining about stopping what he was doing.

If it is cut wrong, then I tell them that the print shows an exit, can, etc. at that location, why didn't he just cut them and leave it for me as it is right there on the print. :laughing:


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

The plastic 500' 12 wire spool is a perfect template cutout for 6 1/2" new work cans


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## Spark Master (Jul 3, 2012)

When I had patience to do fine finish work, I would cut them in perfectly. Now, there is a younger guy that has the skill, and patience to trace, and do a perfect fit with a razor blade. I admire his work.


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## btharmy (Jan 17, 2009)

Shockdoc said:


> The plastic 500' 12 wire spool is a perfect template cutout for 6 1/2" new work cans


Yeah, only problem is none of the spools are round after bouncing around in the truck. They are all broken. Does this happen to anyone else besides me?


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

Shockdoc said:


> The plastic 500' 12 wire spool is a perfect template cutout for 6 1/2" new work cans


I use a baffle from a Atlite A149 as a template.. works great


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## drspec (Sep 29, 2012)

btharmy said:


> Yeah, only problem is none of the spools are round after bouncing around in the truck. They are all broken. Does this happen to anyone else besides me?


Were you working out of my truck today?


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

I use hole saws the size the holes need to be. :whistling2:


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

keepdry said:


> Here it is the ceiling contractors responsibility to cut all tiles. On big jobs I give their Forman the dimensions and counts. They make the cuts and we install the tiles. It just takes a little planning while the grid is going in.
> I would be fired if we were to cut our own tiles on a big job. It is not in our contract and is not our responsibility. My boss gets pissed if I cut one.


What a joke. Gotta love IL.


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

keepdry said:


> Here it is the ceiling contractors responsibility to cut all tiles. On big jobs I give their Forman the dimensions and counts. They make the cuts and we install the tiles. It just takes a little planning while the grid is going in.
> I would be fired if we were to cut our own tiles on a big job. It is not in our contract and is not our responsibility. My boss gets pissed if I cut one.





Kinda like the electrician thats scared to patch sheetrock - absolutely ridiculous. I find it hard to believe when I hear electricians talk about how something is not their job, especially when its something as simple as cutting a peice of tile in a drop ceiling. C'mon man, its construction. This might be how your company bid their jobs, but it would be insulting to me to think that cutting a piece of tile would be outside my set of skills.


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## cultch (Aug 2, 2011)

I really originally posted this to see if any contractors included the time of cutting the tiles in the bid. I think most of us are plenty adebt at cutting the tiles that's wasn't my point.

A lot of times folks automatically flash to the type of work they do. As you know this field is varied. So...

If your on a job where you know 1,380 ceiling tiles need to be cut would you include that in your estimate or would you treat it like a smaller job where there will be say 15 tiles cut or even 50 and not factor it in?


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## eejack (Jul 14, 2012)

cultch said:


> If your on a job where you know 1,380 ceiling tiles need to be cut would you include that in your estimate or would you treat it like a smaller job where there will be say 15 tiles cut or even 50 and not factor it in?


You have to exclude cutting ceiling tiles in your quote, then claim the work as necessary for a proper electrical installation and charge an extra to do the cutting.


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## Grimes (Jun 2, 2013)

haha troof.


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