RIVET NUT TO hang ceiling panels

[mrjamesa]

I have not seen people use Rivet Nuts into the stock ceiling supports, everyone seems to believe that furring strips are the way. I was thinking about using Rivet Nuts and then placing a strip of rubber (~1/8") between interlocking .75 x 5.5 wood boards for the ceiling with machine screws. This would allow them to be held tighter to the ceiling and I can easily open up if I needed to get to wires.

I couldn't find anything in searching so curious of everyone's thoughts.

-James

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

it would work just fine.
i think alot of people try to go for a smoother look and this would leave a more industrial look which i like.
unless you countersink and putty over them but they wouldnt be as easy to find and remove as needed.
only concerns i can think of
the furring strips that you mentioned were to get rid of the thermal bridging from hot/cold metal outside transfering into the inside. through the fasteners.
the rivnuts into the ribs and the machine screws to fasten would create that instead of eleminate that.
i would choose the grade of lumber carefully because it does expand and contract with temps. i think smaller screws would allow it to flex better than fastened completely secure.
it might start spittling and cracking around the bigger machine screws.
good luck

[musigenesis]

This would work fine, although you would still get a little bit of thermal bridging from the metal bolts between your living space and the metal ribs. I was going to do something like this a ways back, but using glass-filled nylon bolts. My plan was to originally put up the ceiling using metal bolts (for the extra strength to pull the sheets into the curve of the ceiling) and then replace the metal bolts one-by-one with the nylon bolts. Not entirely sure how durable this would be; moot point since I'm opting to do something else.

FYI rubber isn't any better an insulator than wood, so I wouldn't bother with rubber for this unless I needed the shock absorption.

[Danjo]

That would be a heavy ceiling