# lowering my shop ceiling



## Colorado1 (Feb 5, 2018)

Hello,
I just purchased a new home in the Colorado mountains that has a beautiful 70X40 unfinished shop on the property. It is a 2X6 framed building with 16 feet to the bottom of the rafters.
I plan to segment the shop into two sections 30X40 for my woodworking shop and 40X40 for my automotive hobbies.
For the woodworking shop, I need to insulate and I may want to lower the ceiling to 10 or 12 feet. This will reduce the space I need to heat and create a space above the ceiling where I can mount dust collection equipment.
I am looking for opinions and advice on the ideal ceiling height for a workshop and framing approaches for creating this ceiling under the existing rafters. Ideally I don't want any posts in the shop area, but I will be spanning 40 feet. I don't really have much framing experience, so open to suggestions.

--Colorado1--


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I like 10' ceilings in a shop so I can swing an 8' board around with out breaking the lights.


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## AZWoody (Jan 18, 2015)

I have 12' and I like it. The DC piping is around 9' though and crosses the shop in 2 places.
One thing about dust collection, you may not be happy with your first placement of tools, or your second or third so make sure you have easy access to everything to change things easy enough.


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## John Smith_inFL (Dec 15, 2017)

10-4 with Bondo: swinging an 8' board around without breaking anything.

I have had 2 shops with 10' ceilings with blown in insulation in the attic and both were very comfortable.
I did not do work that required higher than 10' ceilings so that was not an issue.
the 8' fluorescent shop lights were flush mounted and did not hang down. (something else to consider).
a good carpenter framing crew can use dimensional lumber to create a lower framework for drywall
if you did not want to go with the traditional wire and metal frame grid style suspended ceiling.

enjoy your new digs !!!!


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## AandCstyle (Mar 21, 2012)

Colorado, I agree with Bondo on the 10' height for ease of handling sheets of plywood, etc.


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## ArtMann (Mar 1, 2016)

9 feet is not quite enough. I know this from personal experience.


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## AxkMan (Jan 20, 2018)

I would use the extra space for storage.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

9' min. 10' perfect. Go with a drop ceiling. It will hide ductwork, wiring and can be insulated. It's not structural so anything more than a couple lbs need to be supported from the rafters.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

I went with 10' in my current shop, and I've had 9' in the past. I actually found 9' to do just fine, but I do like to 10' a little better.It's pretty easy to hold that 8' piece of lumber up a little when you swing it around; 10' allows you to do that without breaking the lights. I do suggest you consider something. Putting your DC duct behind the ceiling may sound like a good idea (and maybe it is) but that ductwork may clog, forcing you to somehow access it to clean it out. More likely, you'll do something (like buy a new tool) that requires you to rework it a little. Having it exposed makes both those tasks easier. Just saying…..


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## AlmostRetired (Jun 11, 2016)

My 2 car garage at the new house is only 8ft even….don't do that! Only concern I have with anything less than 10-12 feet is if you want to use that high area for wood storage in the shop where it is temp controlled. know I have too much wood for my little place….do you have a habit of saving everything?

Roger


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## Holt (Mar 15, 2011)

Recessing the lighting helps with that too.



> I like 10 ceilings in a shop so I can swing an 8 board around with out breaking the lights.
> 
> - bondogaposis


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## Jon_H (Jun 21, 2016)

As to height - 10 feet minimum. Like the fellas have already said, having room to swing an 8' board is nice. With ceilings at 10 feet, that gives you a margin of 1 foot on either end while you swing that board. Do-able, but still requires a bit of care. If you're going to hang anything from the ceiling (lights, air cleaner, storage racks), then 11-12ft is even better  It's one of those things where more is better, but I understand the need to balance the need for height with the need for a low heating/cooling bill 

Regarding your DC ducting - many have put false floors in their shops and put the ducting and electrical in the floor. A wooden false floor is also easier on the joints than a concrete slab  If you raise the floor, that'll most likely impact where you place the ceiling.

As for how, probably very similar to the way the roof is framed already. Just repeat at a lower height. With that large of span, you'll probably want to consult a construction engineer. But you're probably looking at some sort of truss, supported at either end of the span.


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## Notbrick (Feb 6, 2018)

I would consider the use of one or two ceiling fans in a space that large. Rotate so the fans pull air up, forcing warm air down the walls. Just needs to be a slow setting an beneficial for a fan with mid-large span. Might benefit you greatly. Certainly a more cost effective solution, to test than dropping the whole ceiling.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

OK, the question about not having posts was not addressed. 10 foot ceilings are good for most applications. You are going to have posts somewhere in that shop. I'll have to ask how you got that 70 foot span without posts, without using steel I-beams. Or did I miss something? That's going to be your answer, short of furher explanation.


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## caboxmaker (May 3, 2017)

12' if you plan on buying a clearvue dust collector.


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## Colorado1 (Feb 5, 2018)

Thanks Everyone for your feedback! 
I do have a cyclone and part of the shop design is determining where to put it. initially I was thinking I would put it above the new lowered ceiling, but going with a 12' ceiling and mounting the cyclone on the wall in the shop may be a good option as well.

Regarding posts in the shop, the current roof trussed span the width of the shop (40') without any posts, and are every 2 feed on center.
I could hang a suspended ceiling from these rafters, but if I want any storage capacity, or to put equipment like the cyclone above the new ceiling, then I believe I would need at least one post, a main beam, and floor joists. I was hoping to get away with not having the post, but sounds like that's not in the cards.

I will also look in to ceiling fans and possibly just insulating the existing 16' ceiling, but that is a lot of additional space to heat. Financially, I was hoping if the cost of lowered ceiling will be offset by lower heating bills and save me some money long term.

Thanks,
--Colorado1--


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## Jon_H (Jun 21, 2016)

> Regarding posts in the shop, the current roof trussed span the width of the shop (40 ) without any posts, and are every 2 feed on center.
> ...
> I was hoping to get away with not having the post, but sounds like that s not in the cards.
> --Colorado1--


If your roof trusses can span 40 feet with no posts, floor trusses should be able to be engineered to span 40 feet with no posts:

https://www.menards.com/main/e-trussDesigner.html

Since you're looking to use the space above the new ceiling for storage, floor trusses seem like a good option. It looks like you'll need trusses that are 24" deep and 12" on center. That'll eat up a good portion of your "attic" space, but you'll avoid having posts.

Here's another resource:

https://www.selecttrusses.com/span-chart/


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

A load rated mezzanine or deck is gonna be expensive. I would suggest maybe a partial deck. Then you still need access.

It's about 1800ish $ for an insulated 2'x4' drop ceiling after the math.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

If you are going to put your DC in the above space, you can arrange the shop so posts coincide with DC drops.


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## TajBuilder (Aug 6, 2008)

I would keep the 16' height. This will allow you to build a loft(s) on either end of the building for wood storage. The number of support posts you need will depend on the size of the beam.

I built my 30×40 shop with scissor trusses that have an 8/12 pitch on the outside roof and 5/12 pitch on the inside ceiling. Inside the shop they are 8' at the outside wall and 16' at the peak. I insulated with R32 batt insulation covered with drywall and heat the shop with a 20' long natural gas radiant heat tube suspended about 3' down from the middle peak. Combustion air is drawn in one gable end of the building and exhausted out the other.

I live in central Michigan and love the system. I also ran 4" PVC for dust collection and conduit for electric in the floor before I poured the concrete floor.


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