How about an eraser?

I had the same thought, maybe an eraser. If Goo Gone helped, an eraser might finish it off. If one kind does not work, pick up another kind at a stationery store. There are many kinds, some more abrasive than others.

Try one of those Magic Mr. Clean sponges.

"Mr. Eraser" is supposed to work great. You can get it at Bed, Bath & Beyond and I think the grocery stores too.

I agree the Mr. Clean Sponge. It works wonders on pencil marks.

Blue, How did you like the ceiling max? Do you have to worry about shimming/furring to get things level or does it matter much? How is it removing tiles? Does it look nice? Better/worse/same as suspended?

Hi Ryeraty,

Here is the story with Ceilingmax. I took on a huge project of remodeling 1400 sq feet in my basement with lots of rooms and duct work to cover with ceil tile. I tried 2 different grid systems. I first did the exercise room with a product called Ceiling Link. It is similar to Ceiling max but also about 40% cheaper. It is a plastic type material just like Ceiling Max. It is not available locally. It has to be ordered from IL. which takes a few days to get. It is kinda flimsee so you have to be careful when you lay it out initally. The joists were not to bad in this room. I had to chisel down two of the joists because they hung down much lower then the rest.I id not shim the joists in this room. The end result it did look good. I then wanted to try Ceiling Max in the laundry room. This room the joist were so up and down I did shim them so the ceiling would be flat. The ceiling tiles are a bugger to remove but do come out. Same with Ceiling Link. The end result it looked ok but I thought the Ceiling Link system looked A little better. The cross Tee's snap into the main supports and there can be a little gap between the Tee and main supports. Your measurement of the main supports must be exact. The Ceiling link cross Tees float on top of the main supports so there is no gap to have. The lower main supports have about 1/4 inch up and down movement to help compensate for uneven joists for a level ceiling. Ceiling max you will have to fur or shim the joists exactly. Both systems have good and bad points. For the rest of my basement I went with the Ceiling Link system. I did have to do a lot of shiming inthe rest of the basement even with the Ceiling Link system. The joists were sooooo uneven. If you have any more questions just let me know.

Mark

Mark, wow. That was an awesome reply. People on this forum are so nice and helpful. We just designed our whole kitchen from this website and we could not be happier with the results.

Now the basement. I'm glad you brought up clng link. I called up that place and spoke to the owner. Really nice guy, but you can't beat hearing it from someone that has nothing to gain.

This may seem like a stupid question, but I've never done this before. When I do the grid, am I just trying to get it relatively level, meaning from square to square or does it need to be level from one corner of a 34'x12' room to another?

Ryheraty,

Having a room with a perfectly level ceiling is ideal in a perfect world. Nothing in construction is perfect. My house was built in the 50's. I think the construction crew was drunk when they did some of the work. I am just finshing up a office ceiling in the basement. The room is 10x12. I used a level and some string to figure out how the joists were as far as level. The joists were 1 1/2 out of level in the 10 foot span. Wow! My ceiling is low to begin with and I need every inch I can spare. I also want to mount cabinets on the wall which would go right up to the ceiling. I knew I would have to level the ceiling some what or you will see it in the cabinets when they are hung. I straightened it out some but not the whole 1 1/2 inches. Is it perfect? No. Can you see it? No. The point is it does not have to be perfect. If you can make it perfect then go ahead. If it is out a long ways then I suggest compromise. As long as the naked out dont see it your fine. Dont think I do shoty work either. I am some what of a perfectionist. I do spend along time to coorect matters if they are correctable. I hope my info helped you.

Mark