Our basement has a drop ceiling with ugly white foam tiles. I was thinking about tearing it out but there is ductwork up in there that would make sheetrocking the ceiling a real challenge. So I was wondering if anyone could recommend a source for nice, high quality replacement tiles? These are 24" square tiles. The only decorative tiles I've found are extremely flimsy plastic ones, which are paper thin and just cheap as hell.

Can anyone give me any suggestions on a place that sells high quality, durable decorative drop ceiling tiles that I could just drop in to replace the existing ones?

 

I would check at one of the home improvement stores.
I know you buy them at a supply store but they can be very expensive.

 

IMO tegular tiles have a better appearance than flat tiles that just lay on top the grid. Tegular tiles have a routered edge so they drop down into the grid openings, which hides some of the gappiness that you get with flat tiles.

They are a little more labor intensive to install since you need to scribe and cut the edges of the room by hand.

But yeah, probably any 2x2 tile would be better than what you currently have. They are often a little challenging to fit in there if your ceiling was installed higher than normal. (the closer to joists and ductwork, the harder to slide and manuever the tiles, and the easier it is to scratch them up.)

 

That sounds good, XSleeper. I like that look better too. If you know of anyone that sells thicker, more durable ones in various styles and colors, let me know. So far, I've gotten samples from proceilingtiles.com and they were as flimsy as paper plates. :-p