Pressed tin ceilings came into vogue in North America in late Victorian times. The story goes that many home and business owners sought the look of the ornate plaster ceilings common in Europe, but with a shortage of skilled plaster craftsmen in Canada and the U.S. at the time, pressed tin panels proved to be a pleasing and inexpensive ceiling alternative.

Today a handful of manufacturers offer tin ceilings that harken back to the past. Here's a look at what a few of those companies offer.

Armstrong Ceilings

A new line of ceiling panels-MetalWorks Tin-offered by Armstrong Ceilings not only looks like an old stamped metal ceiling, but it also improves the acoustics of a room. The tegular panel system has microperforations, which are nearly invisible. Backed with fiberglass acoustic batts, the ceiling panels achieve a Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of 0.85- meaning they absorb 85 percent of the sound that hits them.

The new ceiling line made a strong case for itself at a Victorian-style pub and restaurant in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where it replaced a plaster ceiling. Staff and owners claim it significantly deadened the acoustics of the once-noisy room, allowing people to easily hear conversations around their tables on busy nights.

MetalWorks Tin panels are available in 2 x 2-foot lay-in and tegular panels and 2 x 4-foot nail-up panels. Installation is in 9/16-inch or 15/16-inch suspension systems. The combination of the panel's reveal edge and the grid's thin profile diminishes the overall visibility of the suspension system.

The system-ideal for restaurants and retail where a heritage look is specified -contains 25 to 54 percent recycled content. MetalWorks Tin comes in eight standard decorative metal patterns, 24 special order patterns, and five standard finishes, including pre-finished lacquered steel, bare steel, chrome (plated), copper (plated), and white. Five border panels are also included in the line for use in perimeter applications, as are a variety of cornices. All the cornices are offered in the same five standard finishes as the ceiling panels.

CertainTeed Ceilings

The Landmark Ceiling Panels line from CertainTeed Ceilings looks like a century-old embossed tin ceiling. The line features 28 surface patterns and finishes, including brass and silver. It can be ordered in bare unfinished steel, primed steel, baked enamel painted steel, anodized reflected chrome, and brass or copper plated steel, says Bob Marshall, manager of marketing, technical services, CertainTeed Ceilings.

There are several options for installation, he says. It can be installed with decorative nails into a traditional wood furring system just like it was 50-100 years ago, or it can be installed as a "lay-in" system in a suspended system. For a seamless appearance, a third option is a "snap-in" system. The ceiling line also comes with a variety of cornice designs.

Along with restaurant and other hospitality-related applications, it is well-suited for historic restorations and even high-end kitchens, Marshall says, adding that when painted it makes for a pleasing design accent.

Brian Greer's Tin Ceilings, Walls & Unique Metal Work

Brian Greer's Tin Ceilings, Walls & Unique Metal Work is one of the few companies in North America that does all of its own ceiling fabrication. The Kitchener-based company produces "historically accurate" tin ceilings for commercial, residential, and retail markets in Canada, the U.S., Japan, and Europe. Churches, bars, opera houses, museums, restaurant chains, and homes are among the company's clients, says owner Brian Greer.

The panels can be powder coated in about 100 colours or electroplated in bright or antique copper, brass, or chrome. Greer has even done a solid copper ceiling for a home in the Niagara region. Most of its panels are 2 by 2-foot and are offered with a variety of moldings, fillers, and cornices. The panels can be glued up, air nailed, or air stapled to ¼-inch plywood, cut to fit into a T-bar system, or even nailed or screwed by hand.

To produce the embossed images on the tin-plated steel panels requires 500 tons of pressure, explains Greer. While a finished panel weighs only about 1.75 pounds, it is not easily damaged (you can stand on it without denting it).

A tinsmith by trade, Greer started his apprenticeship in metalwork in 1962 and opened his business in the mid 1980s. He says the market has steadily grown over the past five years largely because of the trend to retro-style interiors.

Still, tin ceilings are just a "niche market," he says. The key to his success is in the power of the World Wide Web. "There's not a lot of work in any one area. Without the web, people (clients) wouldn't be able to find us."

American Tin Ceiling Company

While nail-up tin panels are commonly manufactured in the industry, American Tin Ceiling Company has a patented embossed metal panel that screws directly into a drywall or plaster ceiling, says Ken Lindfors, the company's sales manager, noting common screws such as #6 drywall will do the job. Called Snaplock, it is an interlocking panel system that can even be installed by handy home owners.

The 2 by 2-foot panels are often typically sold for homes with designer kitchens. "These kinds of ceilings have been around for 130 or 140 years and mostly in old taverns, restaurants, and grocery stores, but now people have begun to rediscover them for their kitchens where they have a real ‘wow' factor," says Lindfors.

For installation, he advises contractors to make sure everything is square from the start because there are often imperfections in pressed metal ceilings. Snaplock features male and female flanges that lock together, so that flanges and fasteners are covered up.

The system comes in a wide range of patterns and a new line of faux finishes ranging from Copper Patina to Oil-rubber Bronze gives them appeal for a variety of residential, retail, and hospitality applications. Foyers and big hotels and ballroom ceilings are examples of where the finishes have been applied to the company's tin ceilings.

Chicago Metallic Corp.

While the Chicago Metallic Corporation (CMC) has sold embossed metal panels for years, they aren't a big seller these days. CMC, however, has launched a new metal ceiling product that it is excited about. It is called EZ-Flex Panels, which feature clips integrated into panels for easy installation with its Curvilinear Metal Ceilings systems. The panels don't require special tools to install and CMC calculates that it cuts installation time by 50 percent, says Brooks Williams, marketing manager, specialty products for the company, noting the clips are simply twisted to hold the panel in place. "Plus it actually conceals the grid to give the ceiling a clean, monolithic look."

In addition, the patented primary carrier reduces labour-intensive hanger drops, he says. The seamless panels offer a variety of design possibilities, such as vaults and striking curved islands. They are available in 2- x 4-foot, 2- x 6-foot, and 2- x 8-foot sizes. "The fact you can get it in longer lengths and wider widths appeals to architects."

The panels come in standard and custom painted colours, MetalWood woodgrain finish, and the company's new painted colours called WoodScenes. Woodscenes are made through a process called dye-sublimation in which any type of woodgrain can be embossed onto metal to look like wood with none of the downsides of wood such as cracking and swelling, says Williams. The finishes-Maple, Teak, two types of Cherry and Weathered Oak-give off no harmful VOCs and can be cleaned with non-solvent based cleaning solutions. The product can be used with various metallic ceiling systems from CMC. TR