Tin Ceiling History

In most cases the tin ceilings outlast the hundred year old buildings that they are installed in.

Tin ceiling history. Ceiling tiles began being mass produced in the us in the victrorian era 1839 1901. Tin ceilings throughout history. Tin was not only an aesthetic upgrade meant to emulate high end decorative plaster it also offered a measure of fire protection a big concern at a time when home cooking lighting and heating were largely done with open flames.

Tin ceilings were first manufactured and sold in north america in the mid 1800s as a more affordable option to emulate the look and elegance of the ornate plasterwork that was popular in europe at the time. But they came back big time during the 1980s victorian revival and remain a versatile affordable decorating option. They were also used in south africa.

Tin plated steel offers many benefits in comparison to plastics styrofoam and other materials. Historian ken postlethwaite explains that although there is some controversy over where the first pressed metal ceilings popped up in this country it is believed that their use began in 1885 with the experimental installation of tin plate squares used to patch a ceiling in brooklyn new york. While the tin ceiling has enhanced interiors since the 1880s historically they were marketed as steel ceilings and contained no tin at all.

By the late 1870s tin began to appear on the ceilings of homes and businesses. Metal ceilings now prized on their own merit so called tin ceilings once stood in for more expensive plasterwork and eventually got a bad name as a cover up for failing plaster. A tin ceiling is an architectural element consisting of a ceiling finished with plates of tin with designs pressed into them that was very popular in victorian buildings in north america in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Tin ceilings were primarily painted white to emulate the plaster ceilings in europe but more modern applications vary widely in the methods used to finish the tin ceiling tiles. Also advertised for its design economy and fire resistance these tin ceilings became a prominent commercial interior adornment in the early 20th century. They were also popular in australia where they were commonly known as pressed metal ceilings or wunderlich ceilings.

Tin in america began as a copycat of wealthy european aristocrats who decorated their homes in fashionable carved plaster with panels cornices and wainscots. Thin sheets of rolled tin or steel were placed on a raised cast iron mold called the die and a heavy cast iron plate called the tool was raised by ropes and dropped causing the design to be permanently imprinted onto the tin.