How to frame ceiling in unfinished basement

Question

My basement is partially finished. One room which is not finished, that I'd like to finish, sits below the garage. The room is surrounded by 4 walls of concrete blocks, has a concrete slab floor, and has steel beams running the length of the ceiling.

I plan on framing out the walls with 2x4 studs and anchoring them directly into the concrete. No problems there. The problem I'm trying to understand is how to frame the ceiling.

There 6" steel joists that I assume are holding up the floor above. How can I frame a ceiling with these beams up there? I don't want to install a drop ceiling because this room will be used as a home movie theater and I want to have as much vertical space as possible.

Answer 1

Furring around the beams with wood framing and then attaching Gypsum Ceiling Board or another finish material to the furring, is a common way of dealing with this sort of condition.

In other words, furr out the sides and bottom of the beams with wood and attach the finish to the furring so that the ceiling varies in height because it is lower at the beams.

Acoustic tile runners can also be cut to form soffits around beams. And if acoustics are a priority, acoustical tile is likely to reduce comb filter effects.