Knocking Down a Barn vs. Restoring the Building

One of the top products for CeilingConnex is our innovative and interesting Barn Tin Ceiling Tiles. These tiles, which are made out of repurposed wall panels from old barns, give stores and home a rustic, old-fashioned appearance.

In most cases, these panels come from barns that are either being knocked down or restored. Because we always need a fresh supply of material, we are constantly on the watch for barns that are being reworked.

If you have a old barn on your property, you may have considered either demolishing it down or completely restoring it. We’d like to help you make the right decision by showing you the advantages of either option.

When you do make a decision, we hope you’ll contact CeilingConnex and let us repurpose the panel. Whether you are restoring the barn or tearing it down and staring fresh, we can make sure the metal panels are kept out of the landfill.

Barn Demolition or Restoration: Which is Right for You?

Advantages of Knocking Down the Barn

First, we’ll start with the reasons for completely knocking down the barn. In most cases, you won’t tear down the barn unless the structure itself is fundamentally flawed. For example, if the beams, foundation, and framing is so badly worn that just being inside the barn is a potential hazard, you obviously want to knock it down.

Also, if your old barn no longer serves a purpose, you may want to have it removed. Many modern farm operations no longer need the traditional barns, but instead use large machine sheds. You may benefit from simply tearing down the barn if you use large combines, sprayers, and other industrial farm equipment.

Advantages of Restoring the Barn

In many cases, simply restoring the barn can be more affordable than completely knocking it down and building a new structure. While each situation is different, you may find that simply restoring the barn costs a fraction of the price compared to knocking it down and having a new structure built.

Typically, we find barns need restoration, but not demolition, because the tin on the roof has started to leak. This usually occurs around the fasteners and can lead to water inside the barn, which is bad for both animals and equipment. Also, if the tin is in very poor condition, it may be time to simply replace the panels with new material. There are many modern options for new paneling that provide structural protection and rust resistance.

No matter which you choose, CeilingConnex can help remove the existing tin panels from your barn. We’ll take the material and turn it into usable ceiling tiles, helping keep trash out of the landfill while giving stores and homes a unique, decorative ceiling or wall tile.

CeilingConnex: Your Source for Grids and Tiles

With a direct-mount ceiling, you can have more overhead space while maintaining access to overhead wires, pipes, and utilities.

Check out our product selection and you’ll find everything you need for a high-quality direct mount ceiling that is easy to install.

Why is Galvanized Tin Used in Agriculture?

Galvanized tin is a popular product for creating barns and sheds. It is durable, rugged, and unique, as well as affordable. This has made galvanized tin one of the top products for making barns, and it’s also become one of our top ceiling tiles.

Barn Tin Ceiling Tiles are made from salvaged galvanized tin which usually comes from old barns. They are a great product for giving homes and shopes a rustic, visually-stunning appearance, and they have become one of the most interesting ceiling tiles available today.

Let’s explore galvanized tin and find out why it is so popular in agriculture.

Galvanized Tin: Agriculture's Favorite Material

Affordable Paneling

One of the main reasons that galvanized tin is used in agriculture is because it is very affordable. Many farm operations are running on very tight budgets, so they need an affordable product that can give them protection for animals or farm equipment. Galvanized tin, which has all the qualities you expect from a barn panel, is also very affordable. This, perhaps more than any other reason, makes galvanized tin panels a popular choice for agricultural buildings.

Easy to Install

Farmers and ranchers often do everything for themselves. They repair vehicles, put up fencing, care for animals, and build or remodel their own buildings. For this reason, people need a paneling product that is easy to install and simple to work with. Galvanized tin meets this specific need, as it is easy to install and can often be handled by only one person. When farmers, ranchers, and property owners need an easy-to-install paneling product, galvanized tin has been the go-to product for decades.

Withstands the Elements

While the material can rust over time, it generally maintains excellent strength against the elements. While other parts of the barn are starting to fall apart, you will often find galvanized tin that, while rusty, still has its structural strength. The long-lasting nature is another reason that these panels have been so popular for a very long time.

Barn Tin Ceiling Tiles: The New Form of Galvanized Tin

CeilingConnex is proud to offer high-quality barn tin ceiling tiles that are made from repurposed galvanized tin. We find barns that are being torn down or remodeled and salvage the tin. We then cut the panels into 2’x2’ pieces, creating a gorgeous ceiling tiles that fit with standard grids and matches many different design purposes.

These tiles have a unique appearance that delivers a rustic, old-world style. It’s perfect for restaurants, retail outlets, antique stores, and any other business that wants to create an old-fashioned look. They can also be used to create a rustic theme for your home or shop.

Add Galvanized Tin Ceiling Tiles to Your Walls or Ceiling!

Contact CeilingConnex today to learn more about our barn tin ceiling tiles. We have the right products to deliver a classic style for your home, so order your grid and panels today!

From classic white ceiling tiles to rustic barn tin, our products, combined with a direct-connect system, give you a world-class ceiling that is easy to install and maintain.

Salvaging Tin: How We Create Our Barn Tin Ceiling Tiles

At CeilingConnex, we are proud to offer some of the finest ceiling products you can find. This includes top-quality direct mount grids, as well as white and black ceiling tiles made from PVC plastics.

We also offer one of the most unique products in the industry: barn tin ceiling tiles. These tiles are made from salvaged tin that we cut into 2x2-foot squares. While the process is quite simple, there are a few important steps that we use to find the panels and create world-class ceiling tiles from unwanted barn tin.

How We Create Our Unique Barn Tin Ceiling Tiles

The First Step: Finding the Panels

Before we can do anything else, we need to find available barn tin paneling. Fortunately, we have relationships with lots of people all over the area, so we are always informed when someone is refinishing or rebuilding a barn. If we hear about someone replacing the tin panels on their barn, we come by and remove it for them, keeping the material out of the landfill.

Only the Right Panels Will Do

Not every barn panel will make it to the cutting phase. First of all, we only use 1.25-inch corrugated steel. We choose this size because it is the unofficial standard for barn panels and fits with a standard ceiling grid. It is common among almost all panel manufacturer, so we can use many different sources while maintaining a consistency in our products.

While we can bend and straighten some panels, if they are too damaged or dented we will not use them in our manufacturing. We are very selective and often come across panels that are too dented to be used as a ceiling tile.

Removing the Tiles: Gloves, Flat Bar, and Sweat

Removing the tiles is quite simple, but it can be an exhausting process. In most cases, it only takes a few hours to remove the panels, but it can take a few days if the project is particularly large.

The process is simple but requires a lot of effort. We simply grab a pair of work gloves and a flat bar, and start ripping off the paneling, taking care to not bend or damage the panels. If the barn is tall, ladders or equipment may be required. In all cases, safety is an important concern when salvaging panels.

No Special Finishes Required

After the panels are salvaged, we simply move them to our facility and cut them into 2x2 squares. Because the panels have their own unique coloring and patterns, we do not use any finishes or stains of any kind. We simply cut them to shape, which helps them maintain a natural, rustic appearance.

Order Your Salvaged Tin Ceiling Tiles Today

CeilingConnex can help you have the finest ceiling products available.

With a wide selection of products, including the Barn Tin Ceiling Tiles, we have everything you need for a wonderful basement or commercial space.

History of the Sioux Steel Company

Previously, we wrote a piece that discussed the origins of barn tin. This article briefly highlighted the manufacturing process and discussed how we create our barn tin ceiling tiles from unwanted barn paneling.

To dive further into the topic, we’d like to take a look at the Sioux Steel Company, one of the leading manufacturers for barn panels, many of which have become our ceiling tiles.

Sioux Steel Company: An Important Source for Barn Tin Ceiling Tiles

The Sioux Steel Company remains one of the few family-owned companies in the steel manufacturing and processing business. For four generations, this company has been creating high-quality products that are used all over the country, especially in the agriculture-heavy middle states.

The company was founded by Charles Rysdon in 1918. His facility was located in a small horse barn with an adjacent wagon repair facility. Originally, the company supplied furnace duct work to homes and offices in the Sioux Falls area. In the 1920, however, Sioux Steel began manufacturing furnaces, wall and floor grids, and oil storage tanks. Eventually, more products were added, including corrugated sheets of barn metal.

In 1940, Max Rysdon become the company’s president. As the son of Charles, Max had been working for the company since he was 15, with a starting role as a water-boy for the factory floor. Max began expanding the territory for Sioux Steel. Previously, they served mostly South Dakota and the bordering states. Under Max’s leadership, the company started providing steel products all across the country.

Products continued to grow and expand, and the company once again expanded its facilities. Eventually, a finance department, which was called Empire Credit, was created. This department helped farmers, homeowners, and business owners get the supplies they needed at an affordable price. By this time, Phil Rysdon, the grandson of Charles and the third-generation owner, was an important leader in the company.

By the 1980’s, the fourth generation of the Rysdon family was ready to enter the business. At the age of 27, Scott Rysdon become company president. He had a lot to prove but helped the company move forward and maintain its position as a national leader in barn tin and agricultural products.

The business manufactures many different products, but one that is always popular is their corrugated steel panels. These panels are now a part of the barn tin ceiling tile lineup.

The ceiling tiles we create by upcycling barn tin are made from old panels. These panels can come from many different original manufacturers, and it’s not uncommon to find Sioux Steel products. We repurpose many items here in South Dakota, so panels from the Sioux Steel Company are a common sight.

American-Made Ceiling Panels for Your Location

You can have top-quality products for your home, office, or industrial facility.

If you are looking for top-quality ceiling panels, contact CeilingConnex today. We’ll help you choose the right grid and panel system for your home or office, so order your supply today!

The History of Granite City Steel and STRONGBARN Panels

Barn tin ceiling tiles from CeilingConnex are some of the most unique and interesting products you can purchase for your home or office. Made from repurposed barn panels, these tiles give a unique character to any area.

But where did these tiles come from in the first place? In many cases, they were originally manufactured by an Illinois-based company called Granite City Steel.

About Granite City Steel

Granite City Steel has a rich history of innovation, aspiration, and efficiency. Although the company itself has gone through numerous changes and challenges, it consistently remains one of the top plants for steel panel production.

Granite City Steel was founded by Frederick and William Niedringhaus, German immigrants who came to America in search of greater opportunity. Around the 1860’s, Frederick and William started a tinware company in the St. Louis area. In the 1970’s, the brothers developed a system for creating decorative mottled surfaces on metal, which became known as “graniteware.”

During their rise to prominence, Frederick served as a Congressman, representing the state of Missouri from 1889 to 1891. After two years of service, he did not seek reelection and returned to the metal business, which turned out to be a successful decision.

The brothers began to grow their metal business and eventually moved right across the Mississippi River, to the nearby town of Granite City, Illinois. The would officially create Granite City Steel in 1895.

Throughout the industrial revolution, the town of Granite City, Illinois was a major producer of materials and became a booming industrial city alongside its larger neighbor, St. Louis. Granite City Steel played a part in the area’s growth, employing many people throughout the St. Louis region.

According to an article by the Preservation Research Office, Granite City Steel’s facilities had two 22-ton furnaces and four mills. Altogether, the plant was capable of producing 20,000 gross tons of finished product every year. At first, the plant only made metal sheets, but in 1905, the Granite City Steel facility expanded production, adding bar steel and tin plate to its output. By 1905, Granite City Steel employed 2,000 people and the facility covered 15 total acres.

The company was incorporated in 1927 and would eventually be purchased by U.S. Steel. The facility in Granite City is still in operation, with an annual capacity of 650,000 tons.

The STRONGBARN Brand

STRONGBARN is one of the trademarks for the Granite City Steel company, which is now owned by U.S. Steel. The trademark was filed in 1948, and it gave the company ownership of specific forms of corrugated steel sheet roofing and siding materials. The trademark expired in 1992. This material was used in the production of many different barns and now is used to create some of the barn tin ceiling tiles that are available for purchase through CeilingConnex.

Barn Tin Ceiling Tiles are Available Now!

If you are looking for top-quality ceiling products, you need to browse the full selection from CeilingConnex.

Whether you want rustic barn tin or classic white ceiling panels, you’ll find everything you need when you visit our site.

Top Uses for CeilingConnex’s Barn Tin Ceiling Tiles

Our barn tin ceiling tiles are some of the most interesting and unique products you can find. They are made reused barn tin and each one has its own colors, patterns, and characteristics.

So what can you use this material for? It might seem pretty limit, but when you get creative, there are actually dozens of uses for these amazing tiles.

Creative Uses for Barn Tin Ceiling Tiles

Antique Shops

If you have an antique store that sells rustic materials and old fashioned antiques, barn tin ceiling tiles can give your space the old-fashioned character you prefer for your space. Barn tin ceiling tiles will complement the vintage wares you have for sale and set the throw-back tone for your store.

Restaurants

Do you have a restaurant with an old-fashioned theme? Do you sell southern-style smoked meats or have a country-themed brand? Barn tin ceiling tiles will give your restaurant a unique appeal and help set your interior apart from the competition.

Honkey Tonks

Cowboy boots, belt buckles, and Stetson hats. If your bar plays live country music and has a dance floor for two-stepping, then your location will be perfect for barn tin. Your customers can boot-scoot all night next to rustic barn tin ceiling tiles!

Consignment Stores

No matter what their income level, people love consignment stores. You never know what you’re going to find, which makes visiting at a consignment store part shopping, part mystery. Barn tin ceiling tiles, which are upcycled, go well with the “reuse-everything” principle that makes consignment stores so popular and so important.

Vintage-Style Retail Outlets

If you sell old-fashioned clothing, boots, and hats, you could enhance the interior appeal of your store by installing barn tin ceiling tiles. Branding is essential in the retail business, and faded barn tin delivers the unique message you desire for your outlet.

Woodworking Shops

Do you have a home wood shop? Do you love to build your own chairs, tables, and stools? Maybe you create gorgeous wall decorations. No matter what you create in your woodworking shop, you can install ceiling tiles to deliver a nostalgic look that matches perfectly with the old-fashioned nature of woodworking.

Classic Car Displays

If you love classic cars from the early 1930’s, 40’s, and 50’s, barn tin ceiling tiles will be perfect for your shop or display. It doesn’t matter if classic cars are your business or your hobby, barn tin will still look great as a shop ceiling or wall background.

Half-Wall Paneling

Are you planning on remodeling the basement? If you want to give your personal space a rustic design, consider a half-wall of paneling made from barn tin ceiling tiles. This design addition is perfect if you want to create a country-themed basement bar or lounge area in your home.

Get Quality Ceiling Tiles from an American Company

Order your barn tin ceiling tiles and ceiling grids today. No matter where you want to install barn tin ceiling tiles, you’ll have a quality product that looks great and delivers the rustic style you love.

Don’t wait any longer when you can have direct mount ceilings for any home or commercial setting. 

Where Does Barn Tin Come From?

CeilingConnex is proud to offer barn tin ceiling tile, one of the most interesting and eco-friendly ceiling products you can find.

This material has a unique story that goes back decades. It has a rich history and can give your space a rustic, old-fashioned look that is hard to recreate.

The History of Barn Tin

The manufacturing process for tin roofs does not actually involve entirely-tin material. In fact, these materials are manufactured using a combination of steel and tin. Tin is very corrosion resistant, but it is not strong enough to make a reliable barn wall or roof. Steel, on the other hand, is very strong and can hold up to a lot of pressure or weight. For these reasons, tin was coated over steel panels to create a strong yet corrosion-resistant material. This material became the basis for what we now call “barn tin,” as well as many other materials, including “tin” cans.

The height of using tin-coated panels for barn and sheds was about 50 years ago. Around the middle of the century, and lasting to the end of the 20th century, tin panels were used to wrap barn frames and create long-lasting protection from the outside elements.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, tin barn panels have been replaced with products coated by different materials. It is now more common to find “galvanized” steel around modern barns. Instead of tin, galvanized roofing uses alloys of zinc to provide corrosion resistance. This new material is superior to the old tin roofs, and is often more cost effective as well.

Making Ceiling Tiles out of Unwanted Material

So now that barn tin is being replaced by modern metals, what happens to all that old material. In most cases, the material is either recycled or thrown in the landfill. While recycling is obviously better than trashing, they both have their disadvantages.

Obviously throwing the material in the waste is a problem, but even recycling can use a lot of energy and require advanced processing to strip the steel of its tin coating and separate the two metals.

Upcycling is now a popular option for many materials, including barn tin. To create our barn tin ceiling tiles, we take panels of corrugated barn tin that would otherwise be recycled or trashed and cut it into 2x2 strips. This material can now be used as a decorative option for retail outlets, bars, restaurants, and even homes. The rustic orange, reds, and browns mixed with metallic grays create an old-fashioned style that few products can match. It really is a simple solution that creates a fantastic appearance for your space.

Enhance Your Space with Barn Tin Ceiling Tiles

CeilingConnex has a large selection of high-quality ceiling products that can bring quality and reliability to your home or business.

Whether you need new ceiling tiles for your basement or an entire ceiling grid for your commercial office, we have the materials you need!