Tin ceiling

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. They were also popular in Australia where they were commonly known as pressed metal ceilings or Wunderlich ceilings (after the main Australian manufacturer Wunderlich). They were also used in South Africa.

Tin ceilings were introduced to North America as an affordable alternative to the exquisite plasterwork used in European homes. They gained popularity in the late 1800s as Americans sought sophisticated interior design. Durable, lightweight and fireproof, tin ceilings were appealing to home and business owners alike as a functionally attractive design element that was readily available.

It was during the late Victorian era that thin rolled tin-plate was being mass-produced. Between 1890 and 1930, approximately forty-five companies in the United States marketed metal ceilings; most were in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, located along railroad lines that served as the main routes for delivering the pressed metal products directly to contractors. The Wheeling Corrugating Company out of Wheeling, West Virginia, became the leading tin ceiling manufacturer in the late 1800s. At that time, Wheeling Corrugating was a large steel mill that also made products from their steel sheets such as roofing and siding.

Sheets of tin were stamped one at a time using rope drop hammers and cast iron molds. Using this method of production, metal was sandwiched between two interlocking tools. The top tool, or "ram," was lifted up by a rope or chain, then dropped down onto the bottom die, smashing into the metal that was underneath and permanently embedding intricate patterns into the tin.

Tin ceilings were traditionally painted white to give the appearance of hand-carved or molded plaster. They were incorporated into residential living rooms and parlors as well as commercial businesses, where painted tin was often used as wainscoting.

In the 1930s, tin ceilings began to lose their popularity and steel materials became scarce because of the effort to collect scrap metal during WWII. Many sheet metal companies began making other products in order to stay in business. In the 21st century, some renewed interest has been shown in tin ceilings. The increase in interest has stemmed from businesses that were renovating and an interest to return to the nostalgia of the turn of the century. Still to this today there exists a manufacturing company in the United States that produces original tin ceilings and ornaments from the same rope drop hammers as it once did in 1898. Several other companies offer conventional tin ceilings as well as panels made to fit into a drop-ceiling grid.

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Wikipedia