I'll be installing a drop ceiling in part of my basement soon and I 'd like to know if anyone has any tips on tile selection and if I use a tile that is more decorative, how do you get the border tiles to look right since you have to cut them down to size?
Also, do I have to paint the white grid bars to match the color of the tiles I want to use?

Find center of room from both walls. Measure your tile and lay put the tile edge against the rooms center line. Now chase it to the wall and see what you have left. If the "left" part ends being to small of a piece, find the tile center line and lay that line over the floor center line. This will shift the tile and by a 1/2 and help add more width in edges. You might only have to shift the pattern in one direction and the other may be good. If not repeat the same layout system.
Note: When you lay this out and have different wall returns coming out into the room and breaks a lot of ceiling up go with the longest wall with that has the least obstructions and that's what the eye will pick up most in balance of grid pattern. It sounds like you might pick out a beveled edge tile. At the sides they will have to be cut and beveled to sit on the track edge right.

Its been a while for drop ceilings See what's availability in grid color. Or just paint them

Tile selection is a personal thing but look at the size of your room. Tile patterns can make a difference hear in scale. If using 2x3 the grid pattern is smaller and more grids. If you use a 2x4 panels beveled I would chose a pattern that has smaller squares in it to scale it to the room. Just a thought.

Another thought I don't know how big your room is or what lighting you have planned. To many times I see drop ceilings in homes and the lighting is not good, Drop ceiling lights are not reflective off the ceiling like a bulb in a chandelier or the basic square/round glass cover. Those lights reflect a lot of light and bounce the light off the ceiling you would be surprised of the difference of one 60 watts bouncing off the ceiling to 60 watts bulb flush to the ceiling. Just a thought. Hope this helps you out.
Happy Holidays Good Luck!

We kind of like the tin tiles in 2' x 2'. I've got some pendant lights over the bar, A couple wall sconce lights, and Can lights in the rest of the room.

Are the can lights going to be in the new ceiling? Tin may be as reflective as a white tile but I doubt that. Tin sounds nice! So keep in mind lighting and layout of 2x2s. I hope I was able to get the layout conveyed and tried not to write a book by doing so. I hope I covered what you needed. Any more question just post. Good Luck on your project!

21boat, yes the can lights will be mounted in the 2' x 2' tiles somehow. I don't have that detail worked out yet as far as how to install the can lights in the tiles.

DAVE ERMELING - I hope you see mine before you start your ceiling;; the way to figure the borders for the ceiling is ;; measure the length and if you are using 2x2 ft panels EXAMPLE - room is 25ft 8" long. 2ft. will be 24 ft. 8 " so you have 12"+8"= 20 ",
so you will have a 10 ' border9 REALLY TO SMALL ON A @FT CEILING SO BREAK ANOTHER 2FTtile in half,so ad another to the 10" that will give you a 22" border::: SAY THE ROOM IS 13FT 7" wide , tile is 2ftx2ft;; DO THE SAME OVER EVEN FT OF 12ft ,you have 12" + 7" ,gives you 19" , 1/2 of 19' = 9 1/2 "
boder for each side ( TO SMALL ) take 1/2 of another tile ( 12" + 9 1/2 " = 21 1/2 " border each side :: NOW when you start to run the grid ( METAL) , down the longest side run the main beam, PUll you a dry line (NYLON ) from one end to the other end, also pull a line across the end of the room also ,pull these lines to the figured borders. AS per above figures ( end of room,line would be out from wall 21 1/2 " out from wall. And the long line would be out from wall 22" ; TO start the main beam , measure from the closet slot in the beam ,the 22", main beams are 12FT long , HANG YOUR HANGER WIRE ON AT LEAST 4FT CENTERS DOWN THE LONG WALL, Try to hang right over a wire hole in the beam , Keep as level as you can while hanging the grid, do the finish leveling after all is up , When you have the main beam up tie it off on the start end to hold in place:: When you start to run the side 2FT cross "t"s MEASURE FROM THE WALL ON TOP OF THE WAKLL MOLD TO THE DRY LINE AND ,MEASURE FROM END OF CROSS T TO THE MEASUREMENT AND MARK <THEN CUT OFF STRIGHT ON THE MARK < DO THIS ALL THE WAY DOWN THE ROOM : KEEP THE MAIN BEAM JUST UP ABOVE THE DRY LINE,( MUST STAY CLEAR TO BE ABLE TO RUN STRIGHT :: AFTER ALL THE GRID IS HUNG< YOU CAN NOW LEVEL THE GRID < IF your floor joist are pretty level you can get the grid pretty close to right . I ALWAYS USED MY EYE LOOKING DOWN THE BEAM < HOLD EYE REAL CLOSE TO BOTTOM :: AFTER ITS LEVEL AND TIED OFF (THE WIRE ) YOU CAN THEN RUN YOUR CONDUIT FOR THE ELECT. WIRE AND PLACE YOUR LIGHTS WHERE YOU WANT ( BY THE WAY < THEY MAKE SEVERAL DIFFERENT KINDS OF HANGERS FOR LIGHT FIXTURES < HANGING >RECESSED OR WHAT EVER :: JUST TELL THEM WHERE YOU GET YOUR MATERIALS WHAT YOU WANT TO DO ::
ONE OTHER THING YOU NEED TO CONSIDER IS < THE METAL IS REALLY NICE ( BUT WHAT ABOUT SOUND ) A PLAIN SMOOTH SURFACE WILL NOT CUT DOWN ANY NOISE IT WILL INCREASE IT :: A FISSURED TILE WILL REALLY CUT DOWN THE NOUISE IN THE INTIRE BASEMENT :: IT COMES IN MANY DIFFERENT STYLES AND DESIGNS < :: IF YOU GO TO Lowe's THEY HAVE ON DISPLAY JUST ABOUT ALL YOU CAN THINK OF . I HAVE INSTALLED EVERY KIND OF ACOUSTICAL CELLING< ( DROP CEILING ) YOU CAN NAME : DONE IT PROF< FOR SEVERAL YEARS . I HATE TO CUT ANYONE DOWN BUT THE WAY 21BOAT WANTS YOU TO FIGURE BORDERS IS THE WAY YOU DO FLOOR TILE . He was right on one thing though about obsticals comeing out from the wall ; I HOPE That I HAVE HELPRD YOU < IF YOU NEED MORE HELP <JUST POST ON THIS SAME POST< I WILL GET BACK TO YOU<ASAP, :: CHECK WITH Lowe's
ALSO THEY HAVE PAMPLETS RIGHT THERE ON HOW TO FIGURE BORDERS AND TO HANG THE GRID :: YOU SAND YOURS DO HAVE A SAFE AND MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR> GOD BLESS ALL<:: F.B.E.

The can lights have to be floating to a point and nothing touching the can it gets hot unless the can is for insul application. Before you do that think of this. Buy a cheap 2x4 fluorescent light strip plane Jane and mount that to a joist above the (2) 2x2 areas beside each other. Now we solved the heat problem and rigging. I used the lenses before. They manufacture parabolic lenses that will fit the 2x2. They coma usually in 2x4 and I just cut them down to fit for 2x2 grids. They come in bronze. Silver with a mirror finish in squares of 1x1 or 2x2 and the squares are slanted hence parabolic. It might like that look with the tin ceiling. To see the fluorescent light you have to stand directly under the light and look up. These are mostly used in commercial applications. I don't like the old lay in track frosted one units and it doesn't sound like you do . So here some ideas and hopefully I answered your questions and I will look to see if you have more.

happy Holidays Dave Good Luck on your project.

Flying Blue Eagle, Thanks for the help but I am having a hard time understanding your post. I think you must have been in a hurry, lol.

DAVE - I WILL GET A BETTER writing done for you tomorrow, One that you will be able to make out better, But as I said above , at Lowe's or home depot ,back where the acoustical ceiling is they have some pamplets that will show you exactly what I'm showing you :: it will show you in a drawing of the room and use measurements with the borders figured out for you on all four walls , in 2ftx2ft panels it will show you how to work the borders to get the 1st main beam up ,cutting it off in order to make the border hope this helps. BY THE WAY DO YOU KNOW A BILL & DELORIS PHIFER UP THERE??
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND A SAFE ONE GOD BLESS ::: F.B.E.

If Grid is not mounted, you may want to locate grid so the cans can miss the grid and fall over Bar where desired.

Yeah, I'm not sure how to get the lights where I want them as far as centered over the bar and still end up with the pattern centered in the room.

Dave- they make special hangers foe the can lights , i don't know if they have them there at lowe's, but check to see <if they don't then go to a reg< elect<lighting supply store< or even a acoustical ceiling store. Have you got to the point of stsarting the ceiling metal grid? Holler when you are ready have a good night and god bless:: f.b.e.