Pressed Tin Ceiling... or is it?

I learned something new today!

You know those big, bold pressed tin ceilings we see in commercial spaces in old buildings? They aren’t actually pressed tin. Most of what we see today is actually steel.

While the real reason these elaborate metal pieces are incorrectly identified as tin is unknown, the best guess is that it comes from the craftsmen who were known as “tinsmiths” who actually worked with all sheet metal back in the day.

Here are a few quick facts about these darling additions:

• was first manufactured during the late 1800s through the 1920s (as common with other things in our history, the Great Depression started it’s downfall, and WWII helped accelerate the end of this era)

• it was used in ceilings in buildings from commercial to residential as we know, but did you know they also used it in stables and even in ships? If you see it on a wall, know that is RARE.

• the in-tact ceilings that we see today are at least 100 years old - so, it is quite the feat they are still around.

• it was marketed as a fireproof material for use between floors- mostly in cities like Chicago who had had issues with fires previously :(

• Zinc and copper were also used, so if you find that, it’s also super rare!

• If you see crumbly paint, you may want to proceed with caution, as most had a base coat of lead-based paint when originally manufactured.

I loved reading about this, and I hope you learned a thing from me as well. I fricking LOVE a “pressed-tin” ceiling. Guess I’ll have to call it something else now :)