Hello, I am in the process of building a new home. I have a basement with concrete floors that are stained dark gray/black, and will be polished before completion. The ceiling consists of engineered wood I joists, a plethora of wires, plumbing, and ductwork. What can I use instead of sheet rock to cover the ceiling. Obviously I would be looking for something aesthetically pleasing, not a cheesy drop ceiling. any ideas greatly appreciated.
Thanks

I just went through a similar problem in my new home and determined that a well made drop ceiling was the best choice. Nothing cheesy about being able to quickly get at pipes, wiring,and ventilation systems without destroying any paneling. It will save much $ over the life of the house and sometimes aesthetics are balanced by other factors. One other way is to totally expose everything and treat the systems as art - but trying to convince a plumber, electrician or other installer that you NEED to have everything placed Just So and in tasteful, coordinated colors can be like pushing rope.(and the inspector might have trouble with it as well.)

In our last house I had the same problem. I hate drop ceiling but I didn't want to limit access with drywall. We simply sprayed everything in the ceiling area a matte black to minimize the clutter. Then, we took 1/2 wood veneered 4 x 8 plywood backed with some 2 x 4's for stiffening, and suspended them from the ceiling (floor joists above) with 4 metal turnbuckles. If you set the turnbuckles in from the panel edge a bit, and space the panels about a foot from one another you get a really cool floating effect. We stained the panels and installed some mini recessed fixtures into each panel. It's a really great warm contemporary effect. Locating the turnbuckles on each panel to meet with the joists properly is a pain, but well worth it.

In our last house I had the same problem. I hate drop ceiling but I didn't want to limit access with drywall. We simply sprayed everything in the ceiling area a matte black to minimize the clutter. Then, we took 1/2 wood veneered 4 x 8 plywood backed with some 2 x 4's for stiffening, and suspended them from the ceiling (floor joists above) with 4 metal turnbuckles. If you set the turnbuckles in from the panel edge a bit, and space the panels about a foot from one another you get a really cool floating effect. We stained the panels and installed some mini recessed fixtures into each panel. It's a really great warm contemporary effect. Locating the turnbuckles on each panel to meet with the joists properly is a pain, but well worth it.

We have stretch ceiling in our basement, worked out really well. We did not loose any hight, have a very beautiful look, 10 year warranty + it is mildew and water resistant. The only down side is it is a little bit expansive ceiling. We used this company www.colorado-ceilings.com Check it out!