Suspended Ceiling Acoustics

There are various types of acoustic problems that you can encounter in rooms. One of these is due to excessive noise in the room that’s bouncing around and causing echo and another type of interior sound problem could be sound leaving the room and causing problems elsewhere.

The solution for reducing the echo would be to install a sound absorbing ceiling, and the best types of high performance sound absorbing ceiling tiles tend to be the soft rock fibre or glass fibre manufactured by Ecophon and Rockfon.

If the acoustic problem is due to sound leaving the room then one solution would be to install a hard-surfaced ceiling tile which would then reflect the sound back in to the room.

Regardless of which type of acoustic problem you may have, the best solution would be to contact an experienced suspended ceiling contractor who will be able to give you expert advice.

How much does a suspended ceiling cost?

This is not an easy question to answer because the fitting price depends on lots of different factors. For example a 6m high ceiling takes longer to install than a 3m high ceiling, and a 30m2 corridor ceiling is usually more time-consuming than 30m2 of ceiling in a single room due to the additional cutting of the edge tiles.

Raking and curved walls also add extra labour time, and then there is the possibility of the ceiling void being cluttered with services and cable trays, making the ceiling installers job much more difficult. The size of the false ceiling also makes a huge difference to the cost and that’s all before you have even decided which type of ceiling panel you’d like installed.

If I still haven’t convinced you to ring a suspended ceiling contractor for a quotation then I would suggest you allow a figure somewhere in the region of £15-25/m2 which should cover you for a budget lay-in mineral fibre suspended ceiling approximately 50-250m2 in size. If the area is from 1000-5000m2 in size you could be looking from as little as £9-£10/m2 supplied and installed.

For an accurate price though, you need to contact a suspended ceiling installation company.

Useful Hints & Tips on Suspended Ceiling Repairs

The vast majority of damage to suspended ceilings is caused by water stains, either from a leaky roof or a burst water pipe. Air conditioning can also create a build up of dust and dirt over the years usually next to the grilles. Whilst you can paint the ceiling tiles, which will almost certainly improve the appearance in the short term, the same can not be said of the acoustic performance or fire resistance.The holes and fissures in the surface of the tiles are there to help absorb the sound and will become clogged with paint.

Another good reason not to paint ceiling tiles is because it can destroy the fire resistance or cause them to warp and curl at the corners (see picture), this is why we would always recommend you replace the tiles with new.

If your adept at DIY then replacing the ceiling tiles is relatively easy, all you will need is a stanley knife, straight edge and a tape measure. If you think cutting and fitting ceiling tiles is beyond your DIY skill level or you simply do not have the time then use a dedicated suspended ceiling contractor.