Posted on: February 23rd, 2017 by Alex Wills

Solutions and Treatments for Ceilings

Ceiling tile products and specifications

Noise reduction solutions that are applied to ceilings can be effective for noise travelling between floors, as well as noise that is transmitted over partition walls.

Noise travelling vertically between floors is often an issue inside a single-family home, condo, mixed-use space, or office building. Soundown offers solutions that can be applied upstairs or downstairs.

Common noise complaints include voices, footfalls, chairs being moved, and media, which are especially bothersome to those occupying the lower space. To combat these problem noises, Soundown has developed a portfolio of materials that improve the transmission loss of ceiling assemblies. These treatments are highly effective for improving work efficiency, privacy, and habitability within a space. For options that can be applied to the floor of the upper spaces, see this page.

TuffMass-UL can be used in ceiling assemblies in much the same way as it is used in wall assemblies. This includes installing TuffMass-UL on the upper or lower faces of the floor or on roof joists behind a layer of drywall. For existing ceiling assemblies, TuffMass-UL can be added below the drywall with a second layer of drywall added to finish the installation. This treatment is highly effective at blocking speaking, A/V, and other airborne noises.

For the highest level of noise reduction, especially in the case of structure-borne noise, such as footfalls and furniture moving, we suggest decoupling the ceiling from the joists above. When you decouple the lower surface of the floor/ceiling assembly from the joists, you break the mechanical transmission path for noise that radiates into the space below. This also increases the transmission loss to produce the lowest levels of airborne noise being transmitted into the space below.

In areas with drop ceilings, Soundown’s Ceiling Tile Treatments are a highly effective addition to standard acoustic ceiling tileceilingtile72 installations. While standard ceiling tiles do a good job of absorbing noise in a room, they do little to reduce noise that travels into or out of the space. Noise can travel through drop ceilings to spaces on upper floors and even the same floor.

Other rooms on the same floor may be at risk because partition walls are often not sealed to the floor above, and noise travels through these gaps into adjoining areas. The combination of an absorptive fiberglass decoupler layer and a mass-loaded vinyl (MLV) barrier layer provides excellent sound blocking, covering a range of frequencies and noise sources. In addition to being highly effective, Ceiling Tile Treatments are easy to install. Simply lay the material on top of the existing ceiling tile.

Ceiling tile products and specifications

*Before installing Ceiling Tile Treatments, reference the panel weights in the physical properties listing found in each product description and ensure your ceiling grid is capable of supporting the additional weight.