Soundproofing a drop ceiling

 

  Soundproofing a drop ceiling or a t bar ceiling is not nearly as difficult as it may seem. The first of order of business is to see how many ceiling tiles you actually have in your acoustical ceiling assembly. Are they 2’ X 2’ or 2’ X 4’? All of these factors are important when calculation the amount of soundproofing material you will need to get the job done.

 Today we are going to use a simple method called the Fibraboard method.  What is Fibraboard you may ask? Fibraboard is a bonded cotton based material that is compressed into a board like material.  In the world of soundproofing and acoustical treatment material, cotton is one of the most efficient and cost effective materials on the market today.

To soundproof our drop ceiling, we are going to first bring down all of the individual ceiling tiles. Once you have removed all of the tiles and you now have them stacked up, you are going to be soundproofing these acoustic tiles using a product called Fibraboard.  The bonded cotton Fibraboard will be spot glued to the backside of each of the acoustical ceiling tiles. We then recommend that you stack the ceiling tiles one on top of another and let them dry all night.

 The next day it’s time to re-install the treated acoustical tiles back onto the ceiling grid.  It is a good idea to put a small bead of acoustical caulk on the inside of the T bar in order to seal the tiles into the grid. This is not an essential step, but it does help seal the grid ceiling assembly.

Now that you have your ceiling tiles back in place, do a sound check using a boom box or a loud stereo to see just how effective your new drop ceiling really is. The above application works for any drop type acoustical ceiling. This method is used extensively in doctors and psychologists ‘offices, not to mention dentist’s offices and massage therapy rooms and spas. The Fibraboard is an amazing product.

For more information on how to soundproof a T-Bar ceiling, call one of the professionals at Soundproofing America, Inc. This is Dr. Bob, Adios.