Acoustic suspended ceilings

Modern man lives in the world of sounds. In city houses and offices, radio broadcasts tirelessly (and sometimes quite loudly), televisions are overwhelmed, music is playing, phones and pagers are ringing incessantly, and a mass of a wide variety of equipment hums, buzzes, beeps and ticks. Alas, we are used to falling asleep under the “lulling” roar of cars outside the window. Humanity has lost the habit of silence and as a result received a whole bunch of problems – hypertension and neuroses, stress and depression, and as a result – chronic fatigue.

Of course, we are no longer able to abandon the achievements of civilization. But you can learn to control the sound level in the room. This is real. It turns out that it is enough just to decorate the walls, floors, ceilings with sound-absorbing materials (which do not reflect, but absorb sound), and there will be less extraneous noise. You have probably noticed yourself: it is worth laying carpet on the floor, and hanging a carpet on the wall, as the room becomes quieter and more comfortable.

It’s like that. But what about the ceiling, for example? As it turned out, this problem can be solved. Many self-respecting manufacturers of suspended tile ceiling panels (ARMSTRONG, ECOPHON, AKUSTO, OWA, ROCKFON and LUXALON) have long been producing so-called sound-absorbing acoustic ceilings. Ceiling slabs produced by ARMSTRONG, ROCKFON and OWA are made of mineral fiber, while ECOPHON and AKUSTO are made of porous glass wool – one of the best sound-absorbing materials. LUXALON ceilings are aluminum perforated ceilings. All of these ceilings reduce the “echo effect” and reduce the overall noise level in the room.

Moreover, in addition to their direct responsibility – sound absorption – they have other wonderful qualities. For example, they meet the highest fire safety requirements and belong to the group of hardly combustible materials: glass and mineral fiber, which are part of the panel material, do not burn. Like all glass wool and mineral fiber products, acoustic ceiling tiles are a good insulation material. So, by installing such a ceiling, say, in an office, you will make sure that the room has become not only quieter, but also much warmer..

However, in reality, one cannot think that it is enough to mount an acoustic ceiling, install acoustic panels – and the room is completely isolated. Not so simple. The selection of materials and their installation should be carried out by an acoustician. Indeed, sometimes it is enough to correctly install just a few acoustic elements – and the problem is solved. For this, of course, a specialist must navigate the market, keep track of new items, etc. I must say that there is no ideal option. But the ideal combination of several types of acoustic ceilings (a kind of soundproof “pie”) can be selected. The point is that different ceilings work differently at different frequencies. Some ceilings are perfect for low frequencies, others for high frequencies. Installation of suspended tiled ceilings will not take long. Professional installers will carry out it quickly, without unnecessary noise and dust. The scheme is simple – a system of suspensions and slats is attached to the main ceiling, and plates are laid on the slats. In the resulting space, you can, for example, lay communications.

How to maintain acoustic false ceilings? After all, sooner or later the stoves will inevitably get dirty, especially if the ceiling is in the kitchen or in the storeroom, etc. There are two ways to clean ceiling panels – dry and wet. If cleaning dry, it is best to use a vacuum cleaner. And some models of ceiling tiles can be wiped with a damp sponge (wet method).

As for the scope of application of acoustic ceilings, it is probably easier to say where they are not used – they are so versatile. Acoustic ceilings are indispensable for classrooms, lecture halls and conference rooms. They are great for hospital rooms (treatment rooms, examination rooms, operating rooms), good in swimming pools, game rooms, gyms. Sound absorbing suspended ceilings – great for kitchens, cafeterias, supermarkets, offices and other public spaces…

This is, of course, not all that can be said about acoustic ceilings. Therefore, we will definitely return to this topic in the next issues of the magazine and talk in more detail about how you can use them to create silence in the room. And that means – to save our nerves and health.