Soundproofing Office Ceiling – 5 Best Insulations

Soundproofing the office ceiling is much more important than home because in the office every employee needs to concentrate on his or her work without disturbing by noise or sound. If you want a silent environment or protection for each worker’s privacy in the office, then you are in the right place, so here we are going to give information about how we can make the office soundproof.

According to research and contractors, we noticed that insulation in any building like a residential building or commercial building both have beneficial. There are a variety of Insulation materials and types of insulation, available in the market. One of these is available with no sound absorbing ability or some insulation material has little bit ability of sound or noise absorbing. Some of the insulation material is known as sustainable insulation while some are known as green insulation, Types of Green Insulation, we have already seen in the Green Home Insulation article.

Now in this article, we will focus on the soundproofing insulation material and Soundproofing Office Ceiling. As you know, with the insulation process some things are important to consider, that as insulation material, insulation method or form of insulation, as well as its r-value, u value there is another important thing to consider, if you construct a commercial building or an office, that is soundproofing insulation material. Because the soundproofing ceiling material should reduce the noise which would be disturbing in the work. With the Soundproofing Material, you would create a better acoustic environment in the office.

Soundproofing Office Ceiling/ element soundproof/ how to soundproof the ceiling/ how to make ceiling soundproof

Soundproofing the office ceiling is most important because the office is a commercial working place so it must be quiet and with an acoustic environment for better work. Soundproofing office ceiling is very important because the office is a working place where there are different branches and sections, the office is more than one floor, so it should be happening bouncing sounds and other noises can disturb privacy because the roof of the office has another floor, to avoid that, office ceiling must have soundproofing.

If your office has more than one floor then soundproofing the office ceiling must be important. Firstly, try to understand how soundproofing material will work and what is the element of soundproofing so, makes things easier to select material according to this soundproofing element.

Element Soundproof

To get ready to soundproof the ceiling, then you have to understand or know some elements that do work. Below are some elements of soundproofing that help to prevent noise.

• Decoupling
• Absorption
• Mass
• Damping

Now let’s know more about all that, how it works.

Decoupling

In the element decoupling, it works like separating the two parts of walls to block loud sound from traveling across the walls. The term decoupling is separating the two sides of walls to make it hard to pass through the wall.  Sound is just like a vibration of waves and this vibration requires a solid pathway to follow. In the case of ceiling soundproofing, the solid path is in the form of joists or studs. So, decoupling this element, and separating the framing in the ceiling break the sound pathway and able to reduce the noise.

Absorption

As the name, this Absorption (element soundproof) works the same. Absorption helps to absorb the sound. It is an effective element of making a low echo of sound and noise through the room by applying some soundproofing products that absorb sound. This product is made of soft material and its softness and sponginess can soak nearer sound which hits on its surface. 

Mass

This element soundproof is known as essential for blocking noise. The main principle of this mass element is to make the wall or ceiling as heavy as you can make heavy. Because of a thick or massive wall, then it should be more capable of that massive wall to stop the noise, the massive wall has less chance of airborne noise entering. Drywall, mass-loaded vinyl, plywood, and cement board these sample high mass material.

Damping

This element works by using damping compounds. As we all know, the damping compound can convert the soundwaves into heat energy. The best damping compound for soundproofing, we like to recommend is Green Glue Damping Compound.

By using these four elements of soundproofing you can block and reduce noise. By using one or two elements it would not work effectively. Hence for effectiveness, you must use all four elements for Soundproofing Office Ceiling.

How to make ceiling soundproof

Ceiling soundproofing should reduce the two types of noise that are,

Impact Noise-

This noise is created because of people walking in that particular room and making football causing vibration in the floor and this vibration passes through the ceiling of the room.

Airborne Noise-

This noise or sound enters from the room above through talking people and loud vehicles sound. Both types of noises enter the office through the ceiling. The ceiling is the part of the office that joins two or more spaces. But all types of noise travel through ceiling joists and beams.

Best insulation for soundproofing ceiling / Ceiling Soundproofing Material

If you want to create a soundproofing office ceiling, you can use these soundproofing materials to insulate the ceiling with joists.

Fiberglass Insulation

Fiberglass insulation is soft and stringy in texture that’s why it is known as cotton candy insulation material. This insulation is commonly used for soundproofing office ceilings. Because of its texture, it can absorb sound. To use this soundproofing insulation material for the office ceiling you need to expose joists in the basement to install fiberglass insulation in Batts form. For doing that you may cost $65 per sq. ft.

Install the Acoustic Tiles

Acoustic Tiles are suited to any building, home, office, or study center. The panels of those tiles are held with the help of a metal grid of ceiling. This tile is made up of Fiberglass with a sound-interrupting foil or mass-loaded vinyl (MLV) layer. The cost of Acoustic Tiles near about $8 per sq. Ft.

Cellulose Insulation

To Insulate your office ceiling, you can go with cellulose insulation because it can reduce the sound waves through the walls, ceiling, or floors. If you use this material to insulate the ceiling, then it can provide the advantage of Fiberglass insulation. Cellulose insulation can reduce the lateral movement of sheetrock, which decreases the amount of sound that comes through walls or ceiling.

Acoustic Insulation Slabs – best insulation for soundproofing ceiling

By using these Acoustic Insulation Slabs you can increase the density of the ceiling and increase soundproofing quality because it can reduce the sound reverberating inside the ceiling cavity.

You have to need a minimum of 60kg/m density for higher performance. This soundproofing insulation material of the ceiling can increase the ability to reduce airborne sound.

Soundproof Panels

Soundproof panels are the very best soundproofing material for insulating the ceiling. It has higher density and sound absorption ability. These panels normally have a mass-loaded barrier sheet. It increases the density of the plasterboard and helps to reduce vibration. If you use this material it will work reducing sound vibrating through the plasterboard.

How To Soundproof The Ceiling

By using the following methods you would make the soundproof ceiling of the office. Below are some ways of soundproofing office ceilings and making impact noise and airborne noise-free areas.

Single Layer of Drywall

This method of soundproof drywall is mostly useful for soundproofing office ceilings. It is thick in size but it has a better soundproof quality compared to ordinary drywall. Instead of soundproof drywall, if you use ordinary drywall ceiling then to gain the soundproof quality you need to add, sound absorbent material or soundproofing insulation material to fill the space of the ceiling. You must use soundproofing insulation material like Fiberglass- Corning R 19 Fiberglass, Mineral Wool, or Rockwool. This method should reduce airborne sound.

Double Layer of Drywall

It works to reduce airborne noise. To make it effective, the setup is Fiberglass with two layers of 58” drywall. Because of the double layer became ceiling thicker but crate more mass and was able to reduce the impact noise.

Double Layer of Drywall and Green Glue Damping

To improve the Double Layer of Drywall, this method you should add a layer of Green glue-damping compound to stop or block the airborne sound even though it should be able to reduce impact noise. In this step don’t need to remove the existing drywall but if haven’t added insulation material then you need to remove the existing drywall and apply Green Glue Compound according to instructions. The next step this, to install the second drywall over the first wall with the help of a screw to the underside of the ceiling. It is known as highly effective in making soundproof ceilings in offices.

Decoupled Ceiling with Hat Channels and Resilient Soundproof Clips

In this method, the form of Hat Channels and Resilient Clips decoupling was added. Firstly you need to remove drywall from the existing ceiling but keep in mind don’t fix it directly to the joists, if you fix it directly then it should lose its ability to work properly. Then use resilient soundproofing clips to hat channels with a screw at a 10 ” distance. This process isolates the impact noise and becomes a more soundproofing option.

Mass Loaded Vinyl

Mass-loaded vinyl is used for adding mass to the walls or ceiling form achieve soundproofing quality. Mass-loaded vinyl is put between two layers of drywall, to create wall and ceiling covering. Mass-loaded vinyl material should block sound. This work is the technique of damping and should be used as Green Glue. It should be also used as carpet underlayment.

It is tough and dense so mostly blocks airborne sound, and also gives an extra pad to the ceiling. This Mass Loaded Vinyl is known as a highly effective material for fulfilling multipurpose however Green Glue Compound is also effective and cheap. This material is also known as the Vinyl Barrier. Mass Loaded Vinyl is expensive but it can reduce 90% of airborne sound.

Final Thought on how to soundproof the ceiling

As you know noise and outer sound can distract the mind from your work and you know that such can spoil your work in a place like an office, but soundproofing the office solves this problem. Soundproofing the ceiling is a little bit of a difficult process but soundproofing is worth able. By using the Johns Manville R19- For Basement Ceiling and HEWEIYHY 50 Pack Acoustic Panels Soundproof Studio Foam For Ceiling, you can achieve an excellent soundproofing performance and improve the effectiveness against noise.

So, here you have it, our quick guide shares the all information about, how to soundproof the ceiling, by using all four elements of soundproofing you should stop entering the noise in your workplace. By soundproofing, a ceiling can reduce the impact or airborne noise.

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