Suspended ceilings: suspend disbelief

Those musty, mouldy suspended ceilings from the 70s have sat there, unloved and unwanted for decades. Be ashamed of them no longer. With suspended ceiling technology improving rapidly isn’t it time you looked up again?

Time was when suspended ceiling tiles seemed to be good for only two things: developing strange coffee stains despite never having been anywhere near coffee; and falling down.
But things have changed. A suspended ceiling can now not only offer you a multitude of benefits from energy efficiency to fireproofing – it can look good too.

Here’s our handy guide to the benefits of installing a modern suspended ceiling.

Acoustics

One of the major benefits in installing a suspended ceiling is its ability to absorb sound. As technology has advanced so the sound absorption properties of suspended ceilings have increased. Now the very ceiling you install can help control the sound in a room.

Anti-microbial performance

90% of hospitals and clinics use suspended ceilings. When the world is fighting a battle against one superbug after another it’s not just the floor that needs to be clean.

An anti-microbial coating on the ceiling tile can help in the fight against hospital infections. It can inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi and mould for the lifetime of the tile. Some coatings can inhibit bacterial growth by up to 99.9% compared with no treatment.

If you need to guard against cross-contamination choose a suspended ceiling with anti-microbial protection.

Air quality

When you’re operating a clean-room environment the purity of the air is everything. It’s vital that you get every component right – and that includes the ceiling. Install an easily cleanable, high performance suspended ceiling. It can inhibit the adhesion of airborne particles and greatly assist in maintaining the air purity of the room.

Light reflectance

The better light reflectance from a surface the less money you have to spend on lighting. Choose a high light reflectance surface for your suspended ceilings and watch your energy costs fall.

Humidity resistance

Standard ceiling tiles are designed for use in areas where the temperature range is between 15° and 35°C with up to 70% relative humidity. A suspended ceiling installation that is open to the elements, in a kitchen, or subject to differing temperatures needs to be tough. Choose the wrong tile for the wrong conditions and the ceiling could start to sag.

Choose a ceiling tile with the highest humidity resistance to extend performance in the toughest conditions.

Fire Safety

All suspended ceilings should meet fire safety requirements, but some can do much more. Some ceiling tiles can actively assist in fire protection or resistance through specially treatments and/or additional protection measures in the ceiling cavity.

Insulation

High ceilings mean high heating costs. Installing an appropriately insulated suspended ceiling lowers the height of the ceiling, meaning there’s less space to keep warm.

A multitude of sins

Sloping ceiling? Water damage marks? Old patches or peeling plaster? You may have fixed the cause of the problem but the effects remain. You could redecorate, but if you’re sold on the many other benefits of suspended ceilings then it’s worth remembering that a suspended ceiling can also hide all the unsightly evidence of the wear and tear above it.

From the medical profession to the catering business, in recording studios and on factory floors, suspended ceilings are performing a valuable and tireless task, day in day out.
Whether they’re enhancing or dampening acoustics or providing a clean, safe environment in which to work suspended ceilings are now so much more than just something to put up when the ceiling needs lowering.

Find out how they can benefit your business for surprisingly little cost by contacting your suspended ceiling specialist today.

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