Art House Mark Ham

When an individual needs reduced noise or improved sound, the first areas that receive acoustic treatment are often the walls. However, in large rooms, open-space offices, and multi-story homes, more can be accomplished if you also address the space above you with acoustical treatment for your ceilings.

Ceilings are often neglected when a space is being treated for sound reduction with acoustical treatment. But in multiple-story structures, sound travels upward and downward just as easily as it moves outward. Ceilings are like noise lids, containing sounds and allowing echoes and reverberation. In large areas, like offices with multiple departments sectioned by dividers or cubicles under a shared ceiling, single departments are subjected to the whole floor’s noise. In an expansive classroom or auditorium, just a few voices can create sound reflections distracting enough to make hearing difficult for others. For these reasons, insulating sound in ceilings is vital for the acoustical treatment of a room. Fortunately, products exist for this very task, with foam mat sound barriers being affordable and fairly easy to implement.

In basements, acoustical drop ceiling tiles are great for clarifying sound and reducing noise sent to the floor above. Drop ceiling tiles are also very beneficial in offices or classrooms for cutting down on sound reflections, resulting in increased productivity and focus. Foam can be also factored into the acoustic construction of rooms. Closed-cell foam material sheets added between floors act as a sound deadening layer that can reduce noise, and some varieties also provide the added benefit of thermal insulation.

If you encounter noise issues and have looked all around for a solution, perhaps the problem isn’t all around you, but rather, above you.