The Myths about Controlling Noise 

If you look overhead in almost every commercial space where you shop, dine, worship, study, or play you will see mostly white ceiling tiles.  These tiles are utilized as an inexpensive way to hide from your view, pipes, wire, HVAC ducting, and other unsightly construction.

Most tiles offer very little support acoustically.      

Standard commercial grade ceiling tiles do NOT block sound from bleeding in or out of the room, nor do they offer superior sound absorption properties inside the room.   Most commercial grade ceiling tiles carry very low NRC values, ranging in the .50-.55 range (see NRC in our Academy for an explanation of the NRC).

If your goal is to combat sound bleed in and out of your room through a drop grid tile system, NetWell offers two options.   

• If your starting point is a finished tile system is in place, our Ceiling Caps are insulation plates that rest atop your existing tiles.   We’ll cut them into 2’x2′ or 2’x4′ and you simply lay them down atop your ceiling tiles.  

• If your system is not yet in place, we also offer Granite Tiles, which are a finished ceiling tile lined with density to combat sound bleed through a drop grid tile system.   

Both of these options offer more “density” than the standard commercial grade ceiling.   If you opt for either, be sure to triple up on the hangers used to support your grid, so that in turn, the grid can support the weight.

• If your goal is to use ceiling tiles to absorb echoes within the room to produce great quality sound, again, commercial-grade ceiling tiles offer little absorption value.   They are typically made of a low cost compressed fiberboard of some kind, with a white finish.   

Better Acoustics

If you are in need of stronger acoustic values, the upgrade is to have the tiles made out of melamine foam.   This core material offers NRC values of .90-1.00 on a ceiling tile, which will more than double your overall effect for absorbing unwelcome background noise.   

NetWell’s DIME Tiles are made from this melamine foam and offer superior interior room acoustics values.  These acoustic ceiling tiles are suitable for home theaters, offices, fellowship halls, and other rooms with drop ceilings.

The DIME tiles are used for noise control in commercial recording studios.  Where ever you need additional soundproofing they are a great solution.

For more information on your ceiling tile options, call our help desk at 1- 800-638-9355 or post your comments here!