Rubber in Traditional Drop Ceiling Styles

Drop Ceiling

• Drop ceilings also go by the name “suspended ceilings.” These ceilings hang below the actual ceiling of a room and exist to provide increased heat insulation and suppress ambient noise levels resulting from echo in large open spaces. The distance between the original ceiling of the room and the suspended ceiling constitutes the “drop,” hence the name drop ceiling. Drop ceilings comprise a metal frame, a series of panels that fit into the frame, and a suspension system that connects the suspended ceiling to the original ceiling and supports its weight.

Rubber in Suspension Systems

• Rubber appears as one of the compositional elements in various drop ceiling suspension systems. This rubber comes as a hardened ring or block of rubber put between the suspension cable, from which the frame hangs, and the device that attaches the suspension system to the actual ceiling in a space. Some manufacturers may also produce suspension systems with some kind of rubber coating on the cable. In such instances, the rubber coating exists to absorb impact force exerted on the ceiling.

Insulating Qualities

• Manufacturers use rubber in suspension systems for drop ceilings as a form of sound insulation. The space between a drop ceiling and the actual ceiling can create tremendous amounts of noise, given the closed nature of the space. Various methods of dampening noise in this space exist, including the use of acoustic ceiling panels. Rubber in suspension systems absorbs sound vibrations that pass through the frame of drop ceiling and travel up the cable. The position of rubber elements allows them to absorb the impact of sound vibrations without any of the sound escaping into the drop space.

Installing Rubber in Traditional Style Ceilings

• Drop ceiling suspension systems with rubber differ from traditional drop ceiling suspension systems only in the use of rubber. These systems contain the same structural elements – cables and attachment mechanisms – as any other suspension system, and can take the place of any drop ceiling suspension system. When installing a traditional style of drop ceiling, get a suspension system with rubber and install the ceiling exactly as you would without the use of rubber. Use installation instructions provided by the manufacturer of your suspension system, ceiling frame and panels for easy installation.