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Dropped Ceiling

rdg732000's picture

Dropped Ceiling (post #205653)

rdg732000 on Sat, 01/21/2012 - 10:14
in

I am remodeling the first floor apartment in my multi-family house in NYC. The ceiling in the kitchen is 9’3” high. I am dropping the ceiling to 8’2” to accommodate air conditioning ducts. I plan to put in fiberglass bats between the ceiling beams to insulate the ceiling for sound from the above apartment. My question is, do I need to install a layer of sheetrock directly to the ceiling beams and below the insulation and another to form my new dropped ceiling, or can I simply put up one ceiling on the lower part?  Also, because I’m planning to use recessed LED lights in the kitchen, does the space above the dropped ceiling have to be vented?

Thanks in advance for your help.

-A +A

There are an awful lot of (post #205653, reply #1 of 3)

by DanH in reply to rdg732000 [original] on Sat, 01/21/2012 - 11:53

There are an awful lot of variables there, in particular fire code issues.  You should not trust any info you get on the internet for this -- you need to actually consult someone who both knows NYC code and can physically look at your setup.

But I'm gonna bet that you need to restore the existing ceiling to be "fire tight", and you may also need to install fire blocks to cut the enclosed area into halves or quarters.


We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature's inexhaustible sources of energy -- sun, wind and tide. ... I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that. --Thomas Edison

I think that makes sense too (post #205653, reply #2 of 3)

by xxPaulCPxx in reply to DanH [original] on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 11:13

I think that makes sense too - not only to make it "Fire Tight", but "Sound Tight" as well.  Fight your sound and fire barrier battle at the 9' level.  Make sure everything is properly taped and sealed with the correct products.  Use at least 2 layers of 5/8" drywall with green glue between layers and accustical caulk at the corners and seams.

Create a seperate isolated plane at the 8' level for your lights and wiring.  DON'T JOIN THE TWO, or you will get a direct pathway for sound to communicate through.

YAY!  I love WYSISYG editing!  And Spellcheck!

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But don't forget to put fire (post #205653, reply #3 of 3)

by DanH in reply to xxPaulCPxx [original] on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 18:24

But don't forget to put fire shutters in the ducts if/where they pass through the old ceiling.


We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature's inexhaustible sources of energy -- sun, wind and tide. ... I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that. --Thomas Edison