Acoustical drop ceiling tiles, all the same?

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SpiderWars

SpiderWars

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If I crank a Marshall the old ceiling tiles in Madison Square Basement literally start falling apart and it starts raining chalky crap. Some of them sag a little and the room needs better light fixtures too. So I need to replace them and I was wondering if they all work about the same or if there are any suggestions.
 
Acoustics rating can vary slightly... Personally, I hate Cheyenne tiles... too much aggregate and messy to clean... also starts to sag and swell quicker than others with common room humidity and condensation. My choice is Sandrift drop in tiles. Modern looking, hold up well... You'd also be fine with Alpine tiles for more basic look. Just my 2 cents... Hope you find something that works for you... and since a cranked Marshall can dislodge studs... your ceiling tiles have a fight ahead of them. :)
 
Thanks. These are old from when I bought the house a few years ago. I have a dehumidifier and humidifiers down there for my guitars and vintage speakers.

Armstrong seems to the standard and probably what’s in there now but was just wondering if it’s worth it to get something else.
 
SpiderWars said:
Thanks. These are old from when I bought the house a few years ago. I have a dehumidifier and humidifiers down there for my guitars and vintage speakers.

Armstrong seems to the standard and probably what’s in there now but was just wondering if it’s worth it to get something else.
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Armstrong will carry different grades. You pretty much get what you pay for
 
So ceiling tiles have a broad range.
Thickness and the figures matter as well as density.
Either Armstrong as mentioned, usg or gp has them call an acoustical/ drywall supply yard and they can help.
The cost goes up as the sound deadening does.
 
are they 2x2 or 2x4 tiles? 2x4 sag more quickly, mostly due to the span. if they are 2x4's, you may be able to add an intermediate cross bar to break the spans to a 2x2 grid

sounds like (in addition to maybe a dehumidifier?) you need a sag/humidity resistant tile; something from one of these listed in this link perhaps (hope this link works): https://www.armstrongceilings.com/c...ble-ceilings/humidity-resistant-ceilings.html
- Ceramaguard is what you'd see in commercial kitchens, which tend to be SUPER humid/hot/wet...they're heavy MF's (don't think you need these)
- Cirrus is good choice. we'd typically use those in classroom/office/boardroom scenarios. they have the anti-sag/humidity resistance, also have a good sound absorption/sound blocking rating. and they've got a good reflectivity rating. they come in different colors, so if you wanted to dress up your space or funk it out a bit, you could mix white/black/brown etc.

anti-sag tiles = they are expensive compared to non-sag (which is likely what you have now).

one thing to note...whatever acoustical ceiling tile you put in place will likely rain dust when you lay into your marshall, save the ceramaguard, but hopefully not as badly as what you are experiencing now (old tiles, which are very brittle)

as long as your grid isn't swinging or swaying or anything, a simple tile swap will work for you.
 
MrDowntown said:
are they 2x2 or 2x4 tiles? 2x4 sag more quickly, mostly due to the span. if they are 2x4's, you may be able to add an intermediate cross bar to break the spans to a 2x2 grid

sounds like (in addition to maybe a dehumidifier?) you need a sag/humidity resistant tile; something from one of these listed in this link perhaps (hope this link works:) https://www.armstrongceilings.com/c...ble-ceilings/humidity-resistant-ceilings.html
- Ceramaguard is what you'd see in commercial kitchens, which tend to be SUPER humid/hot/wet...they're heavy MF's (don't think you need these)
- Cirrus is good choice. we'd typically use those in classroom/office/boardroom scenarios. they have the anti-sag/humidity resistance, also have a good sound absorption/sound blocking rating. and they've got a good reflectivity rating. they come in different colors, so if you wanted to dress up your space or funk it out a bit, you could mix white/black/brown etc.

anti-sag tiles = they are expensive compared to non-sag (which is likely what you have now).

one thing to note...whatever acoustical ceiling tile you put in place will likely rain dust when you lay into your marshall, save the ceramaguard, but hopefully not as badly as what you are experiencing now (old tiles, which are very brittle)

as long as your grid isn't swinging or swaying or anything, a simple tile swap will work for you.
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I used ceramaguard in my garage and cirrus in my basement. Both good choices
 
Thanks @MrDowntown ! This house was built in 94 but I dont know when the basement was finished. But if not addressed that area goes from really humid during summer to really dry during winter. I now maintain it to some degree for my gear but only if I stay on it. There is another room down there that is fine. But that room is a dead end, this room has the door to the garage on one side and the bathroom + other room on the other. And I run the bathroom fan a lot just to keep fresh air coming in. So air can move in there.
 
MrDowntown said:
Is it subterranean or above ground?
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Half n half. Driveway goes straight in, even the dead end room at the other end has a front window but ground is just above belt high there. By the time you get to the back most of it is underground. My front yard is a huge hill...it mostly sucks except Halloween. Aint no kids hiking up that hill. :ROFLMAO:
 
The room that’s currently fine may be more subterranean (guessing)
The room you’re trying to get control of, just making sure I understand, has a garage door (like a coiling or overhead door)?
 
MrDowntown said:
The room that’s currently fine may be more subterranean (guessing)
The room you’re trying to get control of, just making sure I understand, has a garage door (like a coiling or overhead door)?
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Yes that room is more subterranean. No the garage is separate. This is a finished area with two rooms with small closets and a full bath...about 500 sq ft total. All 24x24 drop ceiling. There is a AC trunk line that prevents this room from being all the same drop level. And the transition was poorly done.
 
You likely have a couple things going on regarding humidity:

1. The wall(s) that separate the garage area from your gear room may not be insulated (my guess). Insulating that wall would help a lot with temp and humidity swings.
2. it’s common in renovations like this, they probably didn’t install a hvac system specifically for the renovation. They likely tapped the existing trunk line somewhere that was dedicated for the main house. If this happened, the existing system may not be big enough to handle the extra 500 s.f. OR, they could have tapped the supply side only, dumping a little cooling/heating, but there is nothing on the return side. You are running your bathroom exhaust, which helps. This leads me to believe there is little to no return. The return is where the magic is with hvac,…it pulls all the gunk and humidity out of the room.


Sorry for the longwindedness… you asked about ceiling tiles :cautious:
 
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