Ceiling System 2
Ceiling Soundproofing

• System thickness 35mm (from the ceiling joist)
• Fire thirty minutes (add an extra layer of the 12.5mm soundboard for one hour of fire protection)

Thermal Resistance R:

• Acoustic plasterboard 12.5 mm = 0.050 m2 K/W
• Acoustic plasterboard 15.0 mm = 0.060 m2 K/W
• Mass-loaded vinyl 0.14 m² K/W
• Acoustic insulation 2.90 W/mK

Thermal Conductivity λR:

• Acoustic plasterboard 0.25 W/mK to BS EN 12524:2000
• Mass-loaded vinyl 0.037 W/mK
• Acoustic insulation 0.034 W/mK

Reaction to Fire

• Acoustic plasterboard 12.5mm & 15mm Euroclass A2-s1, d0
• Mass-loaded vinyl 10kg EN 13501-1 B-s2,d0 (2)
• Acoustic insulation EN13501-1: A1

Materials supplied with this system:

• Acoustic insulation 100mm/60kg/m3 – High-density sound insulation slabs
• Soundbreaker Bars – Resilient channel to isolate the joist from the ceiling
• Noisestop 1 Plus Panel 18mm –  12.5mm soundboard laminated with 10kg mass-loaded vinyl 1200mm x 1200mm (1.44sqm)
• Acoustic sealant 310ml

Select the required Total Ceiling Area from the dropdown box at the top of the page to see the quantities supplied with this system.

We recommend ordering areas individually and adding them to the basket rather than adding them to one large area. You can order multiple areas in the same order.

Airborne Data

Untreated Ceiling Airborne DnT,w

18mm chipboard floor, 200mm joist and 12mm plasterboard ceiling 38db

Treated Ceiling Airborne DnT,w

Ceiling System 2 58dB

Improvement DnT,w

Noise reduction with treatment 20dB

Impact Data

Untreated Ceiling Impact LnT,w

18mm chipboard floor, 200mm joist and 12mm plasterboard ceiling 80dB

Treated Ceiling Impact LnT,w 

Ceiling System 2 59dB

Improvement LnT,w

Noise reduction with treatment 21dB

Note: Every 10 decibels(dB) reduction in noise level is roughly perceived as a halving of the perceived loudness. So, for instance, if you have a sound that measures 70dB and it decreases to 60dB, it would sound about half as loud to the human ear. Decibels Explained.

Ceiling preparation

Before work can commence on installing Ceiling System 2, you must remove the existing plasterboard. Once the ceiling has been removed, you will be left with exposed ceiling joists. You are now ready to fit Ceiling System 2.

Step 1.

Infill the existing ceiling joists with the 100mm acoustic insulation slabs between them. Using a serrated knife or an old bread knife to cut the insulation slabs slightly larger than the opening between the joists will allow you to push the slabs between the joists to friction fit in place. Cover the whole ceiling area, ensuring no gaps are left between the insulation and between the insulation and the joists.

Step 2.

Fit the Soundbreaker bars to the underside of the ceiling joists at 400mm centres. Screw the soundbreaker bars into the joists using the pre-drilled holes that run along the edge of the bars; use drywall or universal screws for this. The wider corrugated section of the Soundbreaker bars should face down into the room when attached.

Step 3.

Fit the soundproof panels to the soundbreaker bars using drywall or universal screws. Fix the panels into the bars by screwing them into the corrugated section of the Soundbreaker bar. You will not need to pre-drill holes to fasten the boarding. You should have four bars per board to fix into. When you fit each board, ensure they are tightly butted together, and apply a bead of acoustic sealant along the edge of the panels to ensure they are acoustically sealed. You can also apply sealant once you have installed all of the boards around the perimeter of the ceiling and between the edges of the panels to fill any small holes that might be left.

Allow a small gap between the panels and the walls around the edge of the ceiling. This will reduce sound vibration through the walls and ceilings. Use the acoustic sealant to fill in the gap.

Step 4.

Finish off your ceiling with either a plaster skim or taping and filling the tapered edge of the panels.

The best method of soundproofing a ceiling is to use a combination of products in a soundproof system.

Soundproof systems will add mass, increase sound absorption and decouple the existing structure from the new.

We recommend using the AcoustiClip system to soundproof your ceilings. The combination of materials supplied with the AcoustiClip Timber Ceiling System comprises all the required products to sound insulate the ceiling against impact and airborne sounds effectively.

The best-performing timber joist ceiling solution is the Acousticlip Timber Joist System.

The product combinations supplied with this system achieve a high level of noise reduction against airborne and impact sounds.

Timber joist ceilings will benefit from the AcoustiClip’s decoupling effect and the increased mass/density and sound absorption of soundproof panels and acoustic insulation.

The best-performing sound insulation system for concrete ceilings is the Acousticlip Concrete Ceiling System.

The product combinations supplied with this system achieve a high level of noise reduction against airborne and impact sounds.

Concrete ceilings will benefit from the AcoustiClip’s decoupling effect and the increased mass/density and sound absorption of soundproof panels and acoustic insulation.

Unless you have very high ceilings, you will probably need to remove the plasterboard or lathe and plaster to soundproof your ceiling effectively.

Removing the existing ceiling will allow you to use acoustic insulation inside the ceiling joist, which is a great way to add mass. Using the AcoustiClip system, you will decouple the ceiling, which isolates the joist from the new ceiling.

Removing the ceiling means you can use the AcoustiClip Timber Ceiling System, our recommended solution.

If you are using downlighters in your ceiling, you should fit acoustic/fire hoods over the lights to ensure the acoustic integrity of the ceiling.

Stopping impact sound through the floor above is difficult to stop from below. In an ideal world, you would soundproof the floors to stop the impact sound. If you can’t access the floor, the best solution is to install a ceiling isolated from the existing.

If you have very high ceilings, you could install a completely new ceiling with joists without connection to the existing ceiling. If this option does not apply, you must use a system that isolates the new ceiling even if it is in contact with the joist.

The best solution for achieving isolation is to use The AcoustiClip Timber Ceiling System.