Suspended Ceiling - Vibration Noise HELP!

[PiDD]

If I wasn't constantly in the ceiling running wires I would drywall the works! Instead I put up suspended ceiling 2x2 tiles and pot lights and have to live with it.

During heavy bass scenes (start of Fifth Element) It sounds as if my ceiling will vibrate down to the floor!

What I have done so far ... I put about 4 cups of sand in a freezer bag and positioned them in the center of about 30 tiles so far. This has helped a quite a bit but not entirely.

What I'm thinking about ... cutting some cheap 1/2" mdf in 2x2 squares and putting that on each tire. ... or maybe use rigid insulation??

Also the pot lights are pretty noisy. I have wrapped them in duct tape and that has helped a bit but it's still not perfect.

Anyone else out there have any other ideas?

thanks
Rob

[Patt]

You could easily drill and rivet each end of all the 2'-4' and main runners together with one 1/8" rivet. That would stiffen the grid tremendously and just drill out the rivets if grid removal later on is necessary,

Good start on the pot lights but I would try the thick gray 2" wide plumbers insulating tape. In the plumbing dept. of a home store and used to keep water pipes from sweating moisture, really inexpensive.

Any weight centered in each tile (sand bags) may help but also may make the tile sag with time. The only insulation I've seen on top of grid ceilings is standard faced or unfaced rolled or batts fiberglass which is quite itchy but could work.
MDF is really heavy and it may cause the grid to twist and possibly fail if the grid is not tie wired heavily. I'm guessing any rigid foam material may vibrate just as much.
Cant remember what website I saw it but they make some professional acoustical sound deadening ceiling tile if you wanted to spend the bucks.

Good Luck.

[Andrew Pratt]

As you know I have a drop ceiling in my HT as well and like you it occasionally rattles. What really helpped me was that when I painted the tiles (NOT recomended) it made the tiles expand so they now fit very snuggly. I've also got insulation above them to help with sound buffering from the upper floor but I'm not sure that does anything for the rattle.

[PiDD]

I also have painted tiles (damn interior designers!).... and still get too much vibration. I also have to insulate the ceiling to help reduce the noise going upstairs.

I will look for that plumbers tape .. thanks Pat.

[Patt]

Pidd,

The somewhat doughy gray almost sticky stuff is what I meant not the foam tape. ops:

[cuda65]

I am just redoing my ceiling now. I have looked at several companies on the web that have material you can put on top of each tile for help in sound proofing for rooms above. It looks like it could help weight the tile down also. It is pretty expensive but might work. They also offer an accoustical tile complete. Once again very expensive. Just run a google search for ceiling tiles. You will find some of the sites. Good luck! Let me know what you find.

[freon]

The plumbing insulation...we call it Thumb Gum. There is a brand called that also.