Ceiling Treatment Inquiry

THREAD : Ceiling Treatment Question
Started at 01-16-07 07:44 PM by karrman
Visit at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=788939
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[Post 1]
Author : karrman
Date : 01-16-07 07:44 PM
Title : Ceiling Treatment Question

My biggest dilemma now is that I have a low ceiling in my theater space, about 7 feet, 5 inches. At present I have bare joists showing except where a freon line runs in a curve just below the joists covering about 1/4 of the ceiling area. I'd like to preserve as much headroom as possible.

I've also read through this forum and understand that no acoustical treatment is needed on the ceiling.

That said, can you help me rank order the following choices with pros and cons?

Choices:
1. Leave ceiling as is--bare with joists showing
2. Dryway ceiling, working around the A/C line which will look a little odd
3. Install a drop ceilig reducing the headroom even further.

Thanks for any feedback. :)

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[Post 2]
Author : Craigo87
Date : 01-16-07 08:09 PM

[QUOTE=karrman]
That said, can you help me rank order the following choices with pros and cons?

Choices:
1. Leave ceiling as is--bare with joists showing
2. Dryway ceiling, working around the A/C line which will look a little odd
3. Install a drop ceilig reducing the headroom even further.

Thanks for any feedback. :)[/QUOTE]

First off, I'd scratch the dropped ceiling off the list. You'd be far better served to do 2. and then add some acoustic panels to the ceiling to treat reflection points. You could also leave it bare (I'd paint it all black) and again use acoustic panels to treat reflection points. In both scenerios I'd also consider putting base traps in the areas where walls meet ceiling. If you leave the joists exposed, you could put the traps within the joist spaces. Are you concerned about sound containment or just acoustics within the theater? Do you want it to look finished, or are you all about the movie? These are questions that should drive you in one direction or the other.

Here's a link to give you more to ponder.
http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html#bass%20traps

Craigo

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[Post 3]
Author : BIGmouthinDC
Date : 01-16-07 11:31 PM

Don't consider that AC Line as a fixed element.

Maybe it can be re-routed around the perimeter of the room which you could hide in a small soffit. You would need to have a Tech do it but the final room product may increase the home value to more than compensate for the expense.

Can you post a picture of the beast?

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[Post 4]
Author : karrman
Date : 01-17-07 07:54 AM
Title : Followup

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm OK with leaving the joists bare and painting it all black. That was my initial plan but the more I get into this and see the photos of other forum participants, the more I think about how to finish my area in a more refined way. I know the bare joist route doesn't give the most finished look but it does give the feeling of more headroom--which I do value. I can't stand feeling closed in.

To treat the bare joist ceiling, what percentage would you recommend treating?

Based on what I've read here, I am thinking I would use OC703 to treat the ceiling on part of the front half of the theater. Yes?

I'll get a picture of the AC line up tonight. It would be good to reroute it but I was thinking the coin it would cost puts it out of reach for my budget. I'll check it out anyway.

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[Post 5]
Author : myfipie
Date : 01-17-07 09:38 AM

>To treat the bare joist ceiling, what percentage would you recommend treating?<

Plain unfaced fluffy fiber glass will work fine. You could then cover it with fabric. I would start with just the reflection points.

Glenn

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[Post 6]
Author : rmcveigh
Date : 01-17-07 02:46 PM

[QUOTE=BIGmouthinDC]Don't consider that AC Line as a fixed element.

Maybe it can be re-routed around the perimeter of the room which you could hide in a small soffit. You would need to have a Tech do it but the final room product may increase the home value to more than compensate for the expense.

Can you post a picture of the beast?[/QUOTE]

I have a similar problem with an A/C line and have figured that I'm stuck with it. Has anyone actually had one moved? I wonder what that would cost and who would have to do it? I'm pretty sure that my plumber and HVAC guys wouldn't. My HVAC guy just does duct work, and I don't think he does installation of the actual equipment, but perhaps he or a similar person is the right guy to ask. Any thoughts?

-Ryan