Hang the ceiling using an acoustic ceiling to avoid noise.

Hello

We are currently building our own home. Kitchen and dining area are one room with a total of 35 m²
We are considering suspending the ceiling above the dining table using an acoustic ceiling to avoid sound.
Are normal drywall panels sufficient here or should I opt for a real acoustic ceiling (with holes)?

Thank you

With my modest knowledge, I would say that regular drywall panels simply reflect sound. And the goal is to dampen sound so that, for example, speech is better understood. The perforated ceilings are probably somewhat better, but also not very attractive. I would rather suggest placing carpets, curtains, plants, soft furniture, bookshelves, etc. Alternatively, but not quite cheap, are so-called acoustic pictures. These are pyramid foam panels covered with a nice print. I have this foam (without covering, which is much cheaper) in the home theater and can say that already 1-2 sqm bring significant improvements. All of this, mind you, only helps against airborne sound (the echo that occurs when clapping is dampened), but not against low frequencies (subwoofer, timpani, tuba), not against impact sound, and certainly not against sound transmission to adjacent rooms.

Which sound from where to where do you want to avoid?

we want to dampen the daily typical noise, namely: Children during visits the conversational acoustics

Are normal drywall panels sufficient here

No, they don’t help at all

or should I resort to a real acoustic ceiling (with holes)?

Not really in the living room

I would rather suggest placing carpets, curtains, plants, soft furniture, bookshelves, etc. Alternatively, but not quite cheap, there are so-called acoustic pictures. These are pyramid foam panels covered with a nice print.

That’s better already

Basically, you have to let go of three misconceptions here:
1) it is necessary to install fully or extensively
2) cough syrup only helps well if it tastes bad
3) the measure must be placed where it is supposed to have an effect

A colorful mix of diffusion and absorption (examples see above, the pictures can also be subtler, and e.g. individual ceiling panels that look as if decoration were the main purpose) brings a good effect with little to no visual disadvantage.

Even a wall covering is helpful, although the area to be protected lies above it, therefore actually bordering the ceiling.

We are currently having a discussion with the drywall installer and the architect. It is about the 64 m2 living/dining room, which will have tiles as the floor covering and plastered walls. Specifically, it concerns the living area where the TV and Dolby surround system will be placed. The architect thinks that without an acoustic ceiling, there might be problems with the sound quality of the system or with understanding the voices on the TV.

It is therefore not about sound insulation between the floors, but simply about absorbing the reverberation to achieve better room acoustics. However, the drywall installer is quoting an extra charge of 200 €/m2 in addition to the normal suspended ceiling ... what systems are there, or are there further experiences here, and is such an investment really worthwhile?

In my opinion, this is more suitable for public areas and/or offices and less for private spaces, right?