Medical Office Soundproofing — Roseville

The Problem

A multi-specialty medical practice in Roseville was moving into a new tenant space in a Class A medical office building. The shell was bare — no ceilings, no interior walls finished. The practice had 14 exam rooms, 3 consultation offices, a waiting room, and a reception area. The big concern: patient conversations in exam rooms could not be audible in the hallway or adjacent rooms. That's not just a comfort issue — it's a HIPAA requirement.

The architect specified STC 45 between exam rooms and STC 40 between exam rooms and the corridor. Those are real targets that require the right combination of wall construction, ceiling system, and above-ceiling treatment. A standard ceiling tile on a basic grid won't get you there.

Our Approach

Speech privacy in medical offices is about stopping sound from going over the wall. Most interior partition walls run from the floor to the ceiling grid — not to the deck above. That means sound travels up through the ceiling tile, over the wall, and down into the next room through the tile on the other side. It's the number one reason medical offices have privacy problems.

We designed the ceiling system to block that flanking path. The approach combined high-CAC ceiling tiles with continuous acoustic barriers above the walls in the plenum space.

Products Used

Exam Rooms & Offices: Armstrong Health Zone ceiling tiles — CAC 40, NRC 0.70, antimicrobial face, and washable surface. These tiles are designed specifically for healthcare. The high CAC rating means the tile itself blocks sound transmission. We installed on 15/16" seismic grid with hold-down clips to keep tiles in place during a seismic event.

Above-Ceiling Barriers: Where exam room walls met the ceiling grid, we installed continuous mineral fiber barriers from the top of the wall to the structural deck above. These barriers seal the plenum gap and prevent sound flanking. We caulked every penetration — conduit, pipes, ductwork — with acoustical sealant.

Waiting Room: Standard Armstrong Ultima tiles (NRC 0.70) on the same grid system. The waiting room didn't need the same privacy rating, but it needed sound absorption to keep the space from getting loud when it filled up. We added felt wall panels behind the seating area for additional absorption.

Consultation Offices: High-density soundproofing wall panels on shared walls between consultation rooms. These give an additional STC boost on top of what the wall and ceiling provide.

Challenges

The biggest challenge was coordinating the above-ceiling work with other trades. The HVAC contractor had to route ductwork before we could install barriers, because those barriers need to be continuous — any gap is a sound leak. We held a pre-construction meeting with all trades to sequence the work: electrical and plumbing rough-in first, HVAC second, then our barriers and grid, then tiles last.

The architect wanted a clean, minimal look — 9/16" narrow-face grid with tegular-edge tiles. That grid profile is thinner, which looks better but requires more precise installation. Every tile edge has to be perfectly level or you see shadows at the joints. Our crews took extra time on the grid layout to make sure the finished ceiling was dead flat.

One section of the space had a structural beam running below the intended ceiling height. We framed a soffit around it and transitioned the grid level with a custom closure detail. It looks intentional — like the beam was always part of the design.

Results

Post-installation acoustic testing by the project's consultant confirmed STC 47 between exam rooms — exceeding the STC 45 spec. The corridor walls tested at STC 42. Both met or exceeded the architect's requirements.

The practice manager reported that during normal operation, conversations in exam rooms are not audible in the hallway even when standing directly outside the door. That's the target — not just reduced sound, but actual speech privacy where you can't make out words.

The antimicrobial ceiling tiles have held up well to the regular cleaning protocols required in medical spaces. No staining, no degradation of the tile face after repeated wipe-downs with hospital-grade disinfectant.

Key Takeaways

• Healthcare acoustics are about CAC (blocking sound), not just NRC (absorbing sound)
• Above-ceiling barriers are critical — walls that stop at the grid don't stop sound
• Seal every penetration in the plenum with acoustical sealant
• Trade coordination is essential — barriers go in after MEP rough-in but before ceiling grid
• High-CAC tiles cost more than standard tiles but they're the difference between meeting spec and failing