Introduction
Michael Roemen: “Hey everybody, we’re excited for you joining us in today’s video. Kat and Derek will be talking about wood ceiling Tiles and Perforated Tiles. It’s a great way to utilize large-format modules and introduce acoustics into your space. Let’s jump into it.”
Tiles – The Basics
Katrina Shidaker: “A tile is a flat panel, that’s generally rectangular in shape and it has attachment hardware on the back to suspend from T-bar. 9Wood’s focus is really on interior ceiling tiles, but we can accommodate wall applications on a case by case basis.
Assemblies and Sizes
Derek O’Connell: “We have a variety of options for our wood tiles. It goes all the way from fully accessible to non-accessible. All of our tiles have some metal component installed on the tile or around the tile and it helps it hang from the heavy-duty T-bar grid. Depending on the size and shape of the tile, you’ll have a reveal in between tiles that goes from 3/8” all the way up to 1”; it also depends on what size T-Bar grid you are using.
Something that’s a little bit more unique about 9Wood tiles, as opposed to our competitors, is we will provide what is called a stiffener bar. A stiffener bar goes on the back of the panel, depending on the width, and it keeps the tile rigid and keeps it from warping and comes assembled from the factory. All of 9Wood’s tiles are 3/4” or 1” thick, depending on which tile you select. Then as you get into the size: usually 2’ x 4’ or 4’ x 4’ is a standard size we see, but you can go all the way up to 8’ x 8’ or a 10’ long panel in some cases.”
Perforation Options
KS: “We have a variety of perforation options, there’s the holes, oval slots or grooves in various sizes and spacing. Our smallest perforation is 6 mm and we do have larger options. Wall perforated tiles have an inherent acoustic value, we also offer a scrim, which will make that acoustic value greater or you can also use acoustical duct liner as well. The percent opening of a tile is directly related to the acoustical value. The larger the amount of open space you have, the more that tile is going to be able to absorb sound.”
Species & Finish
DO: “Our wood tiles come in an architectural grade veneer, on a particleboard core. There’s the architectural grade face on the front, so when you’re looking up from the floor. On the back, there’s another sheet of veneer and that balances the entire tile and gives even weight on the front and the back, so you’re not going to get warping. Around the edge of the tile, there’s a matching edge banding, which essentially adheres on to the side of the panel and closes off and make a total 360-degree look. The reason we only do veneer for wood tiles is strictly because of the size of the tile, so even on the smaller end, like a 2’ x 2’ tile, getting a piece of solid wood that big, that’s not going to warp or have any defects in it, is highly unlikely. The other big reason is because getting a piece of solid wood that size is going to be incredibly expensive compared to a veneer.
The main finish options for our wood tiles start on one end with clear finishes, which is exactly that, it’s going to accentuate the color and the tone of the wood and bring out all the natural beauty. Then you can also stain a veneer which is where you get to pick a custom color, or we have standard colors on our website as well. Then as you go to the other end of the spectrum with an opaque finish it’s essentially just a paint, so it’s going to hide all the color, all the grain you might find in a natural wood.”
Suspension & Details
KS: “Our tiles attach to heavy-duty T-bar and is typically installed by an acoustical subcontractor. Tiles are a fairly heavy system, so the general rule is they are around 3 pounds a square foot. That is something that’s important to keep in mind when you are looking at larger format tiles, both for accessibility purposes and installation of the product. We do have CAD packets which show typical details of light penetration, sprinklers, edge conditions, and things like that. Those are available on our website or you can contact a Design Assist Specialist.
An important factor to consider when you’re specifying out a tile project is trim. We do have a variety of trim options, we have straight trim and curving trim. We also have had metal trim integrated with our product, which is provided by others.”
Accessibility
DO: “Access for our tiles ranges anywhere from completely non-accessible to fully accessible. So, as you move toward the fully accessible options there will be a little bit more added cost to that, just because access generally requires more hardware on the back of the tile. If you don’t need full accessibility throughout the space and you just need point access, we can create unique access panels for your project.”
KS: “9Wood tiles generally run from the upper teens to mid-30s per square foot. Perforations are $3 to $10 a square foot, depending on the perforation style and size. Those prices are material only, a good rule for installed cost is generally twice the material cost.”
Lead-times
DO: “Lead-times for wood tiles are generally 8 to 10 weeks up front for approvals, which is your shop drawings and submittal samples. After everything is approved, it will move into production, which is another 8 to 10 weeks, so all in you’re looking at 16 to 20 weeks. If you are up against a schedule crunch, we may be able to work with you on your project to get it to you quicker than 16 to 20 weeks. All of that will be handled by the design assist specialist team, so reach out and we’ll get you in touch with the right person.
KS: “One of the trends I’ve noticed recently with wood tiles, which really speaks to its ability to accommodate creativity, is the integration with other systems. So, I’ve seen tiles that are integrated with grilles or linears, and generally, it’s some kind of organic shape that creates the transition between the two systems.”
MR: “Derek and Kat, thank you guys for walking us through that. Now, as division nine wood ceiling specialists, this is all we do. So, for your next steps, check out our website and we would love to learn about your project. So please reach out to us and we’ll see you next time.”
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