If you are fitting out an office at Pynes Hill, a shop near Princesshay or a unit on Marsh Barton, the ceiling decision comes up early and affects almost every other trade. A suspended grid ceiling and a plasterboard ceiling do quite different jobs. Here is how to choose between them without paying for something you do not need.
A suspended ceiling is a lightweight metal grid hung on wires or rods from the structure above, with tiles dropped into it. Tiles are usually 600 x 600mm or 1200 x 600mm and made of mineral fibre, metal or vinyl-faced plasterboard. Any tile can be lifted out by hand.
A plasterboard ceiling in a commercial building is normally an MF ceiling: a concealed metal frame hung from the structure, boarded, then taped and jointed or skimmed and painted. The result is a smooth, seamless surface like the ceiling in a house, with access only where hatches have been fitted.
This is usually what decides it. Most commercial spaces have air conditioning, data cabling, fire alarm wiring and sprinkler pipework above the ceiling, and all of it needs maintaining or altering at some point. With a grid, an engineer lifts a tile. With plasterboard, they need a hatch in the right place, or someone has to cut in and make good afterwards.
Ceiling height matters too. A grid needs enough space above it to tilt the tiles in, typically 100 to 150mm at the very least and more once lights and ducting go in. In older Exeter buildings with low floor-to-ceiling heights, such as converted properties around Southernhay or the Quay, an MF ceiling can often be set tighter to the structure and save valuable headroom.
Mineral fibre tiles are good at absorbing sound within a room, which cuts echo and chatter in open-plan offices. Plain plasterboard is a hard, reflective surface, so a large room with a flat board ceiling and hard floor can sound harsh unless you add acoustic panels or use perforated acoustic board, which costs more.
Plasterboard is denser, so it is generally better at stopping sound passing through to the floor above, particularly with insulation laid over it. That matters if you have flats or another tenant overhead, which is common in city centre premises.
Either system can form part of a fire-rated construction, but only if it is a tested system installed exactly as the manufacturer specifies. A standard grid with ordinary tiles should not be assumed to protect the structure above. If your fire strategy relies on the ceiling, tell your contractor at the start and confirm the detail with building control, whether that is Exeter City Council or an approved inspector.
As a rough guide for the Exeter area, a standard mineral fibre grid ceiling tends to fall around £25 to £45 per square metre supplied and fitted. An MF plasterboard ceiling, finished and ready for paint, is more often £45 to £75 per square metre, with decoration on top. Actual figures depend on the area, ceiling height, access, tile or board specification, and how many lights, grilles and hatches have to be worked around.
A grid is also quicker. Two fixers can often install 40 to 60 square metres a day in a clear room, and it is finished the moment the tiles go in. Plasterboard needs framing, boarding, jointing or skimming, drying time and then painting, so allow several extra days and more disruption if you are trading through the works.
If you lease the space, read the lease and ask the landlord. Many business park leases around Sowton and Exeter Business Park require the unit to be handed back with a grid ceiling, so replacing it with plasterboard could mean paying to reinstate it later. Listed buildings and conservation areas in the city centre may need consent before an existing ceiling is altered or covered, so check with the council's planning team first.
A standard suspended grid ceiling is usually cheaper, often by a third or more, because it goes up faster and needs no finishing or painting. The gap narrows if you choose premium tiles or a concealed grid.
Yes, by fitting access hatches beneath valves, junction boxes, fan coil units and anything else that needs servicing. Plan the positions with your mechanical and electrical contractors before boarding starts, as adding hatches afterwards is messy and costs more.
A like-for-like replacement often does not, but work that affects fire protection, escape routes, emergency lighting, sprinklers or sound separation usually will. It is worth a quick conversation with building control or an approved inspector before work begins.
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