Reach for the heights when you install kitchen ceilings

Nation's Restaurant News, Jan 2, 1995 by Foster Frable, Jr.

Ceiling finishes in food preparation and serving areas are usually regulated by health departments mandating a nonporous washable finish. To provide flexibility and utility access, most ceilings use lay-in tiles in a suspended grid. Tiles with acoustic properties usually include perforations and porous materials that collect grease and dirt. Health departments also are concerned that porous ceilings can harbor tiny insects and support bacteria and fungus. Recent strides have been made in developing very durable and washable tile finishes that have some sound absorbance, a major asset in noisy kitchens.

Often overlooked but as important as the tile is the type and size of the suspended grid. Kitchens generate high levels of heat and humidity, which warp tiles and rust and grid. Always use rust-proof or aluminum grids, not common painted steel, and square tiles. Two-feet-by four-feet tiles may warp or bow when exposed to heat and moisture, creating gaps at the grids.

During health department inspections, the gaps require replacement of the tiles or installation of hold-down clips. The latter, while effective, make future removal cumbersome in order not to damage the tiles.

Another advantage of smaller square ceiling panels that are metal or fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) is the fat that they can be washed in a mechanical dishwasher or pot sink.

Kitchen ceiling also should use lighting fixtures that are moisture- and rust-proof. Any fixture with an exposed bulb must have shatterproof guards to catch any glass from a shattered bulb. Surface-mounted fixtures have more exposed metal finishes and are harder to clean than the slightly more expensive recessed fixtures integrated into the suspended ceiling grid. However, do not assume that since a fixture is recessed, it is moisture-proof. Recessed fixtures must be ordered with moisture-proof gaskets just like surface fixtures.

Ceiling grills and louvers for ventilation, sound systems and other mechanical devices also should be specified with moisture-proof or moisture-resistant finishes.

Some building codes require an 18-inch-to-24-inch noncombustible surface around the edges of exhaust hoods. To comply with that requirement, 24-inch-square stainless or aluminum panels are installed in place of regular tiles in the grid surrounding the hood.

Several manufacturers of stainless and aluminum ceiling panel systems offer tiles that snap into concealed splines. While such systems are more expensive than lay-in gypsum tiles in suspended grids, they offer high durability and the ability of being washed in place or in a sink or dishwasher.

A drawback of the systems is that they are often difficult to detach and may require special tools for removal. Verifying ease of removal and replacement should be a key criterion in selecting any snap in metal pan ceiling.

In Europe and Asia integrated ceiling systems have been used for more than a decade. Those systems combine the cooking ventilation, lighting, fire protection and return air into a single element, converting the entire kitchen ceiling into a cooking exhaust at will. Elimination of the low hoods provides an open, unrestricted view through the kitchen.

Unfortunately, American building and mechanical codes do not currently allow that type of design, and the major ventilator manufacturers have not been successful in getting special approvals to install one in the United States. As people become aware of the benefits of such a system, owners and chefs will insist on one for their new or renovated kitchens. We hope that the agencies will be forced to modify the codes to accommodate them.

Ceiling height is also a critical element in the design of a kitchen. A ceiling that is too low can contribute to employee discomfort from heat buildup in the work zone. Since hoods are usually 30 inches high and are installed from 6 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 8 inches above the floor, an ideal ceiling height that would bring the ceiling to the top of a hood would be approximately 9 feet, which is considered to be the absolute minimum height of any commercial kitchen.

The higher the ceiling, the more like the space surrounding the employees will be more comfortable. A 10-foot ceiling in a smaller kitchen can make the space seem much larger than the same space with a low ceiling. A common error in many installations is to set the ceiling height based on clearing the lowest obstruction such as an air supply duct or large piping. The ceiling should be lowered only in the area containing the obstruction and raised to a higher elevation in the remaining areas. It may be possible to relocate the duct or pipe to the parameter of the kitchen or over a walk-in cooler or storeroom.

Locating return air louvers over heat-producing equipment like ice makers, compressor racks, etc., can also help relieve heat and moisture. If the ceiling has several levels, the return air louvers should be located in the highest areas.

In large production kitchens ceilings often need to be 12 feet or higher to accommodate equipment operation and service access. Higher ceilings also will provide access to service compressors on top of walk-in coolers.