01
The slab
Concrete or timber joists. It carries the load of the new plane and decides which fixing is allowed. What sits above is checked before anything is measured.
Suspended ceilings, district of Heinsberg
Suspended ceilings in Heinsberg the second plane above your room
Ask about your ceiling Call us directly
A suspended ceiling is a plane of its own: it carries light, damps sound, takes services out of sight and levels out a crooked slab. MK-AUSBAU plans that plane on a grid and builds it true.
- Area covered
- Heinsberg and district
- In drywall since
- 2016
- Surface
- Finished Q1 to Q4
01Build up
Four layers between slab and room
A suspended ceiling is built downward. Every layer has a job, and every layer can be got wrong. That is why it is planned before the first hanger goes up.
02
The suspension
Hangers set on the axis grid and adjustable in height. Where quiet matters, resilient hangers go in between so that the new plane never touches the old one.
03
The substructure
Primary and secondary channels cross on the grid, with the perimeter channel running round the walls. That grid decides where a light fitting may later sit.
04
Boarding and joints
Plasterboard screwed in staggered courses, joints filled, taped and finished to the agreed quality level.
NoteHow much depth the construction needs is settled on site: by how uneven the slab is, by the services in the void and by what has to be built into the plane.
02Ceiling plan
The reflected ceiling plan decides first
The reflected ceiling plan is the finished plane seen from below. Axes, light fittings, outlets and access panels are placed on it before anyone drills.
01
Light fittings
Every downlight needs room between two channels and clearance from the insulation. On the plan that is a minute of work, in a finished ceiling it is a strip out.
02
Outlets
Ventilation, smoke detectors and speakers are given their positions before the plane is closed.
03
Access
Anything that has to be serviced needs an opening. Where it goes belongs in the plan and not in a later search.
04
Joint pattern
Board joints follow the grid. A properly set out joint pattern is the difference between a surface and a patchwork.
NoteThe plan is not paperwork. It is the cheapest place a mistake can still be made, because there it costs nothing.
Let us talk about your ceiling before the plan is fixed.
A few sentences are enough for a first assessment.
03Reasons
When a suspended ceiling is the answer
Not every room needs a second ceiling plane. These six reasons carry one.
01
Hiding services
Ventilation, wiring and pipework run in the void, with no chasing cut through existing fabric.
02
Planning light instead of hanging it
Downlights, coves and light lines sit where they are needed, because the plane was built for them.
03
Getting quiet
The suspended plane acts as a second leaf against noise from above. How well it works is decided by the isolation.
04
Levelling a crooked slab
In an older building the slab is rarely flat. The new plane is set to a level of its own, whatever sits above it.
05
Meeting fire requirements
F30 and F90 are reached through tested system build ups. Which build up applies is stated in the manufacturer approval, and that is what gets built.
06
Giving a room structure
A stepped ceiling area separates cooking from dining without a wall being needed.
NoteIf none of these apply, we say so. We do not build a ceiling whose only effect is to cost you head height.
04Light
Light inside the plane
A suspended ceiling is the easiest place for light to become part of the room instead of a device on the ceiling.
01
Downlights
Set on the grid, not wherever there happened to be space. The cut out is drilled once the position is fixed.
02
Light cove
A perimeter edge with a concealed fitting. The light comes back off the wall and the ceiling reads higher.
03
Light joint
A narrow slot in the field that light comes out of. It asks for a clean profile and a straight line over the whole run.
NoteYou choose the fittings. We build the plane so that they fit, and settle the positions with the electrician beforehand.
05Acoustics
Quiet comes from isolation
A single leaf ceiling passes sound straight on. A suspended ceiling acts as a second leaf, but only while it never touches the first.
Mass, spring, mass
Two heavy leaves with a resilient void between them: that is the principle by which drywall goes quiet. The mineral wool in the void and the yielding channel work together like a shock absorber and slow the vibration before it reaches the lower leaf. Any rigid connection between the two cancels the effect again.
01
Resilient hangers
Spring hangers separate the new plane from the slab. Without them every hanger is a sound bridge.
02
Mass where it counts
A double layer of board puts weight into the lower leaf. Weight is the simplest lever in sound insulation.
03
Perimeter detail
Sealing tape under the wall channel and a properly separated edge decide more than any data sheet.
04
A closed surface
Every open joint and every unsealed outlet lets sound through. A surface is only tight when it is tight everywhere.
Common mistake
One mistake is common with timber joist floors: take out the heavy fill, put light wool in its place, and the floor becomes a drum. The result is worse than before the work started. We look at what is up there before anything comes out.
06Edges
Edges, joints, surface
A ceiling is judged at its edges. That is where the new plane meets everything that was already there.
01
Wall junction
All the way round, on sealing tape, exactly on the level line. The laser sets that line once and everything after it follows.
02
Shadow gap
A deliberately open slot between ceiling and wall. It separates the planes visually, absorbs movement and forgives what a rigid edge would display.
03
Movement joint
Large areas and long corridors get a joint so that the surface can move without cracking.
04
Taped joints
Fill first, bed the tape properly, then skim over it. Tape that has only been skimmed shows itself later.
- Q1
- Basic filling, for surfaces that stay hidden.
- Q2
- Standard, for paint and textured wallcovering.
- Q3
- Extended, for fine textures and matt paint.
- Q4
- Full skim, for sheen and for grazing light.
NoteWhich level your ceiling needs depends on the light. Grazing light from a cove shows in Q2 what would never be visible in Q4.
Let us talk about your ceiling before the plan is fixed.
A few sentences are enough for a first assessment.
07The firm
Who stands on the ladder in your room
MK-AUSBAU is an interior fit out firm from Heinsberg. Maxim Kelm started out as a drywall fitter in 2016 and runs the business to this day.
Ceilings are not a by product of walls. They hang free, they carry light and services, and they show every fault, because light runs along them. That is why we plan the ceiling plane rather than improvise it.
We work throughout the district of Heinsberg and beyond, in flats, houses and commercial space. Where other trades are needed we coordinate them as well, so that the site has an order to it.
Anyone planning a ceiling has to know the light that will later fall across it.
Drywall
Partitions, linings and ceilings on a metal substructure.
Insulation
From mineral wool to straw, in the ceiling void and across the plane.
Painting
The final finish after filling, on the completed surface.
Floor coverings
So that one room is not finished on three dates by three firms.
Internal doors
Measured and fitted to suit the new layout.
08Process
How a ceiling runs with us
Six steps, in this order. Each one has a result you can see.
-
01
Enquiry
Room, dimensions, purpose, a few photographs. That is usually enough to judge what we are talking about.
-
02
Site visit
Check the slab, measure the heights, find the services, look at the junctions.
-
03
Ceiling plan
The grid, the fittings, the outlets and the access panels are fixed and agreed with you.
-
04
Quotation
Build up, quality level and scope in writing, so that what is compared stays comparable.
-
05
Installation
Level line, hangers, substructure, insulation, boarding, filling.
-
06
Handover
Walking the surface together, in the light that will actually be on.
09Enquiry
Your ceiling, in a few lines
A name, a phone number and a few sentences are enough. We will come back to you.
- Phone
- +49 (0) 2452 8607038
- info@ausbau.nrw
- Address
- Am Diebsweg 17, 52525 Heinsberg
What helps on the first call
- Place and room: where the building is, which room is meant
- Area and room height, roughly is fine
- What sits above: concrete, timber joists or unknown
- What should go in: light, ventilation, insulation, sound
- Two to five phone photographs: overall, wall junction, access
10Photographs
Photographs from ceiling work
Six stages of a ceiling plane, from the stripped slab to the finished surface.
NoteThe photographs show typical work and components from ceiling construction. They are not a record of individual customer projects.
11Area
Where we build ceilings
MK-AUSBAU is based in Heinsberg and works across the whole district. A ceiling takes several days, so the journey counts.
Base
Heinsberg
District
HeinsbergHückelhovenErkelenzGeilenkirchenWassenbergWegbergÜbach-PalenbergGangeltSelfkantWaldfeucht
Beyond that
MönchengladbachAachen
NoteIf your building lies outside, ask anyway. We will say honestly whether the journey makes sense for both sides.
12Questions
Common questions about suspended ceilings
What clients in the district of Heinsberg ask most often.
How much head height does a suspended ceiling cost?
That depends on what has to go into the void and how flat the slab is. A plain ceiling needs little, a ceiling with ventilation, insulation and downlights needs considerably more. At the site visit we measure the height you have and work the build up through from below before you commit to anything.
Can I fix something to the ceiling later?
Yes, if it is known beforehand. Loads belong in the plan: a trimmer in the grid, a reinforcement in the field, or a fixing straight into the slab. Drilling into closed plasterboard afterwards is the worst of the three options.
Will it actually be quieter?
A suspended plane acts as a second leaf and can damp noise from above considerably. What decides it is the isolation: resilient hangers, insulation in the void and a properly separated perimeter. Without those three you have simply hung a second board on a rigid connection.
What about fire protection?
F30 and F90 are achieved through tested system build ups. The build up is then not a free choice: board type, screw spacing, channel grid and junctions are all set out in the system approval. If your ceiling has to meet a requirement, we establish which one first.
Which surface quality do I need?
The light decides. Under grazing light from a cove, or with glossy paint, Q4 makes sense; under ordinary room lighting with textured wallcovering Q2 is often enough. We agree the level beforehand, because it changes the effort noticeably.
How do I write an enquiry that gets answered quickly?
Place, room, rough area, room height, what sits above, what should go in, and two to five photographs. With that we can usually judge the job without a call back and tell you what the next step is.