Federal Building Ceiling Renovation — Sacramento

The Problem

A multi-story federal office building in downtown Sacramento had original ceiling tiles from the late 1990s. After 25+ years, the tiles were sagging, water-stained in several areas, and the NRC ratings had degraded from moisture exposure. The building housed over 300 federal employees, and the noise complaints were constant — especially in the open-plan work areas on the second floor where phone conversations carried across the entire floor plate.

The General Services Administration (GSA) put the project out for bid with strict requirements: all materials had to meet GSA P100 standards, the work had to happen during normal business hours with minimal disruption to operations, and the contractor had to comply with Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements. Security clearance was required for all workers since the building included sensitive areas.

Our Approach

We started with a full ceiling survey — documenting every damaged tile, every area where the grid had shifted or corroded, and mapping the above-ceiling conditions. In federal buildings, what's above the ceiling matters. You've got fire sprinklers, data cables, HVAC ductwork, and security systems all running through the plenum. We coordinated with the building's facility management team to understand what was up there before we touched anything.

We proposed a phased approach: one floor at a time, starting with the second floor (worst condition). Each floor was divided into zones so we could work in one section while the adjacent section stayed operational. Furniture was covered with protective sheeting, and we set up temporary dust barriers between the work zone and occupied space.

Products Used

The spec called for Armstrong Ultima tiles — a high-NRC (0.70) panel with a fine-textured, washable face. We installed these on a 15/16" exposed tee grid with seismic bracing per CBC requirements. In the conference rooms and private offices, we upgraded to Armstrong Optima with NRC 0.95 for better speech privacy. The CAC ratings on the Optima panels (CAC 35) helped reduce sound transmission between offices.

We replaced the grid system entirely on the second floor — the old grid had visible corrosion from a roof leak that had been repaired but left its mark. Floors one and three got new tiles on the existing grid after we inspected and replaced any damaged sections.

Challenges

Working in an occupied federal building is a different animal than a typical commercial TI. Every worker needed a background check. We couldn't access certain floors without an escort. Our staging area was a loading dock that was shared with other contractors and delivery trucks, so material logistics required daily coordination.

The biggest technical challenge was the second floor's HVAC layout. The original ceiling had been installed around ductwork that was later modified, leaving several areas where the plenum depth varied from 18 inches to less than 6 inches. We had to custom-cut tiles and adjust grid heights in those zones to maintain a level ceiling plane while keeping minimum clearance above the tile for air return.

Davis-Bacon compliance added paperwork — certified payroll reports, posted wage decisions, and weekly reporting. We've done enough federal work that this is routine for us, but it's a real cost that needs to be in the bid.

Results

The project came in on schedule — 8 weeks total, with each floor taking about 2.5 weeks. The building manager reported a noticeable drop in noise complaints after the second floor was completed. The new Optima tiles in the conference rooms made a measurable difference in speech privacy — conversations in the room stayed in the room.

The ceiling went from a liability (sagging tiles, water stains, poor acoustics) to an asset. Light reflectance improved from roughly 0.70 on the old tiles to 0.90 on the new Ultima panels, which let the facility team reduce overhead lighting levels and save on energy costs.

Key Takeaways

• Federal projects require specialized experience — security, Davis-Bacon, GSA specs
• Phased installation keeps the building operational during construction
• High-NRC tiles like Armstrong Optima solve real noise problems in open offices
• Above-ceiling survey before demo prevents surprises and delays
• New tiles with higher light reflectance can reduce lighting energy costs