Strength and cleanability

Standardized tests can be used to evaluate the relative merits of various ceiling products to withstand the high demands placed on restaurant kitchens regarding hygiene, as well as the ability to withstand cleaning and the wear caused by handling tiles during cleaning procedures.

Reports on products that have been tested according to ASTM D1308, Standard Test Method for Effect of Household Chemicals on Clear and Pigmented Coating Systems, may provide some guidance on stain resistance and cleanability relative to food substances. Reagents are applied to specimen, allowed to sit, cleaned using prescribed techniques, and then visually examined (Figure 8).

Some ceiling manufacturers, unfortunately, make vague representations about the performance of their products without explaining the basis for their claims. While ASTM cautions that lab testing does not necessarily replicate field conditions, test results can be used for comparison and should be requested when considering products for which the specifier does not have firsthand experience.

ASTM C367/C367M, Standard Test Methods for Strength Properties of Prefabricated Architectural Acoustical Tile or Lay-in Ceiling Panels, is the ceiling industry’s recognized consensus standard for measuring four characteristics of ceiling products:

• Hardness is determined by the depth of an indentation made by a dropped weight. Greater hardness correlates to a panel’s increased resistance to impact and abuse.
• Friability measures the weight of material which erodes when specimens are placed in a rotating tumbler. Less weight loss indicates a reduced likelihood of edge damage when a panel is installed or handled during maintenance. Some friable ceiling materials are stable when intact, but when damaged may shed respirable fibers, which may include silica fiber, a hazardous material. Materials tested with greater hardness and/or lower friability reduce the likelihood of fiber shed.
• Sag resistance is determined by exposing a product to high humidity, allowing it to return to normal ambient conditions, and measuring how much permanent sag occurs. Panels with less sag indicate greater resistance
  to moisture.
• Transverse strength indicates a panel’s resistance to breakage from impact or being dropped.

See Figure 7 which provides an example of test results pertaining to ASTM C367/C367M.

TACO BELL CANTINAS AND INLINE URBAN RESTAURANTS

Taco Bell, the Mexican-food restaurant chain, has upgraded numerous locations to make more architecturally appealing interiors. The new styles, introduced prior to the pandemic, are designed to bring Taco Bell customers out of the drive-thru and inside the restaurant. With greater seating space and more style and visual interest than many old Taco Bells, they feature localized designs and artwork, open kitchens, digital menu boards, and unique menu items not found at a regular Taco Bell. The campaign introduced four design concepts. The heritage concept store takes its inspiration from the Spanish Mission architectural motifs, and features warm white walls, a coffered ceiling of latte- and black-colored thermoformed panels, and timber beams. The modern explorer theme, inspired by the farm-to-table movement, features an open kitchen, and uses latte- and black-colored panels as well, with wood-grained furniture. California Sol celebrates the active outdoor California lifestyle with a bright white coffered thermoformed ceiling that expresses daylight and blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor. The design concepts are flexible enough to allow one-of-a-kind treatments. For example, the fast-food giant’s Las Vegas flagship Cantina, located in the heart of The Strip, resembles a dance club rather than a fast-food outlet. It features an upstairs wedding chapel, with an enormous backlit graphic displaying the company’s logo as wedding bells, and a bright white coffered ceiling that add notes of formality and elegance, like icing on a wedding cake. The thermoformed ceiling panels, utilized so extensively by Taco Bell in its new designs, not only contribute to the chain’s brand architecture, but are compliant with health code requirements for use over food preparation areas.