Social hall ceiling: what to do (Speculation)

THE CEILING OF our historic Social Hall, according to my recent assessment, has some missing and loose acoustical ceiling tiles.

Ceiling tile gets taken for granted, but it matters a lot. The acoustical ceiling has a significant impact on our experience of being in the Social Hall. By absorbing sound, it reduces the ambient noise and echoes that would otherwise make the cavernous room a difficult place to be in, especially when crowded with people. So it warrants our care!

Below the jump, this post ponders the best course of action. It reflects solely my own opinion.… 

Summary

We can probably get fairly close replacements for the 5 missing tiles, and reglue the dozen or so loose ones via a spray adhesive. 

Before messing with the miscellaneous existing replacement tiles, we would need to make sure that they do not contain asbestos.

Replacement option

Judging from the miscellaneous replacement tiles now on our ceiling, one might think that the original perforated style was no longer available. 

However, Ruben has kept 5 fallen tiles; and I photographed a couple of them, not only to inquire about asbestos but also to inquire with the following service of the major manufacturer Armstrong Ceilings, which helps to match/replace existing tiles:

https://kanopibyarmstrong.com/pages/ceiling-replacement

They responded that drilled-hole replacement tiles can be sourced from Classic Acoustical, which modifies whole tiles from Armstrong by drilling patterns of holes in them: https://www.classicacoustical.com/products. This option seems the closest (least distracting), visually speaking:

These potential replacements are only ½-in. thick; some kind of lightweight 1/4" backing would be needed as a spacer. Pricing per carton of 64 tiles = $230.00 + tax and shipping (from Indio). It seems possible to get fewer than one box’s worth, but I did not inquire as to the specifics.

What to do?

With regard to possible action steps based upon the condition assessment, my own personal inclination is as follows: 

1. Before any painting is undertaken, the missing tiles should be individually replaced with a similar type and style. 
2. Sagging tiles can probably be re-glued with a spray adhesive.
3. Non-matching replacement tiles should be left as is, because they may contain asbestos.
4. Discolored patches should be sprayed with a lacquer primer or equivalent, to keep the stain from bleeding through the new paint.
5. Then the ceiling should be repainted, for a consistent appearance. (N.B.: Acoustical tiles require a special type of paint that preserves their acoustical properties.)
6. Going forward, new or discolored tiles should be painted to match the rest.  

The above steps would preserve the valuable function of the tiles while keeping the ceiling from looking neglected. 

Meanwhile, I do not sense any appetite at Mishkon for a wholesale replacement of the tile, even if it would make the place look better to someone who looks up at the ceiling.