What ceilings and partitions actually cost.
Our published rates for gypsum and mineral tile ceilings, gypsum, acoustic, fire-rated and glazed partitions — plus the services coordination above the ceiling that decides whether the job runs or stalls.
The ceiling is not a finish. It is a coordination layer.
Everything lives above it — ductwork, sprinkler pipework, detection, cable tray, lighting, structure. A partition and ceiling drawing that has not been checked against those services is not a drawing, it is an aspiration. This is where fit-out programmes slip, and it has very little to do with plasterboard.
- Sprinkler coverage against the proposed partition layout — new walls obstruct heads and force modification and re-certification
- Smoke detection zoning, for the same reason
- Air-conditioning diffuser and return positions against each new enclosed room
- Void depth — whether the ceiling can actually sit where the drawing says, given the duct runs
- Fire compartmentation — which walls must reach the slab, and how the penetrations get sealed
- Access — where panels are needed for valves, dampers and junction boxes
- Sprinkler modification discovered after award, at the client’s cost
- Meeting rooms that are visually private and acoustically useless
- A ceiling that cannot be installed at the specified height
- Fire-stopping omitted, found at Civil Defence inspection, programme lost
- Plasterboard cut open three months later to reach a valve
- Diffusers serving a corridor instead of the room that was built around them
Which system, and when.
Four systems cover almost everything. The choice is usually decided by access and moisture, not by appearance.
| System | Where it belongs | What to know | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mineral tile on exposed grid | Open office floors, corridors, back of house | Cheapest and fastest. Every tile lifts for access — the single biggest practical advantage | AED 75 / sq m |
| Gypsum plasterboard, flush | Reception, bulkheads, feature areas, clinical and food spaces | Looks better, costs more, needs planned access panels or it gets cut open later | AED 85 / sq m |
| Moisture-resistant board | Wet areas, kitchens, washrooms, clinical spaces | Non-negotiable where humidity is present; ordinary board fails | Quoted on drawings |
| Acoustic tile or baffle | Open-plan floors, restaurants, meeting-heavy offices | Absorbs within the room; does nothing about sound travelling over a partition | Quoted on drawings |
| Metal, timber and feature ceilings | Hospitality, showrooms, lobbies | Specified by design, measured and manufactured to the opening | Quoted on drawings |
All rates supplied and installed, excluding VAT, assuming a sound soffit, normal access and daytime working. Ceiling rates do not include modification of services in the void above.
Build-ups, and what each one is actually for.
A partition is a frame, a board arrangement and a set of details. Changing any of the three changes what it does — and what it costs.
| Build-up | What it does | Typical use | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single stud, single board each side | Divides space. Minimal acoustic benefit | Stores, non-critical offices | AED 110 / sq m |
| Single stud, double board, insulated | Noticeably better acoustic separation | Standard offices, consultation rooms | Quoted on drawings |
| Staggered or twin stud, insulated, to slab | Proper acoustic separation — no structural bridge between faces | Meeting rooms, boardrooms, clinical rooms, anywhere privacy is real | Quoted on drawings |
| Fire-rated build-up, to slab, fire-stopped | Forms a fire compartment. Tested system, not a specification by eye | Escape corridors, risers, compartment lines | Quoted on drawings |
| Glazed and frameless | Light and sightlines. Acoustic performance depends on glass and seals, not on frame | Meeting rooms, manager offices, reception | AED 480 / sq m |
| Demountable systems | Reconfigurable later; higher first cost | Serviced offices, tenancies expected to change | Quoted on drawings |
Glazed partitions are measured after the frames are built and manufactured to that measurement. That is why they arrive last — it is sequence, not delay.
A 2,000 sq ft office floor, priced line by line.
About 186 square metres. An existing fitted floor stripped back, converted to an open area plus four offices, two glazed meeting rooms, a store and a reception bulkhead. Daytime working, sound soffit.
| Line | Quantity | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strip-out of existing ceiling and partitions | 186 sq m | AED 45 | AED 8,370 |
| Gypsum partitions — offices, meeting rooms, stores | 140 sq m | AED 110 | AED 15,400 |
| Glazed and frameless partitions — two meeting rooms | 36 sq m | AED 480 | AED 17,280 |
| Mineral tile ceiling on exposed grid — open floor | 150 sq m | AED 75 | AED 11,250 |
| Gypsum false ceiling — reception bulkhead and feature | 36 sq m | AED 85 | AED 3,060 |
| Doors and ironmongery, supplied and hung | 9 leaves | AED 1,450 | AED 13,050 |
| Painting — partitions and gypsum ceiling | 420 sq m | AED 14 | AED 5,880 |
| Lighting and emergency lighting, set out and tested | 56 points | AED 85 | AED 4,760 |
| Post-construction clean | 186 sq m | AED 12 | AED 2,232 |
| Elemental sum | AED 81,282 |
About AED 41 per square foot of measured work for the ceiling and partition package.
| From measured work to a real price | Amount | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Elemental sum — the table above | AED 81,282 | AED 41 |
| Preliminaries, supervision, insurances, contractor’s overhead and profit — 18% to 25% | AED 14,718 to AED 20,718 | AED 7 to AED 10 |
| Turnkey ceiling and partition package | AED 96,000 to AED 102,000 | AED 48 to AED 51 |
| Sprinkler head relocation and re-certification | Quoted once the layout is fixed | — |
| Detection re-zoning, diffuser relocation, fire-stopping, access panels | Quoted on drawings | — |
| Flooring, furniture, data and power outlets | Separate packages | — |
Those last lines are not padding. On a layout that cuts an open floor into rooms, services modification regularly adds 10% to 20% to this package — and a contractor who has not mentioned it has either not looked or is planning to raise it as a variation once you are committed.
When Civil Defence has to see it.
A cosmetic reconfiguration in an existing fitted space is a landlord and municipality matter. The moment the layout touches life safety, it is not. Requirements change — we confirm the current position at survey rather than working from a saved checklist.
- Landlord or Owners’ Association NOC and fit-out permit
- Municipality fit-out permit on architectural and MEP drawings
- Contractor registration with the building, where required
- Works permit, deposits and agreed working hours
- Any partition forming or altering a fire compartment
- Any change that affects sprinkler coverage or head positions
- Any change to smoke detection zoning
- Any change to escape routes, travel distances or exit signage
- Fire-rated construction of any kind, including fire-stopping of penetrations
- Ceiling changes that affect detector or sprinkler mounting heights
We prepare and submit municipality, Civil Defence and Owners’ Association applications in-house at AED 2,500 per submission. The authority and landlord fees themselves are quoted separately at cost and not marked up.
Interior and commercial fit-out
Office renovation in occupied premises
Clinic fit-out — ceilings and partitions to clinical standards
Common questions.
How much does a false ceiling cost in Dubai?
From AED 75 per square metre for a mineral tile ceiling on an exposed grid, and from AED 85 per square metre for a flush plasterboard ceiling, both supplied and installed, excluding VAT. Moisture-resistant board for wet areas and kitchens, acoustic tile, metal and feature ceilings with bulkheads and coves are quoted on drawings. The rate covers the ceiling itself — not the services above it, which is where most of the surprises live.
How much do gypsum partitions cost?
From AED 110 per square metre for a standard gypsum partition on a metal stud frame, taped, filled and ready for decoration. Glazed and frameless partitions start at AED 480 per square metre. Acoustic and fire-rated build-ups cost more because the frame, the board layers and the detailing all change — it is not the same wall with a different sticker.
Should a partition stop at the ceiling or go up to the slab?
This is the question that decides both the acoustic performance and the fire compliance, and it is the one most often got wrong. A partition that stops at the ceiling is cheaper and faster, and sound travels straight over it through the ceiling void — which is why meeting rooms built that way are never private. A partition taken to the slab, with the void closed and the services properly fire-stopped where they pass through, costs more and actually works. Where the partition forms a fire compartment, it must go to the slab, and the penetrations must be sealed with a tested system. That is not a preference, it is a requirement.
Will a new partition layout affect the sprinklers?
Almost always, and it is the most commonly missed cost on a fit-out. Sprinkler coverage is designed around an open floor; put walls in and heads end up in the wrong places or obstructed, and the system has to be modified and re-certified. The same applies to smoke detection and to air-conditioning diffusers and returns. We check the existing fire and HVAC drawings against the proposed layout before issuing a price, because discovering it afterwards is both expensive and a programme problem.
What is the difference between mineral tile and plasterboard ceilings?
Access and appearance. A mineral tile ceiling on an exposed grid is cheaper, faster, and every tile lifts out — which matters enormously the first time anyone has to reach a valve, a damper or a cable above it. A flush plasterboard ceiling looks better and costs more, and everything above it needs a planned access panel or you will be cutting the ceiling open later. Most offices are best served by tile over the open floor and plasterboard at reception and in bulkheads, which is exactly what the worked example below does.
Do I need approval for ceilings and partitions?
For a straightforward non-fire-rated layout in an existing fitted space, usually a landlord or Owners’ Association NOC and a municipality fit-out permit. The moment the work touches fire compartmentation, sprinkler coverage, detection or escape routes — which a partition layout very often does — Civil Defence approval is required before construction starts. We prepare and submit these in-house; the authority fees are quoted separately at cost.
How long does it take?
For a 2,000 square foot office floor: three to five days to strip out, one week for the partition frames and first-fix services, one week for boarding, taping and the ceiling grid, and a few days for doors, glazing and decoration. Two to three weeks on site all in. Glazed partitions are the long-lead item — they are measured after the frames are up and manufactured to that measurement, so they arrive last by design, not by accident.
Can you work in an occupied office?
Yes, and most of this work is. Hoarding and dust screening, noise confined to agreed windows, evening and weekend shifts for anything disruptive, and the area returned clean each morning. Roughly half of everything we have delivered has been executed in premises that stayed open, including occupied government hospital departments. An office floor is a gentler version of the same discipline.
Send us the layout and the existing fire drawings.
Both, ideally. The layout tells us the partition and ceiling quantities; the fire and HVAC drawings tell us what has to move above the ceiling — which is the part that turns into a variation if nobody checks it first.