Wood Slat Wall Panels
If you actively work towards achieving sustainability and you want your acoustic panels to actually look nice in your space, wood slat acoustic panels might be your best option.
These acoustic panels are made from a combination of an acoustical felt backing, MDF, and real wood veneers. Their fluted wood panel design adds to their acoustic performance, as sound waves are caught between the slats and in the felt backing, reducing echo by up to 85%.
Another great thing about this panel design is its ease of installation. While most wooden acoustic panels must be installed by professionals using a complex array of tools and measurements, these wood slat acoustic panels are almost as simple as foam panels when it comes to installation.
Benefits of Acoustic Panels
Acoustic panels are used for absorbing extra sounds and noises, but that’s not all. These panels have several benefits that will convince you to install them in your home and office.
Better Speech Intelligibility
If you are designing an area where conversation will be had, acoustics are a crucial component to your space. Whether it’s a restaurant, an event space, or just a home where a family will be living and conversing, the design of a space where people will be talking to each other should take acoustics into consideration.
The reason for this is that an untreated room can often make conversation and socializing difficult, as voices, music and other sounds will all be bouncing off hard surfaces, resulting in thousands of sound reverberations at any point in time.
This results in guests hearing multiple different sounds, all being echoed around the space and hitting their ears multiple times per second, which makes conversation harder to understand and can even result in listener fatigue.
Acoustic panels will absorb sound rather than reflecting it back into the room, which makes it easier for people to have conversation, hear music, and enjoy a relaxing atmosphere.
Reduced Noise Pollution
Noise pollution is excessive and unwanted sound that can have negative effects on health and well-being. Exposure to excessive noise can lead to stress, sleep disturbance, hearing impairment, and other health problems. It can also reduce cognitive performance, productivity, and communication.
So, installing items that can reduce noise pollution is a great way to make your space more productive, relaxing, and even healthy, depending on its use. Regardless of the environment, acoustic paneling will significantly reduce noises and echoes, making your space free of noise pollution and improving the health of those who spend time there.
Enhanced Productivity
The use of acoustic panels in workspaces and offices is seen to have improved the productivity levels of the employees. Bad office acoustics can irritate employees and make it difficult for them to concentrate and stay focused.
However, with acoustic panels, you can create a quiet environment that can help improve the focus of your employees.
Improved Aesthetics
If you opt for design-forward decorative acoustic panels that match the theme of your space, they can improve the aesthetics as much as the acoustics. While painted walls may seem good enough, adding natural elements like wood to the walls of your space can truly give any room a more sophisticated, elevated look. Panels like these are also great for hiding unsightly characteristics on your wall or ceiling, like chipped paint, hairline cracks, and other imperfections.
Wood Slat Wall Panels are used to elevate the look of space and for sound absorption
Tips for Installing Acoustic Panels
Though installing acoustic panels is not difficult, you need to keep a few things in mind. Here are some tips to ensure you don’t mess up the installation process.
Choosing the Right Panel Placement
Deciding on the position of panel placement is a crucial decision that must be made carefully. Make sure you research the basics of panel placement and the adjustment of the material that your acoustic panels are made up of. This way, you can plan where to install them.
The most common placement positions are walls and ceilings, and usually opposite where the main sound sources will be. This is why you may see acoustic panels behind the TV in a living room, as the surround sound speakers will direct soundwaves to the front of the room where they’ll need to be absorbed to ensure a top-notch viewing experience. Many homeowners also opt to place acoustic panels behind the couch for the same reason, especially if they’re using a soundbar or a single source of sound in their living room setup.
Acoustic panels are also often placed in the corners of rooms. When installing them in this position, keep in mind the ease of cleaning, as corners will naturally collect more dust and require more frequent cleaning over time.
Proper Installation Techniques
Each panel material requires a different installation technique. For example, you cannot install wood slat panels (usually installed with screws or adhesive) the same way as foam panels, which are typically installed with staples or construction glue). So, make sure you are asking your supplier what installation method they recommend for your space.
Regular Cleaning and Maintenance
You’ll want to be able to clean your acoustic panels occasionally, or at least remove any excess dust once it builds up. Your acoustic product and material choice will largely affect how easily you’re able to keep them clean.
For example, pre-finished wood acoustic panels are typically easy to clean with a slightly damp cloth, as the smooth wood surface is easy to wipe down. Even wooden slat acoustic panels can be quickly cleaned between the slats using a vacuum cleaner.
That being said, other materials like foam are harder to clean due to how light the material is. If you’re opting for fiberglass acoustic panels, ensure that the material you choose to wrap the panels with is relatively easy to clean, either with a vacuum cleaner or even a lint roller.
Other Ways to Reduce Echo in Your Space
While it’s undoubtedly the most effective way to improve the acoustics of your home, office, or business, acoustic panels are not the only way to dampen echo and improve the acoustics of a space.
There are other methods that will contribute to sound absorption and reduction of echo that are also worth considering, often in tandem with acoustical paneling or other methods.
Adding Soft Furnishings
If you live in a noisy area, you should be mindful about how you furnish your home, as furniture and decorative items can also help in sound absorption and make your home more acoustically comfortable.
For example, use soft fabric instead of leather or latex for curtains and upholstery, and consider adding a few extra cushions to your sofa. Decorative items such as canvas art (instead of glass picture frames) can also significantly improve sound absorption in your space.
Placing Furniture Strategically
Furniture placement and material choices also play a very important role in the acoustic treatment of any room. Instead of using wood furniture, replace it with fabric furniture like couches. It is better to opt for furniture that is upholstered with plush fabric, as this can help reduce the noise.
Furniture items that are placed against walls typically have sound absorption qualities, especially if they’re holding items made from softer, more solid materials.
What are we talking about? That’s right, books! Installing a bookshelf and filling it with books is an incredibly efficient way to reduce noise in a space, as heavy objects break up sound vibrations and make it difficult for the sound to travel. Maybe that’s why libraries are so quiet?
Using Rugs and Carpets
If you hate the noise produced by footfalls and objects being dragged across the room, rugs or carpets are a great investment. Putting a rug down is the one of the easiest ways to cover your floor in an aesthetically pleasing way and reduce noise pollution at the same time.
As sound waves travel through the room and hit the floor, instead of bouncing them back, rugs and carpets absorb them, which reduces echoes and reverberations.
Using Fabric Blinds
Offices and studios usually have metal or wood blinds. Though affordable and low maintenance, they are not really helpful in reducing echo. So, if you currently have metal or wood window coverings (or none at all) and are concerned with the noise levels in your space, switch your metal/wooden blinds for fabric blinds.
As the fabric absorbs the sound waves instead of reflecting them, the echoes in your space will be reduced. If you have extra room in your budget, you should invest in noise-reduction curtains. Though they are expensive, they are worth it.
Conclusion
Acoustic panels are a great way of reducing environmental noise and reverberation. You can get these in all sizes, shapes, and designs. So, along with improving the sound quality, these noise-canceling panels also serve decorative purposes, enhance productivity, and improve sound intelligibility.
Installing these acoustic panels is a win-win situation, so don’t wait anymore and make your office/home/studio noise-free.
Post time: Dec-16-2023