Absorption panels are an ideal solution to an acoustic problem in a single-room space such as offices, restaurants, hotel lobbies, recording studios, bedrooms, or classrooms. Made of highly absorptive material, these panels trap and contain sound waves rather than letting them bounce around the room. This minimizes echo and eliminates background noise, while improving speech intelligibility and the overall acoustical quality of the space.
Absorption panels are a DIY’ers dream solution for soundproofing. They are incredibly easy to mount on the wall, and can also be personalized and decorated to fit any room’s décor. There are multiple ways that you can make absorption panels your own, solving acoustical problems without having an eyesore in your space. Check out our top 5 ways to decorate absorption panels below!
Create a Sound Absorbing Cork Board
Cork boards are a great place to post info and ideas that everyone can collaborate on. You can purchase a roll of cork board sheet at any office supply store, cut it to fit your absorption panel, and paste it down with adhesive. This gives your absorption panel everyday utility while still being aesthetically pleasing and effective at soundproofing. Ideal for both the office and the home, cork boards are a versatile and useful way to decorate your absorption panel.
You should only require the extra cork board to glue to the surface of an acoustic panel made using 3 pcf fiberglass. A sound absorbing panel made using 6 pcf fiberglass core is rigid enough that you can use a thumb tack on it and not worry about any photos falling down. Just wrap the fiberglass core in fabric to hide the bright yellow, and you’ll have a sound absorbing cork board.
Fabric Wrapping DIY Acoustic Panels
You can customize our absorption panels by thickness, size, and color. With many acoustically transparent fabric options, your panels can fit in with the decor of any room. Some acoustic fabrics can end up making a DIY acoustic panel cost more than it needs to if you want something with a texture of pattern.
Be sure to check out your local craft store for more color and pattern options, because you can use cotton fabric and it will work just like any acoustically transparent fabric at a fraction of the price. When looking for a fun fabric for your DIY panels, just be sure it’s not too thick, so if you were to shine a flash light up to it, you’d be able to see light out the other side. You want sound waves to still be able to pass through the fabric and be absorbed into the fiberglass core.
Custom Art Decorated Sound Panels
Absorption panels can be screen printed with your custom art. The choice is up to you, whether it be a photo, design, or pattern. This can transform a simple soundproofing solution into a beautiful piece of art! Through a process known as dye-sublimation, we can actually print an image of your choice onto acoustically transparent fabric.
You also have the option to decorate the fabric yourself if you’re on a budget, or if you enjoy being creative. Using fabric markers is the best way to decorate an acoustic panel with custom art. Be sure not to use acrylic paints, or any other paints for that matter, on your DIY acoustic panel, as the paint will seep into the pores of the fabric and core, preventing your panel from absorbing sound.
Paintable Acoustic Panels
Paintable acoustic panels are ideal for spaces where style is just as important as soundproofing. With a fiberglass core, echo and reverberation is reduced while the paintable facing allows for limitless design potential. This is a great product for creative spaces, classrooms, or children’s bedrooms. Although we mention never using paint on an acoustic panel, our paintable acoustic panels come with a special paint type meant to be used on DIY panels. Make a fun project out of painting the absorption panels, and then enjoy the handmade art in your space!
With these design ideas, absorption panels can be effective at solving your sound absorption needs while matching the aesthetic of the space. If you decorated your absorption panels, send us a photo or post it in the comments below!
DIY Decorative Acoustic Panels
There are a lot of different things you can do to make your acoustic panels decorative as well as functional. A lot of people think you can just pick the fabric color and that’s it, but they don’t have to stay so plain!
