It’s easy to assume that controlling the sound in your space will be difficult. But that’s not the case. It is possible to get sound absorbing wall panels to solve most of the issues you experience in your space or room.
In many cases, people don’t know what they need to do to make a decorative sound absorbing panel or the terminologies. This can easily make them confused or overwhelmed by the process of making sound dampening panels to handle unwanted noise.
For starters, people commonly confuse soundproofing with sound absorption. But these are two different things.
Sound absorption doesn’t aim to remove all the noise or stop noise from other areas of the house from getting into a particular room. Instead, it cuts down sound waves that could create unwanted echoes in a room.
That said, most people are familiar with acoustic wall panels, which might be unsightly to some. Thankfully, there are other more appealing materials you can use to absorb and reduce sound at the same time. Plus, they can make your space more attractive.
These are known as sound absorption acoustic panels.
This article will explain the various benefits of using sound absorbing wall panels.
Let’s get this started.
Benefits of Decorative Sound Absorbing Wall Panels
Decorative Sound Absorbing Wall Panels Can Help Reduce Background Noises
Technology has become an important aspect of our lives today, and that’s generally a good thing.
But it brings its unique problems, with unwanted noise pollution being a major issue.
We constantly have to deal with noise in the background. It could be from video games, television, humming air conditioners, or the microwave going off.
Combine that with noise from natural sources such as dogs barking and children playing, and you have one huge noise pollution!
These can make it difficult to focus.
A decorative sound absorbing panel can help dampen the noise and create a more stress-free and peaceful environment. Yet it does this without necessarily stopping the background noise. In other words, it creates a win-win situation.
Decorative Sound Absorbing Wall Panels Can Help Improve a Room’s Aesthetic
When most people think of sound-absorbing panels, they picture an acoustic sound absorbing panel. These are usually gray color squares in studios or offices and are mostly unattractive.
That’s not the case with decorative sound-absorbing panels. These panels come in various colors, materials, and textures. Decorative sound absorbing wall panels aren’t only functional. They’re pieces of art!
Decorative Sound Absorbing Wall Panels Can Help Reduce Reverberation
Most people tend to confuse reverberation with echo. However, reverberation is a lot more subtle.
While it is essentially sound bouncing off surfaces in a room, it can be difficult to determine where the reverb sound originates. One thing is for sure; you can tell that the sound in the room is not quite right.
You can install decorative acoustic panels to absorb the additional reverb noise.
Decorative Sound Absorbing Wall Panels Can Help Improve a Room’s Peacefulness
Adults, pets, and kids alike can become overstimulated by noise. A calmer and peaceful room can make people experience less stress. One way to do this is to ensure the room has great acoustics.
A quieter room with a sound treatment can bring about a calmer mood for anyone in it. Spending time in this space can reduce agitation, especially in those sensitive to uncontrolled sound.
A room’s acoustics, sound transmission, and noise reduction can have a significant impact on the quality of life of many people.
Decorative Sound Absorbing Wall Panels Can Help Reduce Echoes
Large rooms, particularly those with hard surfaces, like tile, and high ceilings, tend to have echo issues. For example, gymnasiums, art galleries, and churches all have this in common.
This problem can also arise in homes. For the most part, items like curtains, furniture, and rugs all absorb sound waves that help to stop echo. But when there are not enough items in the room or not as effective in absorbing sound, you can buy decorative sound absorbing wall panels to reduce echo in the room.
Decorative Sound Absorbing Wall Panels Can Help Reduce Volume
When it comes to sound control, volume is perhaps one of the most notable characteristics. It is what people consider when they hear the word soundproofing.
As mentioned, soundproofing is all about keeping sound from getting out or into a space. On the other hand, sound absorption and sound dampening reduce the sound in your space instead of eliminating it.
If you walk into your room and can’t hear the song playing on the radio, your first inclination would probably be to turn the volume up. But the sound clarity is the problem, and turning up the volume may make things worse.
The most effective way to fix this is to solve the room’s clarity issue. You can do this by using decorative sound absorbing wall panels to reduce noise in the room and let an intentional sound fill the room.
Decorative Sound Absorbing Wall Panels Can Help Improve Sound Quality
There is nothing quite as frustrating as having a dedicated movie and music room with terrible acoustic performance. This is bound to make your viewing and listening experience less than pleasing.
An effective way to solve this is to install decorative sound-absorbing wall panels in your personal home theater or movie space. This will reduce the sounds that bounce off hard surfaces. In turn, it creates a more conducive space where entertainment becomes a more enjoyable activity.
Making Your Own Decorative Sound Absorbing Wall Panels
While it is easy to head out and purchase decorative sound absorbing wall panels, you can go a step further to create your own decorative sound absorbing wall panels.
This is great for those who want a more hands-on feel or would love to see their artwork serve a dual purpose.
Things You Need
You will need the following to create one decorative sound absorbing wall panel:
- A 2 x 2 sheet of 1 1/2-inch thick sound absorbing egg crate foam. You can buy an entire roll and cut it to your predetermined size.
- A 2-inch deep art canvas with dimensions of at least 2 x 2 feet.
- Acrylic paint from an art store to decorate your canvas.
- Picture hangers. You will need at least two for each panel. You can buy this at an art store or any hardware store.
- Paper backing to hold the sound-absorbing material in place.
You will also need a couple of tools to create your own decorative sound absorbing wall panel:
- Hammer
- Paintbrushes
- Scissors
- Staple gun
- Screwdriver or drill
Painting Your Canvas
The first thing you need to do is to paint your canvas. This part is where your creativity shines, as your artwork can be just about anything you want it to be. If you have a family, make it a fun activity by getting the kids involved with the process.
If you are not the most artistic person in the world, you can take an easier route by printing your cherished memory onto the canvas. There are several online sources where you can get this service. And depending on your sound absorption needs, you can spread the image onto three or more wall panels to create a more artistic effect.
Installing the Sound Absorption Material
With your egg crate acoustic foam, you create the sound-absorbing part of your decorative wall panel. For extra sound absorption, you can consider purchasing a bit of sound-absorbing fiberglass panels to place in your canvas. This approach is useful as fiberglass is denser and better at absorbing lower frequencies than egg crate foam.
The material you use depends on the current acoustics of the room in question. If you have a lot of low-frequency noise, fiberglass is a great option. If the room has more high frequencies, egg crate foam is more than enough. Alternatively, if you are making at least two decorative sound absorbing wall panels, you might consider making one low frequency and the other high.
Once your canvas is completely dry, you can flip it over to add your sound-absorbing material inside. What you want to do is to fill the space, but not too much that it begins to bulge. For effective sound absorption, the bumpy side of your egg crate should be facing the canvas and not the other way around.
Installing Your Decorative Sound Absorbing Wall Panels
Once you are done, you can add your picture hangers to the canvas and drill a hole if not it doesn’t have a placeholder. Finally, go ahead and hang your new decorative wall panel.