Have a group of teenagers playing rockstar in your garage? No? Im sure this is one of the things that comes to mind when you think about soundproofing. But be it a drum in the garage or an echo in a lobby, there are many different ways to use sound panels today. Today there is a wide variety of materials, style, shapes and colors available for diverse uses. Any space can be enhanced in design and in function with what is available today. I am not going to get into the technical details of each, just the design aspects. Amplitude and vibrations and thickness of material can all be researched for those truly interested.
The band in the garage is definitely something that you want to soundproof for loud obvious reasons. But what about intimate areas, or public spaces? Often times in new commercial spaces, the floor is decorative concrete and the walls are high or made of glass causing echoes. Decorative panels can blend the style and lessen the clack clack of foot traffic thru the space. Boardrooms to keep discussions private and not distracted from outside goings on. Home offices can be enhanced by putting panels on adjoining walls, this way if the kids are home and in their room, mom or dad can still quietly work. In dining areas that are open but still need to feel inviting for a nice dinner, panels can be placed behind tables or as dividers in the space. Bedrooms and spas will often use panels to help with the quiet Zen affect. There may not be music playing but that does not mean that there is no unwanted sounds.
For starters, the materials range from fabric panels to fiberglass, felt or foam panels and even woods. The material will depend on the type of sound proofing needed and the aesthetic of the space. At a basic level, wedge foam panels can be used in most spaces to dampen sound. They come in different sizes but commonly are 12×12 or 14×14 and can be egg carton , pyramid, or hexagonal. You can create patterns and some are even available in different colors.
Of course as the style or design gets more in depth or fancy, the materials and the pricing does increase. Wood panels and decorative foam tiles will cost more but they will offer you a wider variety of colors and shapes. Fabric panels are unlimited in the design aspect, you could pull any pattern or print and have custom panels made. Panels are also not limited to walls. They can be mounted on ceilings and doors depending on the sound needs of the space. In high rise business buildings this is often seen, for design and to dampen other offices above.
Wood panels can be very simple or a piece of art. Often times they are grooved or perforated. This allows the sound to enter the wood and essentially get trapped. Wood of course can also be templated or cut into embellished patterns. It can also be stained to unique colors depending on the wood species.
There are many more ways and many more designs that I could go on about. I have personally done these two. My boyfriend is a gamer and he likes a certain ambiance while he is sinking battleships in World of Warships. We kept it simple for him using black foam egg carton panels on the three walled sides of his computer. In my last office, the main wall was windows and as mentioned before the flooring was concrete. We put up 4 fabric panels on the interior wall and made it a conference room. Take into consideration the use of your space, what sound factors are in the room and the rooms or hallway adjoining. Each space will be unique. We dont think about sound until it bugs us, now maybe you have some future ideas.
The Distracted Damsel 