Acoustic Panels

How you can do it...

The Project Just so you know, this was my first attempt at making acoustic panels. Before starting, I did my homework. There's a lot of information online. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a step by step tutorial or a list of the necessary materials needed for such a project. Luckily, I know a person (Jon) who works at Advanced Audio of Naples, Florida. Their office has multiple theater rooms with acoustic wall panels. Jon was kind enough to fill in the neccessary gaps of information to complete the project. Below is a step by step outline on how to make professional looking and functioning acoustic panels. Just so you know, there is a bit of a learning curve. I got better and faster with each panel. The hardest part was making seamless corners. I was a pro by the time I got to my fourth panel. I made a total of six panels.   Materials 1) 3M Super 77 Multipurpose Adhesive 2) Roll of paper to keep spray glue off floor 3) Some sort of straight-edge (4 foot level in photo) to cut panels 4) Ruler 5) Piece of cardboard to catch over spray 6) Box cutter 7) Scissors 8) Sharpie black pen (draw cut line) 9) Small straight-edge 10) MA-Line knife for cutting 10' x 4' x 1.5 inch air conditioning duct board 11) Industrial Strength Velcro 12) 10' x 4' x 1.5 inch air conditioning duct board 13) Speaker cloth (available in many colors) 14) An assistant if you're making large panels     Air Conditioning Duct Board 1) Cut the duct board to your desired size. Be sure you make straight cuts. If desired, you can bevel the edges. I left mine straight. 2) One side is foil and one side has a thin fiber protective layer that needs to be removed. 3) The sound absorbing material is just below the protective layer (See photo below). (I bought the duct board and duct knife at a commercial air conditioning supply store)     Speaker Cloth 1) You can purchase speaker cloth at a fabric store. I needed black for my theater. Other colors and patterns are available. 2) The cloth and board (not the foil side) will have to be sprayed with the 3M Super 77 Multipurpose Adhesive. Leave about six inches of overlap on the cloth. The excess cloth will be glued to the foil side so the front remains taught. 3) In a different location, spread out and spray the cloth. Do not get overspray on the side that will be visible in the theater. 4) Spray the duct board (not the foil side). It's not necessary to spray the sides of the board. The cloth and board should now be tacky. 5) At this point, depending on the size of the board, you'll need somebody to help you lay the cloth on the board. 6) Firmly hold and pull one side and have your assistant do the same on the other. 7) Lay the sticky side of the cloth on the sticky side of the board. Lightly, slide your hand over the cloth to adhere the cloth to the board and smooth out the wrinkles. There should be no creases or wrinkles.     The Back Side 1) Hold the corners of the cloth and board together. Then carefully, turn the cloth and board over (see photo below). 2) Trim away the excess cloth. I drew a yellow line on the right side of the cloth to give you an idea of what and how much to trim. The cuts don't need to be perfect. Nobody will see the back side. 3) IMPORTANT! Start at the corners. Notice the angle cuts in the corners and center. The corner cuts should be slightly longer than the thickness of the board. My board was 1.5 inches thick. Make the corner cut about 2 inches away from the corner. If you're not quite sure of your cut then be on the safe side and leave it longer. You can always trim more later. You can't add material to a cut that's too short. 4) Spray glue on the remaining cloth. Spray near the edges of the back side of the panel. Leave a little over spray so the entire surface of the cloth can adhere to the panel. 5) Pull the cloth at the corner over and onto the panel back side corner. Be careful not to pull too hard. You don't want to damage the panel. Do the same for all four corners. Make sure you've removed all of the wrinkles and creases from the corners. 6) Now work your way, clockwise or counterclockwise, around the rest of the panel. Start at a completed corner by lifting the cloth up, over and onto the back side of the panel. Work your way towards your center wedge cut. Remove all creases from the side. 7) Now jump over to the next corner on the same side and work your way back to the same center wedge cut. If you're satisfied with your completed side, then do the same to complete the rest of the panel.     My First Completed Panel (rear) As you can see in the photo below, the back side of my very first panel wasn't pretty. I drew a circle on my wedge cuts. As I figured out what I was doing, the subsequent panels looked much better on the back . All four sides should have a center wedge cut. It provides room to pull and adhere the cloth to the panel. The best corner on the panel below is at the lower right. Since it was my first panel, I went back and trimmed the excess cloth. Believe me, the subsequent panels looked much better on the back side.     My First Completed Panel (front) As you can see in the photo below, the front side came out great. No wrinkles or creases. Just a nice smooth surface.     Side Acoustic Panel Here is a photo of the final side panel in place below my side channel speaker.   Rear Upper Corner Acoustic Panels Here is a photo of the final right rear corner upper panel in place above my right rear channel speaker.     Final Thoughts As you can see, my panels serve a specific acoustic purpose. The corner panels are there to stop sound from traveling around the room. My side panels are there to stop reflective sound travel between my curtains. That gap was unavoidable when I installed my side channel speakers. The panels serve a functional and cosmetic solution. I could have made the entire room with full length framed-in panels. If you frame-in the panels, the only exposed area is the front side. Finally, I love the look and feel of the older style movie theaters. I'm referring to the style from the 60's and 70's. My goal was to emulate that period the best I could. I think I came pretty darn close. By the way, if you decide to do an entire room of panels, there are some acoustic rules to follow. Not all of the panels should be absorbent. That is another aspect of home theater design that you need to resolve before you make any panels. I hope this was useful towards your own do-it-yourself project.