Soundproofing your living space will greatly determine your quality of life. Noise is distracting and anxiety-inducing, which means that you won’t be able to relax, focus, or stay calm. Fortunately, with the strategic placement of a few acoustic felt panels, this issue should be solved quite effectively.
Here, the choice of materials makes all the difference, and in the past few years, PET-felt panels have become more and more popular. Here’s what you should know about this material type and why people chose them over alternative soundproofing methods.
1. What are PET felt panels
PET felt acoustic panels are made out of polyethylene terephthalate fibers. They’re designed to absorb noise pollution in environments ranging from crowded office spaces and commercial spaces, all the way to family homes.
The manufacturing process is pretty simple. These fibers are made out of recycled PET plastics. In other words, this is a completely green method that further encourages the use of renewable resources.
The plastic is heat-pressed in order for fibers to be bonded together and create a dense, durable material. The panels are available in different shapes, forms, and sizes, but they’re generally light and simple to install.
Most importantly, these materials come in all colors and textures, which means that they’re a perfect addition to any space. You won’t have to choose between functionality and aesthetics.
As the industry expands, the demand for these panels will grow, which will just benefit the world of recycling as a whole. Keep in mind that when choosing whether to go with PET felt, or a more conventional material, eco-friendliness should also be considered.
2. Acoustic properties of PET felt panels
People pick PET felt panels mainly because they’re great at noise reduction. These are acoustic panels, and it’s their job to cancel noise. If they weren’t good at that, no one would have cared whether they were eco-friendly or cheap.
The first question worth asking is – are they good at their primary function? After that, we can discuss additional properties and cost-effectiveness.
The way this works is that these panels trap and dampen sound waves, preventing them from bouncing in the room and amplifying the source noise with each bounce. They also minimize echo and background noise, which is crucial in office spaces where there’s always chatter, as well as keyboard and mouse clicking.
All of this is pivotal in open office spaces. You see, ever since the abandonment of the cubicle system, the noise structure in a modern office has been one of the most pressing issues.
In traditional homes, these PET felt panels also add an extra thickness to the wall, which makes the room quieter as a whole. With more and more people transitioning to also working from home, this is more important than ever.
3. Other advantages of PET felt panels
There are many other advantages of PET felt panels, such as those that go far beyond just acoustic properties.
First of all, the fact that they’re eco-friendly plays much more strongly with some people. You see, modern office executives and homeowners are concerned with more than just performance. While they do care about decibels, this is not really their field of expertise, which means that a descriptive difference in noise level (considerably quieter or slightly quieter) will be what they’re looking for.
On the other hand, the fact that this is green because it’s made out of discarded plastic bottles is something that they’ll be able to visualize much better.
Second, these panels are far cheaper than most of their counterparts. When it comes to value for money, this is where they shine the brightest since they have exceptional cost-effectiveness.
Other than that, these panels are incredibly easy to install, which means that you won’t have to look for specialists. This is mostly due to the fact that they’re light, which means that they don’t have to be fastened in any special way or that you’ll need more people to help you mount them.
This also makes maintenance and replacement a simple matter.
Lastly, these panels are more durable than you would expect, especially in indoor conditions (where you intend to use them), which means that this is a one-time purchase.
4. Tips for using PET felt panels better
The key to being satisfied with these PET-felt panels lies in knowing how to use them right. First of all, you need to learn how to place them strategically. Where is the noise most likely to occur? Then, you need to understand that sound waves mostly travel in straight lines, which means that you should cover the wall that’s opposite the source of the noise.
You also want to cover as much ground as possible near the seating areas and around noisy equipment. Covering areas around seating is important because just by being there, breathing, talking, and typing, people are producing noise.
Naturally, the layout of the space, as well as its purpose, will determine the density and the positioning of your PET felt system. You need to use different strategies in general work than you would in a conference room or an auditorium.
Most importantly, since the material is really inexpensive, you might even want to consider going with full coverage.
Lastly, layering (installing these panels in layers) might give you the optimal effect.
5. Tips for installation and maintenance
When installing, the most important thing is to pick the layout. Without knowing where the panels are supposed to go, you won’t be able to prepare the surface, apply adhesives, and check if the mounting hardware fits.
While the panels are light, you still want to make sure that they’re properly installed.
Keep in mind that all these panels come with manufacturer guidelines. Regardless of the fact that you’ve found a tutorial online, you should always read the instructions and try to follow them as closely as possible.
All of this is, of course, provided that you are making an installation on your own.
Wrap up
In the end, felt acoustic panels are eco-friendly, cheap, and simple to install. Most importantly, they are all this while getting the job done. Chances are that without sophisticated noise-measuring instruments, you won’t be able to tell the difference between them and alternative materials (even more expensive ones). Even while measuring, it’s not likely that they’ll underperform.
