How many acoustical panels do I need?

If just there was a simple answer to that question.

That would also make our job a lot easier.

However, this is unfortunately not the case.

To ensure a room is in balance acoustically, there are many factors to consider. This including the size of the room, what the intended use of the room is, and what the other interior consists of.

Luckily there are some general guidelines and a rule of thumb that can be applied anywhere, still including that it is necessary to consider the above as well.

The acoustical rule of thumb

The acoustical rule of thumb says:

“To create good acoustics in a room the walls must be covered with acoustic material equal to 10-20% of the flooring area.”

This means that if you have a 50 m2 living room, you should add approximately 5-10 m2 sound-absorbing elements to the walls.

A DAMPA Silent Board is approximately 1 m2 no matter the size you choose.

(The 600x1500mm panel = 0.9m2, and the 600x1800mm panel = 1.08 m2).

Therefore, looking at this example, you would need to add 5-10 DAMPA® Silent Boards to the living room area. However, this is not the complete truth.

As we wrote earlier there are many other factors to consider as well.

Divide your room into zones

To get closer to the answer of how many panels you need, we have to consider the most important factor: In what kind of room are you planning to install the DAMPA® Silent Boards?

It matters because there is a huge difference in the acoustical needs in different rooms – is it in the large living room with multiple purposes? Or is it the small office? Or maybe in the hallway?

In the larger rooms, it can be an advantage to divide the room into different zones.

There might be different purposes for your living room area that might include a dining area, kitchen, the actual living room and maybe a bunch more.

When dividing the area into zones, you get a better view of the actual purpose of the zone and the actual acoustical needs – because now we need to look at the interior.

If you have a large soft sofa, with cosy pillows and rug, there might not be a huge need for more acoustic material in the living room zone, whereas you might experience acoustical challenges in the dining zone, as there are not that many places the sound can be absorbed.

If you have divided the dining area in a zone and that zone is e.g. 20 m2, you then need, according to the rule of thumb, approximately 2-4 DAMPA® Silent Boards, depending on how large your acoustical challenge is and the general interior of the zone.

A little goes a long way

So, there are many factors to consider, when optimizing your acoustics and it might seem like an impossible task. But remember, a little goes a long way and you can always add more sound-absorbing material should you need it.

You are also more than welcome to contact us at hello@dampa.dk if you have any questions.

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The dining room can often be acoustically challenging because it is a multipurpose area: During everyday life, the only people using the dining room are the family living there, but on festive occasions, many other family members may be invited. How can we create acoustics that fit both occasions?

How many acoustical panels do I need?

Many factors must be considered to ensure a room is in balance acoustically. This includes the size of the room, the intended use of the room, and what the other interior consists of.