Cost Savings in Building DIY Acoustic Panels

This blog post is to highlight some of the cost savings when you make your own soundproof panels.  We are absolutely not knocking the manufacturers that make these panels, because some of them make very impressive products.  This article is for the Do-It-Yourselfer that is somewhat handy, neat, and want to save money on their build.

MATERIALS OVERVIEW:

Acoustic Fill:

One of the most important materials needed is the acoustic fill.  The acoustic fill is what makes the Acoustic Panel absorb a wide range of sound frequencies.  You will read about a lot of different fill options, but most of the manufacturers prefer Fiberglass Rigid Board.  The most common fiberglass rigid board used is Owens Corning’s 703 Series board which is superior in absorption of high to mid-low frequencies, fire rated, and relatively inexpensive.

Currently on our site, you can purchase a box of 2″ thick OC 703
for $52.50 with $35 Flat Rate Shipping ($87.50). This box contains 6
panels that are 24″ x 48″. We will use this material for comparison
purposes in this post.

Acoustic Fabric:

Besides what material is actually inside absorbing all that sound, the second most important material is the acoustic fabric.  This is what you will be staring at for hours on end during those late night sessions so you would be wise to pick an attractive fabric and color.  Besides good looks and bold colors, you will also want to make sure what ever fabric you choose is acoustically transparent which means the fabric itself will not reflect sound off the panel surface.  Many Do-It-Yourselfers choose an inexpensive burlap which can come in colors and is porous as well.  Professionals and most manufacturers use more expensive fabrics such as Guilford of Maine’s Anchorage fabric which are 100% acoustically transparent (UL Tested), fire rated, and are extremely attractive. The Anchorage line has a variety of 30+ bold colors which we find will give your DIY acoustic foam panel that “professional look” you are seeking.

Framing:

Most professionally made acoustic panels are framed with wood,metal, or even plastic.  We would recommend using wood for ease of fabricating the frame.  Most pieces of wood are not true dimensional so you can go to your local home improvement store and take a look around for what will work.  Please note that you will not be seeing the frame so the wood you choose does not need to be of the highest quality.  You will need approx 12 feet of material per panel.  For pricing purposes we found pieces of dimensional lumber that was 1″ x 2″ x 8ft for less than $3/piece.  This puts your framing price around $4.50/panel.

Hardware:

Most framed acoustic panels are installed using Z-Clips which are bent aluminum brackets that have a profile that looks like the letter Z.  2 clips are screwed into the back of the frame pointing downward while another 2 clips are installed equally distant on the wall facing upward.  The panel is then slid onto the wall and held in place.  These Z-Clips can be purchased on our site for $12 for a box of 24 clips (enough for 6 DIY sound panels).  You can also use picture frame wiring, or other alternate fasteners as well.

PRICE COMPARISONS:

Looking at the premade 2″ thick acoustic panels available online we found a wide variety of prices from approx $50/panel to upwards of $150/panel.  For comparison purposes we found a reputable manufacturer with more moderate pricing.  We selected 6 panels that are 2″ thick fiberglass fill, Guilford of Maine high quality fabric faced, and 24″ x 48″.  We suggest shopping online and finding your own comparison pricing:

Professional Acoustic Wall Panels:

6 Panels w/ Shipping Costs: $507 ($84.50/ea)

DIY Panels:

6 panels of Owens Corning 703 2″ thick w/ Shipping Cost $87.50 ($14.58/ea)

5 yard of Guilford of Maine Anchorage Fabric w/ Shipping Cost $124.95 ($20.83/ea)

72ft of Lumber for Wooden Frames (pickup locally)  $27 ($4.50/ea)

MetroFlex Z-Clips Box of 24 Clips  $12 ($2/ea)

Total: $251.45 or $41.91 each panel 

SAVINGS OF $255.55  or $42.59 per panel

When you make your own soundproof panels you will save nearly half the cost of purchasing panels online and you don’t have to cut any corners; you still have the same acoustic fill and the same high quality professional fabric!