Building Acoustic Panels

A while ago, we moved into a new home, and Itai had to reorganize his sound studio.

The new room is larger, so he needed to install 12 more acoustic panels! Since we have Wood Plane makers space, and for budget reasons- he decided to build them himself. It turned out fast, affordable, and fun.

Here’s how he did it:

1. Planning & Cutting the Frames

Itai planned the dimensions of the panels and bought 10 mm MDF boards, a super affordable material. He cut even strips using our Festool circular saw (The best!) You can order MDF online from here, or buy it directly at Obramat or Leroy Merlin, and bring it directly to us. Alternatively, you can order it through us, since we regularly get wood for the shop.

2. Assembling the Frames

The MDF strips were assembled into frames using small metal L-brackets and wood glue.

3. Adding the Foam

We used a 4cm polyurethane acoustic foam panels for the sound absorption. They’re easy to cut using a sharp Japanese knife and a long ruler and they're also made from a friendly material. The foam came in sheets of 200 x 100 cm and cost around 16 Euros each when we bought it. 👉 Here's the link to where we got it.

4. Covering the Foam

At first, Ella wanted to leave the foam exposed- it looked kind of cool inside the frames! But in the end, we went with the classic look and covered it with strong, matte black CAMIRA fabric.

In hindsight, white fabric might also look great- maybe for the next studio upgrade 😄

We bought the fabric at a store in Rubi, called Entretelas.🧵

We attached the fabric with a staple gun, carefully folding the corners so the panels looked super professional- no one could tell they weren’t store bought!

5. Installing on the Wall

To install the panels, you’ll need:

• A drill

• 6 mm drill bit

• Wall plugs and screws

• Most importantly: a leveler!

And this is the final result:

In this video, you can hear a sound comparison of before and after the panels installation, as well as seeing Itai's building process:

Note: The links in this tutorial are not affiliate links- you’re welcome to use them or find your own preferred suppliers. If you discover a great place to buy materials, don’t forget to share it with us!

If you’re in need of acoustic panels, this guide is here to walk you through the process. It’s a pretty easy and straightforward build, so before you buy ready-made panels online- pause and ask yourself: Can I build this myself? (Chances are, yes!)

And of course, if you’d prefer- we can make them for you. But let’s be honest: building it yourself is way more satisfying. 💪😊

Hugs,

Ella & Itai