Acoustics as Art
GIK Acoustics says its solutions are particularly well suited to absorbing unwanted sound in loft apartments, rooms with high ceilings, and similarly echoey spaces. The GIK Acoustics 242 Acoustic Panel is designed to absorb sound throughout the frequency range, including low-frequency bass. It has a built-in air gap that improves low-end sound absorption while allowing it to hang flush against a wall. The absorptive core is GreenGuard certified. For a little more flash, GIK also offers ArtPanel, a similar sound-absorption solution that uses a dye-sublimation process to transfer a decorator’s choice of image onto the panel’s fabric. The 2-inch-thick panels look like artwork but work like the professionally constructed sound absorbers they are. For more information, call GIK Acoustics at 888-986-2789 or visit www.gikacoustics.com.
Spray On Silence
Acoustical Surfaces (ASI) recently came out with a new spray-on sound deadener called (fittingly) Coat of Silence. The mold-resistant, Class A fire-retardant paint increases wall mass while introducing reflective and absorptive properties to help stifle mid-range frequencies and reduce sound transmission through walls and ceilings. By ASI’s estimates, Coat of Silence can add three to seven points to a wall’s Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating. For more information, call Acoustical Surfaces at 800-854-2948 or visit www.acousticalsurfaces.com.
Quiet Time
With Acoustiblok’s new QuietFiber sound-abatement product, there’s no need to tear down drywall to soundproof a room or living unit. All you need, says the company, is a serrated knife, a glue gun, and some leftover fabric to help make QuietFiber blend in. After it’s been cut to size, QuietFiber can be concealed almost anywhere—such as under cabinets and countertops—and secured in place with the glue gun. It can also be applied in mechanical rooms or framed, painted, and hung as acoustic panels in home theaters (pictured) and other noisy spaces. QuietFiber is made of nonfiberglass, recyclable material that’s UL fire rated for floors, walls, and ceilings. It’s engineered so as not to absorb water or moisture. For more information, call Acoustiblok at 813-980-1400 or visit www.acoustiblok.com.
Breathe Easy
Fabric-wrapped wall panels with AirRenew from Decoustics, a division of CertainTeed Ceilings, not only offer great acoustics, they also improve indoor air quality by scattering volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The fabric is stretched or bonded over a fiberglass core; when formaldehyde, ammonia, and other VOCs come into contact with it, a chemical reaction occurs and the pollutants are rendered harmless, according to the company. The panels, which meet GreenGuard criteria for indoor air quality, come in various colors, shapes, and textures. For more information, call Decoustics at 905-652-5200 or visit www.decoustics.com/airrenew.
Strong Quads
Auralex Acoustics’ new QuadFusor is four diffusors in one, arrayed in an offset pattern to not only maximize sound diffusion but also make them attractive. The paintable, 2-foot-by-2-foot unit can be dropped into a ceiling grid or mounted to a wall or ceiling. It is Class A fire-rated and can be filled with insulation to provide even better diffusion and low-frequency trapping. For more information, call Auralex Acoustics at 800-959-3343 or visit www.auralex.com.
Breaking the Sound Barrier
Homasote’s 440 SoundBarrier cellulose-based fiber wallboard is ideal for controlling sound through floors, walls, and ceilings in multifamily housing. The product was recently tested at NGC Testing Services’ Buffalo, N.Y., facility in a new configuration and achieved STC ratings of 53 and higher while being applied to just one side of a wall. (Shared walls in multifamily buildings need to be rated STC 50 or higher.) As one nears STC 60, sound transmission between units is almost nonexistent. A single layer of 440 SoundBarrier can achieve an STC rating of 55 for a 24-inch on-center metal stud wall, according to the test results. For more information, call Homasote at 800-257-9491 or visit www.homasote.com.
