Decorative Acoustical Products and Panels for Interior designing

Decorative Acoustical Products
Now acoustic panels are also available as decorative acoustical products in the sense that they bring decorative color and design to acoustical solutions. Acoustic panels are accepted widely as a wonderful way of insulating and soundproofing your building or home. Till now acoustical panel designs were more function-oriented, style and looks being neglected. Users took it for granted that acoustical panels were meant to be that way and that they don’t have anything to do with the decor of the other areas in the space. Now you get attractive acoustic panels which match your personal tastes and style and at the same time they meet your functional requirements, that is, sound proofing and control. Any space in your home or office can be treated with the new decorative products.
Types of Decorative Acoustical Products and Benefits
The acoustical tiles and panels must have color and texture matching with rest of the interior. Today it is possible to insulate your ceilings and walls with decorative acoustical products which bring form and function to merge with the rest of the room. There are flowing wave tiles which create built in pattern across the space. With the peel-and-stick multicolor hexagon tiles you can create any pattern or look that you like. At the same time you can reduce the sound level. They are easy to install. All that you do is peel off the stickers from the back of the tiles and stick them wherever you want sound control. Many urban and old industrial buildings have problems related to noise and sound. The conventional type of acoustic panels may not be to the taste of urbanites because they do not go with the existing decor. New decorative panels which are manufactured to look like corrugated sheets can add color and looks to such spaces. They can also absorb noise. Some spaces may be too large or not amenable for traditional acoustic panels. In such cases new ideas like custom-cut acoustic panels may be the solution. They can be stuck to MDF boards and suspended like a false ceiling. They go well with spaces like museums and are good in absorbing sound and at the same time give a friendly look.
If you have a requirement to dampen sound in a space, ceiling is the place you normally start with. Decorative baffles which are suspended like a false ceiling can not only absorb sound but also give an appealing look and improve aesthetics. If you have light fittings on the ceilings or walls and you would like to conceal them without affecting the decor. The decorative acoustic products like panels can be designed to enclose the lighting points and fixtures in a way they can absorb sound as well. Besides being suitable for study areas this will create very pleasing and aesthetic looks.
Good acoustics are necessary for both home and business life. But you can’t compromise on function for style. The new decorative acoustical products can give you style, looks, and also the sound control functions.

Garden with Acoustic Barriers in Interior designing and decoration

Create Your Very Own Garden of Eden with Acoustic Barriers
A garden can be a place of extreme relaxation and peace if you are lucky enough to live in a quite or remote area. For most of us however, we are in a constant battle against road and street noise surrounding our home. Whilst moving house might not be an option, there are several alternatives we can choose from to reduce the amount of noise pollution we hear, all of which can add to the aesthetic beauty of our back yard Eden.
Panelling the Fencing
The panelling or fencing that you put up on the borders of your garden can be improved by installing acoustic barriers. The cloth utilized for outdoor noise insulation can be attached to existing wood, plastic, or metallic panels, or they can be bought readymade and be fixed up with the help experts. Private as well as gated communities have been installing acoustic protections for years because they can fit the style of the community living there and also because they help in keeping out any sound from neighbouring area. Selecting a wood finish and installing them on the borders of your garden will eliminate a large part of the unwanted noise getting in. They are available in different heights and you don’t have to compromise between a nice view and sound proofing. The fencing will make nice back drop for green vegetation.
Planting Trees and Having Water Feature
Planting a number of tall trees or long hedge around the borders of your garden can also give noise reducing effects, but these do not give the same effect as acoustic barriers. Nevertheless they provide a solution to control noise which is more natural. They also help to reduce wind and dust from entering in, which can protect your vulnerable plants, particularly in winter. If you decide to choose hedges and trees as noise solution, you have to consider things like time for growing trees, maintenance and their effect on the plants already being grown.
Water Feature
There is yet another interesting solution suggested to mitigate the effect of noise from outside. A water feature comprising of running water from a nearby water source will mask the sound with the soothing tones of flowing water. If you can install such a water feature to your garden, even if it is small, it will help a lot.
Conclusion
Out of the three suggested solutions above, acoustic barriers are most effective in reducing the amount of undesirable noise entering your backyard. They can also protect your home from burglars as they are difficult to scale. For relaxing and enjoying your leisure time in your garden the investment in noise reduction treatment is highly worthwhile.

Corporate office interior designing with soundproofing products

Corporate Office Interior Designing
Corporate office interior designing has assumed so much importance now because for many in the corporate world office is like home where they spend most of their time. Therefore it is natural that the design aspect of the interior of the office must be given lot of care. The two factors that are important for a model office space are functionality followed by visual appeal. An office interior that has very good aesthetics but poor utility will be a failure unless its good looks are matched by its practical design. Most of the corporate offices pay great attention to the design of their interior because they believe that the first impression created in the minds of employees, customers, and the public is through the appearance of the interior. This is also helpful to foster a unique office culture that the employees are proud of. A company’s slogan, logo or its motif when imaginatively used, boosts the company’s image creating its own style and sets the stage for the company’s success.
Create the Work Atmosphere
Corporate office interior designing if done with care and foresight will ensure that work will be smooth and hassle-free. As per a study by experts the ambience of the workplace is also an important factor that affects the mood of the employees and their productivity considerably. It has also been seen that work places that get plenty of natural light are conducive to happier and healthier employees when compared to workplaces that are poorly lit and badly ventilated. Another factor to remember while designing the office interior is about work spaces – how much space should be allotted for private office spaces and how much for staff working in team work-related projects. Best thing to do is to find a well thought out plan having both the layouts within the interior to ensure privacy for work and at the same time provide scope to develop bondage between fellow employees.
Proper Furniture and Color Scheme
The selection of furniture, its design, and how it is arranged also require some consideration. The furniture should not only be thought of just as a seating arrangement but provision should be made for sufficient space for storage. Furniture placement should be compatible with the arrangement of other items and aspects of the interior design. The design should ensure higher energy flow, which is considered as another important contributing factor for developing healthy relationship between employer-employee and vice versa. Investment in furniture is not a waste. It ensures that employee health is cared for. Also an ergonomically designed chair or table placed at proper levels can avoid many occupational syndromes. Corporate office interior designing should pay attention to color scheme of the interior which is a critical factor influencing the mood at the workplace. Proper color scheme directs the flow of energy in the proper direction.
Finally, corporate office interior designing should be futuristic, in the sense that there should be a long term plan for future expansion.

Conveyor Noise Issues controlled by acoustical soundproofing products and materials

Conveyor Noise Issues – A Thing of the Past
Conveyors are generally big complicated motorized equipment which is very noisy. As employees work hard around the conveyor, different machines work nearby, materials flow along the structures noise levels can grow to be even louder than anticipated. When it comes to health and safety of human beings, conveyor sound should be taken seriously. We shall consider what forms of conveyor sections make the maximum noise and available methods to lessen the sound problems that conveyors cause.
Causes for Noise
The unbearable noise created by conveyors is due to the components that are connected with the process. Those components are the conveyor rolls, and roller shaft, and roller bearings. To decide the amount of noise generated by the conveyors, we need to check their rolling speed. Furthermore, the frames of those conveyors made from thick gauge steel are also responsible for making the noise.
Yet another part of the conveyor that to a large extent adds to the sound is its drives. Subunits of the drive consist of electronic motors, gear boxes, power trains, belts, bearings, sprockets, chains, guards, and mounts causing high pitched whines and annoying vibrations to those working around. Also, pneumatic devices can cause hearing problems. The pneumatically controlled conveyor causes unwanted static due to air compression modules and drained ports.
Controlling Conveyor Noise
The layout, condition and direction of the belt floor and joints inside the belt can make a big difference to the sound levels as well as how the belt moves across the roller mattress or the slider bed. Sooner or later the encompassing walls and work spaces can become major factors in noise dampening. Having a suitable place or building to install a conveyor is as important to sound dampening as tuning the conveyor and building it accordingly.
The companies usually look for the best for themselves as well as for their employees. They would not wish that their employees be harmed as a result of the noise problems posed by the conveyors. Since conveyors cannot be got rid of totally, the solution is modernizing them. Faulty conveyors should get replaced. Additionally conveyors must be checked frequently to make certain that their condition is not harmful to the humans around.
Other Methods
Ensuring that all conveyor parts are properly lubricated, moving logically and are not worn out is an almost definite way to maintain conveyor noise levels under control. Some other more complicated techniques include dampening, vibration isolation, and as well as absorption. This can be achieved through effective shielding or encasing. Those lucky enough to start their venture from the very beginning should try hard to get rid of the potential noise problems at source itself in the original design.

Conclusion
Since companies cannot do without conveyors in their businesses, it is important that they follow the regulations of OSHA. The employees should be sent for health checkup regularly and wear audio protectors.

Controlling Noise in Factories Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Controlling Noise in Factories

In the United States, there are noise standards e.g., Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to protect workers from harmful health effects of exposure to high level noise. The standards are meant to safeguard workers from getting exposed to high level noise above an 8-hour time weighted average of 90 decibels (dBA). In addition to this, workers are also required to go through a hearing conservation program (including monitoring of hearing). It is necessary for employees whose noise exposure levels in 8-hour exceed 85 dBA. This type of safety standards are enforced in other countries as well. Factory workers are exposed to harmful levels of noise due to closeness to noisy machinery. It is known that in some factories noise level is higher than even 100 dBA.

Resorting to the use of ear plugs for hearing protection is to be the last attempt only if all other efforts to control noise within the accepted standard after implementing all other noise control measures have failed. That is why engineering and administrative steps to control sound are important.

Noise Control – Factories must Satisfy the Following Conditions

They must not cause any obstruction for workers in the use of the machine. Machine enclosures and noise barriers are effective methods for reducing noise; but their presence must not seriously hamper workers or affect productivity. Designing effective barriers for noise control without obstructing workers, for lift movement and walk ways is a challenge. They must be resistant to the rigors of working conditions in the workplace. Any noise control method selected must suit the environment in which they are going to function. The materials for noise control must withstand exposure to dirt, water, or oil which are common in the factory. Also they should resist the impacts of high traffic if they are placed in such areas. They must not affect the productivity and dependability of the machine and not lead to malfunctions or other technical problems.

Acoustic Enclosures

Though acoustically approved enclosures of machines can effectively control noise, there may be some airflow problems which may cause overheating of machines. To overcome this, you may need cooling systems, which in turn may need cooling systems themselves. Enclosures should not cause visibility problems near machines and other factory areas where visibility is important. In order to ensure visibility for managers to oversee work areas transparent materials may be used for noise control.

Conclusion

Noise consultants may be hired for assessing sound levels and advising on noise control systems. A competent noise consultant should be capable of designing the appropriate systems for noise control which will meet all the above conditions. Noise monitoring services are available to measure sound and vibration levels.

Control Veterinary Hospital Noise and Odor at the Source

Control Veterinary Hospital Noise and Odor at the Source
Veterinary hospital noise besides being a nuisance can also have harmful effect on the patients and staff. A study shows that the noise created in an animal shelter can be louder than that of a jack hammer (110 dB). Excessive noise can be physically stressful to dogs and cause behavioral, anatomical, and physiological reactions. Out of the three main zones in the hospital, namely client, holding, and clinic the holding zone produces maximum noise making this our prime area to focus to mitigate noise. A common noise problem in shelters and veterinary facilities occurs when dogs are held in cages or gated kennels and they face one another. One bark triggers a chorus of barks raising stress levels in the dogs. Dogs being social species, they like to be with other dogs. When they can see other dogs, and can’t go near them there will be a lot of barking back and forth due to frustration.
The following strategies may be applied to facilities housing animals for longer periods to mitigate noise levels.
Acoustic Treatment
Raise the level of ceiling and use acoustical treatments suitable to expected moisture levels. Acoustical sound baffles or suspended acoustical ceilings are helpful. These areas are usually built with hard non-absorptive materials. Absorptive sound panels having high NRC ratings on the top third of the wall surfaces will give good results. Provide sound isolation walls between holding zone and the clinic. Sound seal doors and windows. Avoid leakage through plumbing, electrical, mechanical openings.
Layout
Have your wards in the rear of your hospital and let the clinic area act as a natural baffle for the client area which will be in the front. Clinic areas that are less sensitive may be located next to these areas. Avoid double-row corridor design. Locate the wards and runs near the outer walls if possible. Exterior walls, by virtue of their design, are more sound-deadening than the other interior walls and this will help in reducing potential nuisance noise being transmitted to adjoining living areas.
Ventilation
Exterior walls admit more natural light which is good for the wellbeing of the animal providing natural views and thus reducing stress. Less stress will reduce frequency of urination and defecation and reduce the odor. If there is no access to exterior wall, think of providing skylights for such wards. They are good for both staff and patients. Provide sufficient ventilation to holding areas. The return air should not enter the client areas. Air change should take place every 10-12 hours. Reduce sound transfer taking place through ductwork. Provide sound baffles in ducts where necessary.
Conclusion
Keep human contact with patients to reduce stress effects of being confined. Provide music or white noise. Though sound transmission cannot be entirely eliminated between zones without very high cost you can reduce the level of a shrill sound to a muffled one which will be within acceptable limits.

Conference Room Acoustics with soundproofing products

Conference Room Acoustics
Office conference rooms are important communication centers where adequate audibility and confidentiality are considered as prime factors. The conference room is a single enclosure where a number of bodies gather to deliberate on business matters, and by its very nature pose many challenges to acoustics and sound reduction particularly in office environment. The challenge lies first in controlling noise transmission leaking out of the room and that which comes in. Next, the treatments required for improving the quality of sound within the room have to be implemented so that the speeches, presentations, and dialogues taking place will be intelligible. In few cases, the sound leaks are not a problem, and the focus can be on too much of noise reverberations within the room so as to improve overall acoustical quality.
Why Sound Treatment?
Sound leaking into and out of a conference room is a matter concern to be taken up on priority. External noise disturbing a conference room in session is a distraction and nuisance to the participants while the noise going out into the general office area is a disturbance to employees whose concentration in work can be affected. Also it will compromise the confidentiality and security of company information being discussed inside if the whole office can hear what is being talked in the conference room.
First Stage
Controlling noise leak that goes out as well as that comes into a conference room means isolating the room so that noise is prevented from passing through common surfaces like ceilings and walls. There are many ways for isolating depending upon the nature of the individual room, degree of modification needed and the budget available. Installing a layer of mass loaded sound barrier vinyl to every wall and building an additional drywall layer can reduce sound leaking between rooms. Several types of ceiling tiles are available to augment or replace the present tiles in a ceiling. For bigger spaces, collapsible sound control curtains can be used together with acoustic techniques as above.
Second Stage
The second stage of conference room acoustics improvement is absorption treatments to reduce reflections of noise inside the room so as to improve the quality of acoustics within. Every participant should be able to comprehend important information contained in videos speeches, and other presentations clearly. If wall surface is untreated, sound waves will be reflected back into the room, producing too much background noise with unpleasant acoustical quality. Simply by installing sound absorptive panels all over a conference room you can reduce excess reverberations. Many types of sound panels are there to choose from a variety of colors to match with existing office decor. Windows can be a challenge in a conference room as you cannot mount sound panels on them. For windows of conference rooms window blinds that are sound absorptive can be installed to absorb unpleasant sound reverberations inside the room.
Conclusion
Effective acoustical improvement solutions can be installed, preferably by consulting a soundproofing professional at the start of any such project so that all alternatives are considered and the most effective solution is selected.

Church Acoustics in Fellowship Hall with imported soundproofing products

Church Acoustics in Fellowship Halls

Church acoustics in multi-purpose rooms or fellowship halls have few similarities which is the reason for needing acoustical ceiling panels and acoustical wall panels. Often these rooms are very large so that numerous people can use the room simultaneously. Usually they also have sheetrock walls or cinder block, a linoleum floor, or vinyl tile. If carpet is there, it is usually an industrial carpet which is very thin.

How Many Panels Are Needed?

Regarding echo and reverberation, acoustical treatment of more square footage is required for getting the noise control of proper level. The question commonly asked among numerous people is the number of panels needed. This question is simple that should be asked. However the answer is not as simple since rooms and their needs are always different. Even though “recording studio” sound quality is not needed for rooms like this, a noise control solution is needed that lessens the sound so that when the room is full of people the noise level is not extremely loud. Experts have suggested a thumb rule. That is 3% of the total volume of the room (height x width x depth) will give you the area to be covered by panels.

What Kind of Treatment Is Best?

There is no right or wrong answer to this question but some trend or tendencies are there that is explained here. Although hundreds of acoustical treatments of different kinds are there (including ceiling panels, wall panels, diffusers, cloud baffles, etc.) when a room like this has to be treated, this large list of options is reduced to two different kinds of panels. These are the Echo Eliminator Panels and Decorative Fabric Wrapped Fiberglass Panels of Acoustical Surfaces.

The Fabric Wrapped Fiberglass Panels are customized boards of fiberglass that are wrapped with a decorative fabric and cut to size. The most freedom of color and panel size is offered by this option which is very attractive to many people. The unfortunate part about the product is that because it is customized and made by hand, its price tag is also high. This price tag usually makes this option just not an option or less attractive. Particularly for a multi-purpose room where aesthetics isn’t as essential as in a room like a sanctuary, their Echo Eliminator recycled cotton panels become very much attractive.

Echo Eliminator Cotton Acoustical Panels are produced from recycled cotton fiber and they are offered in nine different colors. Their absorption rating makes them a very efficient acoustical treatment. They are very cost effective since they are produced from a recycled material. They can be used as ceiling panels or wall panels and are commonly glued to the structure directly with a contact adhesive and construction adhesive. They are Class A fire rated, which is also always important.

CFAB Cellulose Panels for soundproofing in interior designing

CFAB Cellulose Panels
CFAB cellulose panels are a cellulose-based material that is leading the industry. CFAB cellulose panels have 65-75% recycled content. For acoustical materials, a very green solution is represented by CFAB cellulose panels. They are new yet lasting alternative to traditional fiberglass and thermal and synthetic acoustical panels. They are used in a variety of different applications.
Applications
The use of CFAB cellulose panels is in any area that needs thermal or acoustical treatment. Fabric or other decorative material can be used to cover them. Typical applications include acoustic panels/inserts, office panels, and any flat panel, molded, or lofted parts. They can also be used in noise reduction slabs, insulation panels, ceiling tiles, fire barrier, and fire proof thermal insulation.
Properties of Cellulose-Based Acoustical and Thermal Panels
• Reduces Airborne Sound Transmission
• Controls and Deadens Sound
• Blocks Outdoor Noise
• Class A Fire Rating
• Mold and rodent safe
• Easy to Handle and Install – No Special Equipment Required
• Made From Renewable and Recycled Fibers
• Strong sturdy panel or soft insulation slabs
• Environmentally safe
• Moisture resistant
• Excellent thermal insulation

Sizes and Densities
CFAB cellulose panels are available in sizes 4′×4′, 2′×4′, and 4′×8′. Panels are available in 1″, ½”, or 2″ thickness.
Their densities are 3 lb pcf – 1″ Thickness and 2″ Thickness, 6 lb pcf – 1″ Thickness, and 8 lb pcf – ½” Thickness and 1″ Thickness.
Green Qualities
CFAB cellulose products are made from renewable and recycled fibers combined together. They are sustainable and environmentally responsible. Also CFAB cellulose products are mostly completely recyclable and produce no scrap during installation or manufacturing of the material. They also use a greener process for manufacturing by reducing air pollution and energy use. Through a manufacturing process that is innovative, CFAB is produced as a product having cellulose as the base made mainly from post-industrial and post-consumer paper with the main raw material being recycled newspaper.

Acoustical Performance
CFAB cellulose acoustical panels have an open density and design. For controlling and deadening sound they increase sound absorption. High Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) ratings are achieved by CFAB cellulose acoustical panels on the basis of density specified. For specific applications Sound Transmission Classification (STC) ratings have been done. All of the assembly’s construction materials determine STC values. The STC ratings of CFAB cellulose panels is more than the values commonly used acoustical materials get.
Product Safety
One of the biggest investments of homeowners is their homes. Homeowners are particularly concerned about its safety. Harmful airborne particles are not found in CFAB cellulose panels. They do not irritate or itch the skin like fiberglass insulation. They are soft to touch and easy to handle. CFAB cellulose panels can be painted, left exposed, or covered with drywall. EPA registered fungicide in CFAB cellulose panels protect against mold growth.

Building Design for Sound and Acoustics Overview of Sound Control

Building, Design for Sound and Acoustics, Overview of Sound Control
It is important to understand the fundamentals of the different methods and materials that are used for controlling the sound quality in the interior of a space for proper design and planning. If you’re really serious about completing the project successfully, then you must care about the comfort and satisfaction of the residents and other occupants of your facility. Often you are not able to convey a message intelligibly to an audience as a result of poor acoustics of the venue. There are occasions when the audience cannot understand a word of what is being said. Excessive reverberation or echo is usually the reason for poor sound quality. The positive thing is that the situation can be changed.
Types of Sound Control Materials
In general almost all rooms are built with materials that are highly reflective, for examples, concrete, drywall, glass, metal, wood, etc. This calls for sound control products of high quality. The treatments generally used for improving the quality acoustic control in any room can be grouped into four types:
Reflective: If a space is too dull addition of reflective surfaces will add brightness to the room.
Absorptive: Excess echo can be removed by absorbing reflections of middle and high frequencies.
Diffusive: Direct reflections can be removed by diffusing their frequencies to get a balanced sound.
Bass Traps: Improve the overall quality by removing undesirable bass resonance of low frequency.
Balance between reverberation and absorption of sound
Too much of reverberation and excess of sound absorbing panels are both not advisable. The former will make the room sound like a cave with too much of reflected sound, while the latter make the room dull and lifeless. With proper balance you can enjoy vocal & musical performances better. This is possible by ensuring good quality of sound inside a room. The only way to achieve optimum sound quality is by sticking to the basic principles of sound control and room acoustics. It is necessary to keep in mind that the interior design should be in harmony with the placement of products of acoustical treatment of the room. A good design has superior appearance as well as good sound quality.
NRC rating
The widely used measurement rating for effectiveness of sound control materials is the Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) rating. Similar to STC ratings the NRC ratings deal with the frequencies between 125 Hz and 4000 Hz. The difference between the ratings is that the NRC refers to the ability of the materials to absorb sound as against containing it. The NRC is a one digit index used for rating the absorptive level of a material. This industry standard is from zero (totally reflective) to 1.00 (totally absorptive). A rating of 1.0 indicates that all the sound hitting the material is absorbed by it. That means excellent sound control.
Many products are available with claims of good sound absorption qualities. Experts recommend Glass Fiber Boards as a good choice from point of view of cost and ease of installation.