Do acoustic room dividers work?

What Are Sound-Absorbing Partitions?

A soundproof partition is a portable, sound-absorbing wall, usually made from fabrics like cotton or polyester. When sound-absorbing materials like polyester soak up noise, the sound waves turn into small amounts of heat energy instead of bouncing back into the room. They reduce the impact of sound and make it much less noticeable. We custom-make our Udderly Quiet® Acoustic Partitions with noise-absorbing fiberglass on the inside, and personality-fitting fabric colors, textures, images or artwork of your choosing on the outside.

Deco Sound Product Page

Although noise partitions will not completely soundproof a space, they will dampen sound and provide privacy so you can complete tasks, instead of watching a co-worker juggle paperclips. Our soundproof room dividers are available in four-foot-by five-foot dimensions, but we encourage you to order custom sizes to meet your needs.

Overall, soundproof partitions are an excellent option if you need to reduce echo, increase privacy, reduce background noise or &#;build&#; a temporary soundproof room within a room. They require minimal assembly and these portable soundproof walls are light enough for one or two people to move them around a room.

Get a Free Acoustic Analysis

What Are the Benefits of Acoustic Room Dividers?

Free-standing acoustic panels and partitions can instantly transform a space and make it more comfortable, a lot less noisy and more visually appealing and organized. You can make an office, restaurant or any room look more clean and modern, all while reducing noise distractions and improving privacy. Here are the benefits of noise partitions, and reasons to consider adding them to your business, workplace or home:

• Reduces sound: Imagine a call center in a building without partitions. Noise would bounce off hard surfaces everywhere, and it would be tough to concentrate. Consider a study of 259 office workers. According to the study, sound and temperature were the top factors affecting office productivity. Workers reported conversations, ringing phones and machines as the most annoying noises, and these noises had a significant impact on all survey participants. Acoustic partitions in office spaces reduce background noise, which, in turn, improves productivity.
• Improves acoustic quality: Noise partitions improve sound and speech intelligibility within a space. With less noise, you can hear better and therefore communicate better to reach your goals.
• Increases privacy: It can be hard to focus when employees hear and see co-workers goofing off nearby. Acoustic partitions create a private, self-controlled space where employees can comfortably work distraction-free. A sense of independence is a benefit for employees. According to a Harvard Business Review article, autonomy drives happiness, motivation and performance. Acoustic partitions can also increase privacy in restaurants to create an enjoyable and intimate dining experience for customers.

• Offers versatility: Acoustic partitions are useful anywhere, whether you need noise reduction and privacy in a classroom or studio apartment. Also, acoustic partitions can easily and quickly accommodate layout changes. All you have to do is pick up the partition and move it to its new spot. You won&#;t need tools or remodelers to help you maximize your space and create peaceful rooms within rooms.
• Offers custom design options: Acoustic partitions are available in a wide array of colors and designs to suit your needs and preferences. For example, do you want a soothing shade of blue to blend in with the office decor? Hues like Feather Blue or Marina can set the mind at ease. Or, are you looking for energetic colors to stimulate your customers&#; appetites? Why not add a burst of red or yellow while you reduce noise and boost privacy in your restaurant?
• Features simple installation: You do not need experience in the construction industry to install and enjoy the benefits of acoustic room dividers. These lightweight partitions help you build walls or temporary spaces in seconds. Just move the partition wherever you want.
• Saves time and money: Acoustic partitions cost much less than building permanent walls and take much less time to install. You can skip design, installation and building costs, and get right to enjoying your acoustic partitions the moment they arrive.
• Improves safety: Imagine an open office space crowded with messy desks, employees&#; belongings and a jungle of cords. Office partitions help create separate, organized spaces, so employees and visitors don&#;t trip over workstations. Acoustic partitions also improve safety because they reduce noise, which means workers can communicate more clearly and enjoy fewer distractions.

Where Can You Use Soundproof Room Dividers?

Although we talked a lot about using acoustic partitions in the office, you can use them anywhere you need to control noise and improve privacy. If you need a custom size, give us a call, and we&#;ll build a custom acoustic partition to suit your unique situation. With that said, here are a few places to use the soundproofing power of acoustic partitions:

• Apartments: Do you live in a studio or open-concept apartment? Acoustic partitions offer an easy, flexible solution to divide rooms and add privacy to your space. You can separate the kitchen from the dining room, for example, or add a private dressing area in the bedroom. In either case, you can have fun trying different layouts and enjoying new spaces without having to build walls or move to a new pad.
• Band practice rooms: If you&#;re ready to write that song that&#;s been forming in your head all day, you probably would appreciate a quiet place to focus and let your creative juices flow. You might add acoustic partitions to your band practice room to help reduce distracting outside noises and keep your melodies to yourself until they&#;re ready for you to share with the world. You can also use acoustic partitions to create separate areas while band members work on their parts until it&#;s time to come together.
• Bars: If you own a bar, some of your patrons would likely appreciate enjoying drinks with friends without constant interruption from noise. You can use acoustic partitions to easily create intimate nooks in your bar for patrons who prefer quiet spaces. If you give people options to escape the din, you&#;ll attract more customers, help create memorable experiences and encourage them to return. You&#;ll also help staff get orders right because they&#;ll be able to understand customers better. And, if you need to open the room up for an event, you can easily move the partitions and store them away.
• Studios: If you use a studio to record songs or share a podcast, your fans expect quality sounds. You likely want them to hear what you&#;re saying or singing anyway. Acoustic partitions add another soundproofing layer to the mix. Create a quieter space by surrounding yourself with partitions, and you&#;ll help keep outside noises like echos, vibrations and voices from detracting from your art. You&#;ll also enjoy the privacy as you put your talent to work.
• Cafeterias: Cafeterias are where students or employees gather to eat, and as you can imagine, they get pretty noisy. Most cafeterias feature large open designs with hard surfaces that reflect sound. A cafeteria can be a more enjoyable space for those inside and outside with soundproofing materials like acoustic partitions. You might choose custom-made partitions to close off a cafeteria from other areas completely, or regular partitions to help reduce noise and add privacy to the dining space.
• Call centers: Noise in call centers can be a problem for employees, customers and the business overall. If an employee can&#;t hear customers over the , they may miscommunicate and make costly mistakes. Likewise, customers shouldn&#;t be able to hear background noise through the and feel like their confidentiality has become compromised. Acoustic partitions create the privacy and elimination of background noise needed to make employees happier at work, and customers satisfied.
• Classrooms: Background noise is distracting for students, and it doesn&#;t have to be that loud to make an impact. For example, a study published in the Journal of Urban Health found a difference of only 10 decibels in background noise led to lower test scores on average. Even hearing the TV playing in the next classroom can make it hard to concentrate. Teachers can create separate rooms within the classroom using acoustic partitions to help students focus during tests or while studying. They might also use large partitions to create separate areas for different activities to help students avoid distractions.

• Conference rooms: You should be able to hold meetings without having to shout and share private details with the entire workplace. You can use acoustic partitions to create a private and quiet conference room to discuss sensitive information and keep employees on track. Acoustic partitions especially come in handy if you need a conference room fast.
• Libraries: Libraries should be a quiet place to read, reflect and relax. However, that&#;s not always the case. From the sound of papers rustling to whispering in the aisles, distracting noises abound in the typical library. You can create a much more pleasant library experience for students, families and your community at large with acoustic partitions. Create quiet reading areas and study zones with soundproofing partitions and help patrons get lost in a good book.
• Restaurants: Many people go to restaurants to enjoy a meal and conversation with a friend or spouse. If they can&#;t hear the other person talk, they can&#;t enjoy their experience fully. Restaurants are naturally noisy places, but customers expect and desire quiet dining nonetheless. According to a Consumer Reports survey, noise was the biggest annoyance for restaurant customers. To resolve restaurant noise issues, consider positioning acoustic partitions around noisy areas or using them to create intimate dining sections. For example, you might separate busy point-of-sale stations from the dining room with acoustic partitions.
• Gymnasiums: From cheering to bouncing balls, gymnasiums are bursting with noise. Most gymnasiums are large open spaces with hard floors and high ceilings. This creates the perfect condition for echoes and poor acoustics. The right-sized acoustic partitions can help coaches create quiet teaching environments, reduce distracting noises and improve communication so everyone can make the most of fun gymnasium activities.

Shop Our Acoustic Partitions

Acoustic Partitions Available at Soundproof Cow

At Soundproof Cow, we offer high-quality Udderly Quiet® Acoustic Partitions to help you find an easy soundproofing solution while hardly mooving a finger. We can custom-design our partitions to meet your exact specifications. You&#;ll have complete flexibility to design the quiet space you need.

Our Udderly Quiet® Acoustic Partitions feature an acoustic fiberglass core, a recycled fabric covering and a sturdy aluminum frame. You can choose the size of your partition and the color of the fabric by browsing our fabric options gallery. Don&#;t see the color or design you want? No problem &#; just reach out to us at the Cow. We recommend contacting our team to discuss your needs first anyway, due to the custom nature of our acoustic partitions.

No matter the design you choose, you can expect the following benefits when you order an Udderly Quiet® Acoustic Partition:

• Superior performance: At Soundproof Cow, the sound of silence is like moosic to our ears. We care about noise reduction and improving acoustic quality, and we&#;ve designed our high-performing partitions to do just that. Wherever echo, background noise and privacy are an issue, you can rely on our acoustic partitions to create an improved listening environment.
• Outstanding quality: Experienced craftspeople hand-make our Udderly Quiet

  ®

  Acoustic Partitions using the highest-quality materials available.
• Simple installation: Our partitions are approximately two pounds per square foot, meaning they are lightweight and easy to move around. We deliver our Udderly Quiet

  ®

  Acoustic Partitions assembled and ready for use.
• Endless design options: You do not have to limit your creativity when it comes to choosing colors and designs for your space. Between our custom capabilities and a vast selection of fabric options, you can design partitions that serve as soundproofing materials and as pieces of art.
• High flammability ratings: Our partitions have a Class A flammability rating, which means they pass most building code requirements and can give you greater peace of mind.
• Durability: We make our Udderly Quiet

  ®

  Acoustic Partitions from durable materials that will keep them strong and functional for a long time. For example, our partitions include an aluminum frame that helps them keep their shape. Aluminum is light and tough, and plays a role in everything from building materials to military vehicles. Our partitions also feature impact-absorbing fiberglass cores and stainless steel feet.
• Sustainability: We produce our partitions using 65% recycled materials &#; 100% recycled fabrics, 60% recycled fiberglass and 30% recycled frame.

Are you ready to get a handle on background noise without disrupting your space? Our affordable and attractive soundproof room dividers are a lifesaver when larger renovations are out of reach. Achieve a quiet, calm environment in commercial or residential buildings with Udderly Quiet® products from one of the best companies in the business.

Contact Soundproof Cow Today

Doing business with online companies can be a gamble. You need to trust their products are up to par and perform as intended. Take a look at our online reputation, and you&#;ll find review after review where our materials exceeded expectations. Give your employees the privacy they need without the isolation or expense of individual offices. You can use our partitions as temporary or permanent solutions.

We have the resources and experience to help you plan any size project. While homeowners are welcome to order directly from Soundproofcow.com, we regularly consult with engineers and architects working on property renovations of all sizes. Never be afraid your job is too big or too small to receive personal attention.

As part of our regular services, we offer customer&#;s a free acoustic analysis to identify the best sound solution for their needs. While our materials may cost more than standard building supplies from a big-box store, we have designed them specifically for acoustic applications. The use of acoustic tapes, seals and other installation products ensure your materials&#; peak performance.

We back all our items with a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee that ensures you never risk your investment. Get in touch whenever there is a problem, and we will work diligently until we solve it.

Improve the quality of your property today with noise-control and acoustic-boosting products, like our soundproof partitions. Call 1-866-949- to schedule a free acoustic analysis today.

Learn More About Understanding Sound

Understand Sound Ratings

What is Reverberation of Sound

What is Sound Isolation

Impact Noise vs Airborne Noise

What is Sound Diffusion

How to Determine the STC Rating of a Wall

Echo vs Reverberation

What is Sound

Colors of Noise

Benefits of White Noise

What are the Characteristics of a Sound Wave

What is Sound Masking

Want more information on Acoustic Dividers? Feel free to contact us.

Where open offices tend to hamper workplace productivity by creating noise disruptions, an easy solution is to balance the space with acoustic room dividers. These are an inexpensive, easy-to-use and portable soundproofing solution to separate busy surroundings from quieter environments to provide noise privacy in offices.

The shortcomings of open plan offices

Open plan offices are the workspace trend today. They speak volumes about the collaborative work culture of an office and come with wonderful benefits like better lighting and a more productive environment. But these office-less offices and cubicle-less cubelands also have a dark side.

Studies have revealed that open offices are the most detrimental to employee morale because of the lack of sound privacy. It&#;s no surprise. Think about that annoying office buzz &#; whether it&#;s from noisy coworkers, rumbling air conditioners, loud printers or incessant calls. 

Noise distractions have been proven to cause just as much damage as the benefits collaboration has provided to work productivity. After all, everyone does need quiet time to focus and get some real work done, right?

Finding the right balance with acoustic dividers

Doing away with open offices and regressing back to the boxed cubicles isn&#;t the solution to privacy needs. Instead, what an office needs is a good balance of open spaces and quiet areas with ample noise dampening.

While there are a few other good solutions to the office &#;buzz-kill&#;, one of our favorites is the use of acoustic dividers. Acoustic room dividers offer a significant amount of sound privacy without having to recreate the office layout or spend tons of resources.

What are acoustic room dividers?

Acoustic room dividers are partition walls that provide the element of soundproofing the space contained within them. The level of soundproofing can range from minimizing noise to 85% sound absorption and it depends on the material used which could range from a variety of solid fibrous materials to even double-glazed glass.

What we find most useful about acoustic room dividers is that they&#;re light, modular, easy-to-assemble and inexpensive. Plus, they&#;re thin so they don&#;t take up much space. Think about how much you can do with that! Set up meeting rooms for discrete conversations, block out the din from pantry hangouts, and create quiet spaces for focused work. 

Basically, you can keep your beloved open plan but solve that dreaded issue of sound privacy. Imagine a private bubble that&#;s free from all the noise and million other things vying for your attention &#; where you can focus, relax and finally hear your own thoughts again!

What are acoustic partitions made of?

Depending on the type, acoustic partitions could be made of a steel, aluminum or wooden frame with the panels typically made of compressed mineral wool or open-cell foam that absorbs sound waves to provide noise insulation. Glazed acoustic dividers are made of two or more layers of laminated glass which contains a bounded internal layer that can absorb sound. 

What are the different types of acoustic room dividers?

Acoustic partitions are available in a wide variety with different materials, designs and working mechanisms to fit a range of noise privacy needs. 

Fixed

These are like regular partitions fixed to the floor, wall or ceiling with panels made of sound-absorbing material. They offer zero flexibility and once installed, they cannot be moved around. 

Sliding

These are sliding partitions that are mounted on rails that allow the divider panels to slide apart or together. The panels are typically made of a steel/aluminum frame which supports the acoustic material. Sliding panels usually make sense in larger spaces and are fixed so they come with limited flexibility.

Folding

These are freestanding acoustic partitions made of hinged panels that can be arranged to form an &#;L&#;, &#;C&#; or zigzag line. Folding acoustic dividers offer a lot of flexibility depending on the length and height of each panel and the number of panels used.

Our SoundSorb 360 is a type of folding acoustical partition that comes with a lightweight aluminum frame, 360deg hinges and, most importantly, dual wheel casters! This means you can move it around, make endless arrangements and simply fold the panels together whenever you don&#;t need it.

Hanging

Hanging acoustical partitions are sound-absorbing blankets or curtains that can be hung on a rod and rolled up or to the side as and when needed. While they offer better sound dampening, installation typically requires professional assistance and curtains can get thick, heavy and cumbersome to deal with.

Rollable

These are freestanding acoustic room dividers that are made up of numerous smaller linear panels. This means they can be arranged to form any curved shape and also rolled up for storage.

Our VersiPanel acoustic partition is perfect for creating temporary and flexible spaces within your office. Apart from noise dampening, its washable fabric is also tackable, making it great for displaying artwork, pictures and office memos. Arrange it to any shape you need and when you don&#;t need it, simply roll it up and stow it away for later!

And you know how we know VersiPanel is the perfect acoustic barrier? It&#;s because it&#;s a common favorite in schools. Yes, if something can beat that classroom ruckus, what&#;s an office buzz in comparison!

Double-glazed glass partitions

If you have a sizeable budget at hand, and have a specific requirement of noise privacy without losing the see-through element, double-glazed glass partitions are your best bet. These can be especially useful in large offices to create quiet work areas without blocking out natural light and openness of the space. But because glass tends to be heavy, glazed partitions aren&#;t generally moveable or flexible, they&#;re fixed.

How to choose acoustic room dividers for your office

Privacy needs

All privacy needs are not the same. If your office is in the middle of a riotous part of the city, you might need heavy, industrial-grade, complete noise-insulating curtains. For sound absorption without blocking light, go for glazed acoustic partitions.

For regular open-plan office needs, noise-dampening of up to 60-65% suffices comfortably in converting a boisterous workspace into a more calm and organized one. Most office acoustic partitions with an NRC (noise reduction coefficient) of 0.6 are good for such purposes.

Budget

There&#;s no debating here &#; budget can be the biggest factor constraining your decision about which acoustic partition to opt for. With money to splurge, go all out and install &#;touch and divide&#; systems with automated curtains and triple and quadruple-glazed glass with variable noise reduction options. 

But like most of us with tight budgets, thankfully, there are a number of options that can provide a decent amount of sound privacy. Modular, DIY partitions are the best for a budget requirement, especially when you also add the flexibility and reusability features.

Flexibility and portability

For fixed office layouts, fixed or hanging partitions offer cheap solutions. However, if you need a meeting room up and running within minutes or your workspace layout changes every month, folding or rollable partitions might be a better investment.

Size and aesthetics

Your choice of acoustic partitions can be immensely affected by the size of space you need to divide. In modular partitions, consider the width and height of the individual panels to decide on the number of panels required.

Apart from the practical aspects, do consider colors and prints to suit your office décor. There are many partitions available in modern styles and colors; use them to make a statement about your workplace culture. Tackable panels are also a great way to add customization &#; perhaps even as a bulletin board to encourage expression and creativity?

To conclude

There&#;s a lot going into making workplaces more efficient and productive these days and out of all the million distractions to fight, noise is the worst. Where open floor plans solved a number of issues of the olden ways and brought collaboration into the work culture, acoustic room dividers are here to support that dream without compromising on privacy and work efficiency.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of 3D Acoustic Panels. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.