The Role of Wood Mouldings in Acoustic Design

Wood mouldings fill an important role in acoustic design by dampening sound and improving sound quality. These impressive qualities have broad applications in both home and office settings.

The reason wood works so well to reduce ambient sound is because of its cellular make-up. Porous in nature, the air inside wood has two effects on sound. One, it acts as a damper, absorbing sound so it doesn’t reflect and bounce around the room like it does on harder, smoother materials. Two, it enhances the quality of sound so it’s more pleasing to our ears. Think of concert halls and grand auditoriums–they’re made of wood for this reason.

Wood is such an effective sound insulator that the National Building Code of Canada (NBC) “regulates the acoustical design of interior wall and floor assemblies that separate dwelling units (e.g. apartments, houses, hotel rooms) from other units or other spaces in a building. The STC rating requirements for interior wall and floor assemblies intend to limit the transmission of airborne noise between spaces.“

What does this mean for your home or office? It means you can create quieter, more comfortable spaces to live and work in with the quick and easy application of wood mouldings. 

In a family home, wood moulding acoustic panels create ideal sound environments for many types of rooms. For instance, home theatres, music rooms, dens, family rooms, bedrooms, study rooms, play rooms, recording studios and video-creation rooms. Anywhere sound quality and clarity is important for daily life or creative processes is an ideal place.

In the office, wood molding acoustic walls improve the ability to hear and deliver messages to your clients. They foster a calmer, more relaxing atmosphere in which to conduct business, free of noisy distractions.

In addition to their wonderful effects on sound environments, wood mouldings are also customisable. This allows you to create stunning feature walls that double as acoustic walls. Geometric patterns are very popular for this application, and colour can be tweaked to complement every décor.

Alpine Mouldings’ products are made directly at our facility in southern Alberta with local materials and can be customized to exact specifications. Contact us today for a free estimate on any wooden mouldings. 403-627-8873.