Acoustic Panels on the Ceiling

The film above shows a whole ceiling going up, from bare battens to a finished room with downlights. Below are four looks to choose from, then the how-to, step by step.

In this conference room, the Akupanels follow the slope of the ceiling and carry on down the walls, so the whole room reads as one warm, calm surface.

For a crisp, tailored finish, frame the Akupanels with end lamellas, the slim matching strips that finish an edge, all the way around. The Akupanels then read as one distinct surface set into the ceiling, with clean lines on every side.

It's a great way to mark out a zone in an open-plan room, without building a single wall.

The simplest look, and a very modern one. Mount the Akupanels side by side and let the joint between them show.

It's the natural choice when the length or width of your ceiling needs several Akupanels in a row. Instead of hiding the joints, the design uses them, as a quiet rhythm across the whole surface.

On this sloped living-room ceiling, Walnut Akupanels run edge to edge up toward the ridge, and the same finish carries on down the wall beside the window.

Some of the most striking rooms don't stop where the wall ends. Here, Rustic Brown Oak Akupanels run up the wall and across the ceiling as one continuous surface, with a line of light tracing the corner.

The effect is a room wrapped in wood: warm, calm and quietly dramatic, especially in the evening.

Put your Akupanels where sound lands first: on the ceiling or on large walls. That way it's absorbed before it has a chance to bounce back into the room.

Think about where the sound starts, too. If voices echo in your living room, Akupanels at head height help, because that's where people talk.

And spread them out. Sound travels in every direction, so several surfaces around the room work better than one big patch. The ceiling is often the best place to start, because sound reaches it so quickly.

As a rule of thumb, we recommend covering about 25% of the floor area with sound-absorbing material. One or two Akupanels in a room won't make an audible difference. To notice a real change, aim for around a quarter of the floor area.

Here's the simple formula, based on the 240 × 60 cm Akupanel, which covers 1.44 m²:

Floor area (m²) × 0.25 ÷ 1.44 = number of Akupanels

Example: a 30 m² living room × 0.25 = 7.5 m² of Akupanels. 7.5 ÷ 1.44 = 5.2, so plan for 6 Akupanels.

Choosing the taller 300 × 60 cm Akupanel? Each one covers 1.8 m², so divide by 1.8 instead. In the same room, that's 7.5 ÷ 1.8 = 4.2, so 5 Akupanels.

Treat the result as a starting point, not a guarantee. Every room is different: its size, its hard surfaces and where the Akupanels go all play a part.

On a ceiling, Akupanels are mounted onto a frame of wooden battens fixed across the ceiling. The battens give every screw something solid to bite into.

Run the battens across the direction your slats will go, and plan your light positions before you start (more on that in step 4). A support prop holds each batten in place while you fix it, which frees your hands and keeps the line straight.

Good to know: Akupanels reach Class A sound absorption only when they're mounted on battens with mineral wool filling the space behind them. Without the wool, don't count on Class A.

Measure the ceiling and cut each Akupanel to length before it goes up. It's much easier on a workbench than overhead.

A track saw on a guide rail gives you a clean, straight edge.

Lift the first Akupanel into place against the battens. A second pair of hands or a support prop makes this much easier.

Then screw through the felt, between the slats, into the battens. Mark the batten lines along the edge of the ceiling first (a strip of tape works well), so every screw lands in wood. Work your way across the ceiling one Akupanel at a time.

Light and Akupanels work beautifully together. Downlights can sit right in the slatted surface, like the ceiling at the top of this page, and pendants can hang straight down from it, as they do over this kitchen.

The trick is to plan it before the first batten goes up. Not sure how to make the openings for your light fittings? Our customer service team will walk you through it.

Close the open sides of the ceiling with end lamellas in the same finish as your Akupanels. They cover the sides and give the ceiling a clean, finished line.