Using cork in acoustic treatments

[cata02]

Anyone used cork when treating rooms?

Noticing official products in this regard, stating it can be used for acoustic treatments, but one specialist recenetly told me cork actually reflects sounds and it's a very bad material for treating room acoustics.

Acousticork kurkrol 5-10mm voorgelijmd - Kurk24.nl | De Kurkspecialist

Voorgelijmde Acousticork kurkrol (5-10mm). Incl. lijm, geluidsabsorberend en eenvoudig te monteren. Ideaal voor betere akoestiek.

www.kurk24.nl

or

Akoestisch Paneel ✓ Bestel nu! | Kurk24.nl | De Kurkspecialist

Akoestisch Paneel - prikbord - 40 x 120 cm cm. en meer Akoestische kurkplaten nu ✓ op Kurk24.nl - De Kurkspecialist

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I had an idea of creating a bespoke acoustic panel based off of a 40mm recycled cotton or polyurethane foam and pur a layer of cork on the surface, for the looks and practicality of pinning pictures to it.

Thanks!

 

[Deleted member 21219]

The specialist with whom you spoke might be correct:

Good luck!

Jim

 

[dualazmak]

Spoiler

Just a joke post, please ignore this post.

I just assume/guess if you use 10,000 or more wine corks "randomly" and tightly placed on your wall (and ceiling?), it would effectively contribute to nice sound dispersion, lower the reflection and standing waves, I hope.

My major concern, however, is that you (and your family) could be completely wine alcoholic before completion of your wine cork wall.

 

[fpitas]

Those products look "fluffed up", probably to make it a little absorptive instead of reflective.

 

[alex-z]

Cork is going to reflect most of the mid-range and treble, killing the effectiveness of your absorption material.

An ideal absorption panel has the lowest density material placed first, and the highest density placed last. That way you maximize both the operating bandwidth and low frequency efficiency.

 

[cata02]

Spoiler

Just a joke post, please ignore this post.

I just assume/guess if you use 10,000 or more wine corks "randomly" and tightly placed on your wall (and ceiling?), it would effectively contribute to nice sound dispersion, lower the reflection and standing waves, I hope.

My major concern, however, is that you (and your family) could be completely wine alcoholic before completion of your wine cork wall.

View attachment 307212

I guess drinking so much wine would definitely solve the acoustic issues for good

 

[dasdoing]

serious absorption material will always have laboratorial tests provided

 

[RoarNSnore]

Spoiler

Just a joke post, please ignore this post.

I just assume/guess if you use 10,000 or more wine corks "randomly" and tightly placed on your wall (and ceiling?), it would effectively contribute to nice sound dispersion, lower the reflection and standing waves, I hope.

My major concern, however, is that you (and your family) could be completely wine alcoholic before completion of your wine cork wall.

View attachment 307212

It was enough of a problem for our family that we ended up buying a vineyard in Napa . Can someone share links about why cork is a poor acoustic treatment source?

We are also considering covering a wall in cork for some sound absorption and aesthetics.

CorkBee — Sound Zero

CorkBee is the environmentally friendly solution to bad acoustics. Inspired by nature, these 3D wall panels tick all the right boxes – they are made from a

sound-zero.com

Panelscreens – Standard & Custom Office Partitions from UK Manufacturers

Buy office partitions & dividers from a leading UK manufacturer. Explore premium office partition screens, acoustic panels & bespoke workspace solutions.

panelscreens.co.uk

Acoustic insulation: the comfort of cork

Acoustic insulation is essential to enjoy a peaceful and quiet home but also to preserve the health and well-being of the people living in it

www.diasen.com

 

[DWPress]

I built some QRD diffusers/absorbers for my rear wall soffit based on information that cork is good for acoustic treatment but I used chunky 3 inch cork that is very open in it's construction - the type used for insulating walk in freezers like this. They are faced with book board (high density card/chip board used for book binding) on the faces and wells while the sidewalls remain open for absorption.

I'm sorry I don't have the before/after measurements anymore, hard drive failure, but they made a significant difference in decay time from 80-250Hz.

There are all kinds of cork, the absorption coefficient chart shared above is for cork flooring which is more like linoleum and hard. Here's a link to a more extensive list of materials though cork isn't mentioned:

Fiberglass, Rockwool, Polyester, Cotton, and Sheep Absorption Coefficients​

The center panel extends out into the room 8.5" and the panel is 7' 6" long.

 

[kemmler3D]

I built some QRD diffusers/absorbers for my rear wall soffit based on information that cork is good for acoustic treatment but I used chunky 3 inch cork that is very open in it's construction - the type used for insulating walk in freezers like this. They are faced with book board (high density card/chip board used for book binding) on the faces and wells while the sidewalls remain open for absorption.

I'm sorry I don't have the before/after measurements anymore, hard drive failure, but they made a significant difference in decay time from 80-250Hz.

There are all kinds of cork, the absorption coefficient chart shared above is for cork flooring which is more like linoleum and hard. Here's a link to a more extensive list of materials though cork isn't mentioned:

Fiberglass, Rockwool, Polyester, Cotton, and Sheep Absorption Coefficients​

View attachment 365685
The center panel extends out into the room 8.5" and the panel is 7' 6" long.

Good info. Although cork clearly isn't porous or light enough to do much to the treble, as others have noted in the thread, usually we have a lot more trouble in the frequency range you mentioned. It's not hard to find materials that are good at absorbing treble... 80-200hz is another story.

 

[Midwest Blade]

I put down a cork floor in my listening room and found it way to reflective, quickly purchased a deep pile carpet, problem solved. Cork flooring was easy to instal, provides a nice barrier to the concrete floor, the room is in a walk out basement so the concrete was treated for moisture barrier.

 

[DWPress]

I'd say this stuff is on another level from cork flooring - very crumbly, porous and light.

 

[Midwest Blade]

Yep…

 

[Ropeburn]

I built some QRD diffusers/absorbers for my rear wall soffit based on information that cork is good for acoustic treatment but I used chunky 3 inch cork that is very open in it's construction - the type used for insulating walk in freezers like this. They are faced with book board (high density card/chip board used for book binding) on the faces and wells while the sidewalls remain open for absorption.

I'm sorry I don't have the before/after measurements anymore, hard drive failure, but they made a significant difference in decay time from 80-250Hz.

There are all kinds of cork, the absorption coefficient chart shared above is for cork flooring which is more like linoleum and hard. Here's a link to a more extensive list of materials though cork isn't mentioned:

Fiberglass, Rockwool, Polyester, Cotton, and Sheep Absorption Coefficients​

View attachment 365685
The center panel extends out into the room 8.5" and the panel is 7' 6" long.

That's nice but I guarantee the bookshelf is way more effective

 

[somebodyelse]

That's nice but I guarantee the bookshelf is way more effective

Based on what? Where it's placed, or the design itself which looks a lot like the Leanfuser array from this thesis?

 

[DWPress]

which looks a lot like the Leanfuser array from this thesis

That is exactly where I got my information from.

It's been a few years now since building these things but now front and rear wall soffits are treated this way but I didn't add the board to the surfaces behind the speakers to allow for more absorption. I wish I had access to my old room measurements before adding these but you can see from the pics it's a fairly reflective space. Not taking them down now for a new test.


.

 

[Redacted]

It's all Ok if you have a dedicated listening room that your wife never enters!
If you don't, just let her pick a big new sofa, some rugs (including on a wall) and full-height curtains that extend the full width of the wall.

Personally, I also wear a goose-down puffa jacket and padded trousers for serious listening.

 

[DWPress]

It's all Ok if you have a dedicated listening room that your wife never enters!

Absolutely. This is my studio space where everything is more functional than Feng shui. The house system relies on speaker placement and more absorption.