Acoustic foam

Acoustic foam reduces echo and boominess inside the room. Here you will find foam in wedge, egg crate, hexagonal and pyramid shapes, rolls to cut, corner panels and cubes, many with adhesive on the back or with tape included.

That said, the foam does not stop noise coming from outside. For other materials, see all the decorative acoustic panels.

0 products

No products found
Use fewer filters or remove all

Acoustic foam panels: the shapes available

This page has only acoustic foam, which many people call acoustic sponge or foam rubber. The shape of the surface changes mostly the look of the wall: if you only want the decorative relief and not the echo, see the 3D wall panels. This is what you will find:

  • wedge-shaped, 30 × 30 cm, in sets of 24, 48 or 72 pieces;
  • egg crate and honeycomb types, the classic relief of this kind of foam, in 30 × 30, 100 × 50 and 50 × 200 cm formats;
  • hexagonal in packs of 12 pieces, also in black, 30 × 30 × 5 cm squares and diamond-pattern ones;
  • pyramid-shaped, including a set of 6 pieces of 50 × 50 × 5 cm in several colours;
  • self-adhesive rolls of 50 × 100 cm (2 cm thick) and 50 × 200 cm, which are cut to size.

Acoustic corner panels and foam cubes

In the corners of a room, low frequencies build up and the boominess is more noticeable. Acoustic corner panels are placed where two walls meet, or a wall and the ceiling, and have more volume than a flat panel. They come in 12 × 12 × 48 cm in packs of 4, also in black, in 18 × 18 × 30 cm and in 30 × 30 × 50 cm in pairs.

More compact is the acoustic cube: the 20 × 20 × 20 cm cubes are sold in sets of 4, and there is also a kit with 3 triangles of 12 × 12 × 24 cm and 1 cube of 15 cm. Before ordering, measure the free edges: furniture, doors and curtains close to the corner reduce the usable space.

How to choose the thickness and size of acoustic foam panels

Thickness matters more than shape. At 2 or 2.5 cm, like the 50 × 100 cm roll and the wedge sets of 24 and 72 pieces, the foam mainly works on the mid and high frequencies: the reverberation of the voice and the echo that bounces between two parallel walls. At 5 cm, like the 30 × 30 × 5 cm squares and the 50 × 50 × 5 cm pyramids, absorption reaches a little lower. With low sounds, thin foam does little: that is why bulkier pieces are used in corners.

The 30 × 30 cm modules combine easily and cover a specific area, such as the wall facing the desk. The 50 × 100 and 50 × 200 cm rolls are handy on long or irregular surfaces, because they are cut with a craft knife. If you prefer a rigid material, to go with the furniture, see the slatted wood acoustic panels.

Where to put acoustic foam: home office, bedroom and gaming setup

Foam is useful mainly in rooms with hard surfaces and little furniture. In the home office it makes video calls clearer, in the bedroom it softens the boominess of bare walls and in the gaming setup it reduces the echo that reaches the microphone. If you often talk into a microphone, put a foam panel on the wall you face, behind the microphone, and another behind your back.

Keep it away from hobs, stoves and radiators, and do not put it in the bathroom, because the sponge holds moisture. For windows, where foam would take away light, there are the acoustic curtains. In rooms with high ceilings you can add the acoustic ceiling panels.

How to fit self-adhesive acoustic foam

Many models have the adhesive already on the back and others come with strips of adhesive tape; for those that come without a fixing, take a look at the accessories you will find in acoustic panels. For panels, acoustic corner panels and the self-adhesive roll, the steps are these:

  • clean the wall of dust and grease and let it dry well;
  • if the foam arrives compressed, open it and wait for it to recover its thickness before sticking it;
  • mark the first row with pencil and spirit level, starting from the centre of the area you want to cover;
  • remove the film or fit the strips, put the piece in place and press with an open hand for a few seconds;
  • around edges, sockets and frames, cut the foam with a sharp craft knife, guided by a metal ruler.

Acoustic foam: price and how many pieces you need

The price depends on the shape, the size and the number of pieces. For wedge sets, compare the cost per piece: divide the price of the set by the number of pieces. Delivery is tracked, the maximum delivery time for your country is shown on each product page before you buy, and you can return your order within 30 days.

For the calculation: a 30 × 30 cm panel covers 0.09 m², so for 1 m² you need about 11. With 24 pieces you cover a little over 2 m², with 72 about 6.5 m², while a 50 × 200 cm roll covers 1 m² on its own. You do not need to line the whole room: start with the wall in front of where you work and the opposite one, and add the corners only if the boominess persists.

Absorbing sound is not the same as stopping it

Acoustic foam is a light, porous material: sound enters the pores, loses energy and comes back weaker. That is why it reduces echo and reverberation inside the room, and the voice sounds drier.

Stopping sound passing through is something else. To stop the noise of neighbours or the street you need mass and work on the walls, not a few centimetres of sponge. The foam stops neither the noise coming in nor the noise going out: if the problem is boominess, it helps; if it is the noisy neighbour, it does not.

Frequently asked questions

What is acoustic foam for?

It is used to reduce echo and reverberation inside a room. Smooth walls send sound back and the foam absorbs part of it: voices are easier to understand and household noises echo less. It is useful in the home office, the bedroom, the gaming setup and, in general, in rooms with little furniture. That said, it does not stop noise coming from outside.

What noises can polyurethane foam stop?

Very few. Acoustic polyurethane foam is light and porous: it absorbs part of the sound that bounces around the room, but lets through the sound that passes through the wall. It is no use for stopping the noise of neighbours or traffic: that needs work on the walls with heavy materials.

How do you clean acoustic foam?

Use a soft brush, or the vacuum cleaner on low power with the brush attachment, to remove dust from the grooves. On a stain use a barely damp cloth, without rubbing, and leave to air dry. Do not wet it or use solvents, because the sponge holds water and can warp. Keep it out of direct sun, which can fade it over time.

Does self-adhesive acoustic foam damage the wall?

It depends on the wall. On smooth plaster and well-dried paint the adhesive usually grips, but when peeling off the panel it can take some paint with it or leave glue residue. If you plan to move it, first test with an offcut in a hidden spot, or stick the foam to a thin sheet of plywood and fix that to the wall.

Can acoustic foam be cut?

Yes. Use a craft knife with a new blade or a long, sharp knife, guided by a metal ruler, and cut in several passes without squashing, so the edge stays straight. It is the easiest way to adapt the 50 × 100 and 50 × 200 cm rolls to alcoves, beams or walls with recesses, and to finish panels next to doors, windows and sockets.