Dog Kennel/Grooming Salon Acoustics

I have been getting quite a few inquiries about kennel or pet grooming salons lately, so I am putting together this little article to help those with similar use rooms.

We have quite a few different products that could all potentially reduce the noise in your grooming salon and each will offer it’s own respective advantages and disadvantages. Some are very economical, some are washable and some are decorative and customizable. I would be happy to offer my recommendations if you would be willing to send me a digital picture or two of the space along with the rough dimensions of the area in question. I will disclose that I don’t even pretend to be an interior designer, but I have helped quite a few people in similar situations so I could use what I have learned over the years to help.

The first three panels that come to mind are the Echo Eliminator, the Sound Silencer and the Fabric Wrapped Fiberglass panels. As I said, each of these options is going to offer a different advantage and I will do my best to explain each. We do have a larger number of options so if you are looking for a panel that is not listed here, please let me know and I can make a few other recommendations. Here goes.

The Echo Eliminator panels are definitely the most cost effective of the three options. It is an in-stock panel that comes in ten different colors and will usually ship in boxes via UPS Ground. They are made out of recycled cotton fiber and generally left as-is which is fairly similar in look and feel to a piece of felt. Most people install the panels onto the walls or ceilings with a construction adhesive and a spray adhesive. I have, however, had customers use grommets in the panels for mounting locations or even Velcro. Although these panels are the most economical, they are usually considered the least “finished looking” so depending on the aesthetic of the room and where you have the available wall or ceiling space, they may or may not work for you. These panels have an NRC rating of .80 (for the 1” thickness) which is very absorbent.

The Sound Silencer panels are also in stock in 2’x4’ panels but absorb about half of the amount of sound as either of the other two options. The big advantage to this option is the fact that these panels are completely washable and can be used in areas that other panels will simply not work. They also attach to the wall or ceiling with adhesive and I have had customers put screws through them to hold them in place.

The Fabric Wrapped Fiberglass panels are the most finished looking and actually a bit more absorbent than the Echo Eliminator panels. They are all custom made which offers the freedom of custom panel sizes and fabrics to use as the decorative facing. These two options allow the panels to either be used as accent panels or to hide within the existing look of the room. Because of the labor that goes into their production, they are also the most expensive. These panels are put onto pallets or crated and shipped on the back of semi-trucks.

If you are wondering how many panels you need, I would be happy to help you with this, which is where the measurements of the space and the digital pictures would come in quite handy. Although there is not a cut-and-dry answer to this question, I have used a very simple equation to get people started down the right path in determining how many panels are needed. Please note that this is a simple, generic guideline and may need adjustments based on the needs of each particular room:

Cubic Volume (height x width x depth) x 3% (.03) = square footage of surface area to cover.

The location of the panels is completely up to you and they can be placed anywhere in the room and have the same basic result. So, with that said, you can put the panels wherever you want to allow for the same functionality of the room and get the same acoustical result. If you feel that the panels will be best suited on the ceiling, go for it. If you would rather install them on the walls, perfect.  It is more a determination of the square footage of panels installed relative to the size of the room than putting them in specific locations.

I hope this helps. Please let me know what questions you have.


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