Fabric for ceiling "clouds"

  • Thread starter Thread starter studio5412
  • Start date Start date
S

studio5412

New member
I have received fabric samples from Acoustone and Guilford of Maine as potential covering for 2" thick Owens Corning 703 fiberglass "cloud" panels. The Acoustone fabric is vinyl covered and loose weave. They claim that it is transparent and absorbtive. Guilford of Maine samples are a soft, loose weave, polyester, yarn-like material. Acoustone has more choices and is less costly, but I worry that a vinyl fabric might be more reflective than a softer fabric. I need serious absorbtion for my studio.
Any suggestions?
 
Guilford is a standard fabric for studio use. Acoustone I don't know.
 
A quick test that will give you a fairly good idea if the fabric is OK or not is to hold it tightly to your mouth and see if you can easily inhale and exhale through it. If you can, then chances are it will be acceptable. The vinyl material could have some reflective properties to it (does it feel like cloth or like a strand of plastic?).

That is about all I can offer.

Darryl.....
 
I can breath more freely through the Acoustone vinyl product than through the Guilford product, but wouldn't the fuzzy surface of the Guilford product also serve as a way to absorb sound? Or is it more important to allow sound to get through to the more absorbent 703 board? I have 1700 sq. ft. to consider, so I want the best bang for the buck.
 
the 703 will do the absorbtion. I wouldn't be looking for the fabric to do any of that. The fabrics main objective is covering and retaining the fiberglass, and overall appearance. It appears the acoustone is acoustically transparent and should be OK. However if the weave is too loose you will see the 703's yellow fiberglass color through it, which may not be desireable. I

What's the price on the acoustone?
 
Actually, after looking at my records, the Acoustone appears to be in the same price range as Guilford, but the choice of color and texture is better. Also, the fabric is offered in 36" & 72" widths. I'm making 5 ft.+ squares. 72" is better than the 66" offered by Guilford. Price for both is around $16.00/ lineal yd.
 
My recommendation is for Burch brand panel fabrics. I got a sample from Guilford for their Cherry Neutral and Amythest colors. Then I got samples from the Burch brand panel fabrics (specifically the Straford line) and they had the exact same colors (althought slightly different names), same fire rateing, same useable width, etc. The difference? Burch was only about $11.30 a linear yard.

Call 'em up and talk to Billi Spencer. She was fantastic in taking my order and shipping quickly.

No, I do not get any kickback nor do I work for them!

Peace,
Brad Smalling
 
lunatic said:
My recommendation is for Burch brand panel fabrics. I got a sample from Guilford for their Cherry Neutral and Amythest colors. Then I got samples from the Burch brand panel fabrics (specifically the Straford line) and they had the exact same colors (althought slightly different names), same fire rateing, same useable width, etc. The difference? Burch was only about $11.30 a linear yard.
Click to expand...

Guilford doesn't cost anything like $16/yd if you buy from them either . . . but then you gotta have a commercial account :(
 
Right. You do not need a commercial accoutn with Burch. At least I didn't :D

-Brad
 
studio5412 said:
Price for both is around $16.00/ lineal yd.
Click to expand...

DAMN! You are paying more for the fabric than the fiberglass panels. That just seems wrong, man!

I've been getting $1 per yard fabric from Walmart. It takes 1.5 yards of 56" wide fabric to cover a standard 2'x4'x2" panel.

That makes the cost for fabric per panel around $1.50. I use the iron-on adhesive (it's cheap too).

The only downside to the $1 per yard fabric from Walmart is that you are basically dealing with scraps and have to mix/match colors patterns. They cannot order extra if you find a fabric you like. I look for a thin polyester or cotton/polyester blend.
 
Also...

If you don't want to do the $1 a yard scrap stuff, there are lots of other options for fabric that is WAY below $16/yard.
 
Scottgman: You're right. We found many different fabrics on the cheap at places such as Wal-Mart. However, I couldn't find any fire rating information on them. That was important to us. So we spent the $11 and change per linear yard.

Peace,
Brad
 
In the fabric to cover the fiberglass, dose the weaving of it make any difference?

- Idgeit
 
I was able to pay $200 for 100 yards of fabric...to me thats a good deal.
 
1700sf sounds like a commercial space. You can't put just anything on the wall and call it good in that case.
 
1700 sq. ft. is a large space and very mushy at the moment. An acoustical engineer gave me advice on how to prepare the room for a high end audio system. The ceiling "cloud" idea was just one of his recommendations.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top