Akupanel Alternatives: Comparing Wood Slat, PET Felt, and Paintable Acoustic Panels

Akupanel panels are wood or laminate slats mounted on a recycled PET felt backer that absorbs sound. People look for alternatives for different reasons: budget, a different look, a stricter fire rating, or more sound absorption. Here is how Akupanel Pro compares with the other acoustic wall options Roos International carries, and what to check before you buy a cheaper slat panel elsewhere.

What Akupanel Pro gives you

• Sizes: most panels are about 24″ × 96″ and 13/16″ to 7/8″ (20 to 22 mm) thick; Highline runs 23 5/8″ × 118 1/8″ for taller walls.
• Sound absorption: NRC 0.45 (Akuplank) to 0.52 (3x1), 0.87 (Originals), and 0.97 (Highline and Profile Wrap).
• Fire: Originals and Highline pair a Class A PET core with Class A rated substrates. The 3x1 panels use black through-colored MDF tested at flame spread 15, smoke 5 (Class A). Profile Wrap slats must be treated to reach Class A.
• Install: construction adhesive, or screws into furring strips; see how to install Akupanel.

Alternative 1: a solid wood slat wall

Duchateau Ligne and Duchateau Zen are wood slat wall panels with a deeper, more architectural profile. Ligne is 1-3/4″ thick and 119″ long, with a fire-retardant backing (the slats themselves are not fire retardant). Zen comes with self-adhesive for walls and an optional Class A fire retardant. Roos's data does not list an acoustic rating for either, so treat them as decorative walls. Choose Akupanel when absorbing sound is the main goal.

Alternative 2: PET felt panels instead of slats

Ezobord panels are made entirely of PET felt, at least 60% recycled, ASTM E84 Class A, in 30 colors. They are lighter than slat panels, cut with a knife, and take pins.

• Full Panels: flat sheets, NRC 0.31 to 0.40 mounted flat.
• Carve: carved patterns cut into the felt, NRC 0.30 to 0.80, in 47.5″ × 47.5″ or 95″ sheets.
• Geo Tiles: shapes from 6″ to 24″ wide for patterned walls.

Pick Ezobord for color, pattern, or a lower weight; pick Akupanel for the warmth of real wood and higher absorption from a single panel.

Alternative 3: an acoustic wall that looks painted

Novelio Acoustiver is a glass fiber wallcovering that you paint after hanging. It tests at NRC 0.25 or higher and is Class A. It suits rooms that need some absorption but should look like ordinary painted walls.

Alternative 4: treat the ceiling instead

If the wall space is taken up by windows or art, the ceiling often does more for the room. Akutile brings the Akupanel look overhead (NRC 0.97 at 1,000 Hz), and suspended Ezobord baffles and clouds reach NRC 0.75 to 1.55. See Restaurant Acoustics for ceiling options.

Checking a cheaper slat panel

Many lower-priced slat panels look similar online. Before you compare on price, ask for:

• An NRC test report to ASTM C423, not only a claim that the panel is acoustic.
• An ASTM E84 fire rating for the whole panel, slats and backer. Commercial interiors usually require Class A.
• The real face material: wood veneer, solid wood, laminate, or a printed foil.
• Panel size and coverage, so you compare cost per square foot rather than per panel.
• A physical sample to check the color, the slat edges, and the felt.

Samples and pricing

You can order samples of Akupanel Pro, Ezobord, Duchateau, and Novelio from their product pages (see how sampling works) and compare them side by side at our Deerfield Beach showroom. Full-material pricing is given by quote. Roos International is the Authorized Florida Distributor for each of these brands and supplies projects across the US.