Can You Paint Acoustic Panels?
You can paint acoustic panels, but only with a light spray coat. Rolling or brushing paint on seals the surface and cuts absorption roughly in half. In Primacoustic's lab tests of its 2 inch Broadway Paintables, rolled paint dropped the panel's NRC from 1.00 to 0.50.
What paint does to absorption
Paint fills the open pores that let sound into the panel, so the face reflects highs instead of absorbing them. The heavier the coat, the bigger the loss.
| 2 in panel finish | Absorption at 4 kHz | NRC |
|---|---|---|
| Unpainted | 0.96 | 1.00 |
| Light spray paint | 0.92 | 1.05 |
| Heavy spray paint | 0.58 | 0.79 |
| Rolled paint | 0.17 | 0.50 |
Source: Primacoustic Broadway data sheet, tested at Riverbank Acoustical Laboratories to ASTM C423.
Rolled paint drops absorption at 4 kHz from 0.96 to 0.17, so the panel stops taming the harsh highs you hung it for.
How to paint a panel without ruining it
- Use a panel made for it. Paintable panels have a porous textured face instead of fabric.
- Spray, don't roll. Use thin, light passes from a sprayer so the surface stays open.
- Stop at even color. Extra coats only add the sealing film that cost the heavy spray panel 0.21 NRC.
For fabric-wrapped panels, re-cover them to change the color. What fabric to use for acoustic panels covers the breathable options. More treatment basics are in the home studio acoustic treatment guide.
Related questions
Can you spray paint acoustic foam?
Only with a light mist. There's no lab data for painted foam, but on Primacoustic's fiberglass panels heavy spray cut NRC from 1.00 to 0.79 while light spray left it at 1.05, so keep any coat on foam as thin as you can.
How do you change the color of an acoustic panel without paint?
Re-cover it in an acoustically transparent fabric, the kind Primacoustic uses on its unpainted Broadway panels. That keeps the face open, so absorption doesn't drop.
Can you paint the fabric on a fabric-wrapped panel?
No. Paint soaks into the weave and seals it, which blocks sound from reaching the absorbent core behind it.
More answers: Home recording FAQ