Quick answer: For most restaurants, the best choice is 50 mm fabric ceiling clouds or baffles over the dining area, plus wall panels on one long wall, in colours that blend with the interior. Choose fire-tested panels and fix them mechanically. Skip thin foam, solid fluted boards and anything glued to the ceiling.

Key takeaways

  • 50 mm ceiling clouds or baffles first.
  • Wall panels on one long wall.
  • Skip foam, solid fluted boards and glue.

Ceiling clouds

Clouds are flat panels hung a little below the ceiling. They soak up sound on both faces and give a clean look. They suit most dining rooms. See suspended vs flat.

Baffles

Baffles are panels hung on edge in rows. They work well in long or industrial-style rooms with exposed ceilings. They also leave space for lights, pipes and ducts.

Not sure what your room needs? Send us a photo on WhatsApp or request a free quote. We'll tell you how many panels, where they go and the price. See our restaurant acoustic panels and recent projects.

Best panels for restaurants infographic

Wall panels

Add panels on one long wall, above seat height. That stops sound bouncing between the walls. Above seat height, they stay clear of chairs and spills.

Thickness

Use 50 mm panels (NRC (a score from 0 to 1 for how much sound a panel soaks up) 1.00) for dining rooms. Busy rooms have a lot of low voice energy, and thicker panels soak up more of it. See thickness.

Safety

Choose fire-tested panels and keep them away from kitchens, grills and open flames. Ceiling panels are always fixed mechanically, never glued. See fire safety.

Restaurants: buy or skip diagram

Skip

Thin foam soaks up little and can be a fire risk. Solid fluted boards look acoustic but mostly bounce sound. Glued ceiling panels can fall. See foam vs panels.

Colours

Match the ceiling colour if you want clouds to disappear. Pick a contrast colour if you want them as a feature. There are 39 colours to choose from.

Cleaning

Panels fixed high up stay clean for longer. Vacuum them lightly with a soft brush during deep cleans. Keep them away from grease and steam.

A simple layout for a 10 × 6 m dining room

Cover about a quarter of the ceiling over the seating with 50 mm clouds, in two or three rows between the lights. Add four to six panels on the longest wall, above seat height. That is usually 28 to 38 panels in total, about S$5,180 to S$7,030 installed, with standard fixings included.

How to choose colours for a dining room

Match the ceiling colour if you want the clouds to disappear, or pick one colour from your menu, logo or upholstery for a feature. Darker colours suit bars and evening venues; warm neutrals suit cafés and brunch spots.

What to ask any supplier

How many panels and where? What thickness? Fire test papers? How are clouds hung? Can you install after closing? A good supplier answers all five in writing.

What we see on real jobs

Acqua E Farina used custom ceiling clouds and wall panels. That combination suits most dining rooms.

Get a straight answer for your room

WhatsApp us (+65 8930 1905) a photo of your dining room, ideally taken during service, and tell us when it gets loudest. We'll come back with a ceiling-and-wall plan and a price. Ask us about installing outside opening hours.

WhatsApp us a photo · Request a free quote · See prices

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