Quick answer: Thin cork tiles help a little with high sounds, but cork is quite dense and usually thin, so it does not soak up voices well. It is great for pinboards and a warm look. For a room that really echoes, acoustic panels work far better. Use cork for decor, panels for echo.

Key takeaways

  • Thin cork helps a little with high sounds.
  • It does not soak up voices well.
  • Use cork for decor, panels for echo.

Why people try cork

Cork is natural, warm, soft to touch and cheap. It looks great in kids' rooms and offices. Because it feels soft, people expect it to soak up sound.

How cork handles sound

Cork tiles are usually thin and fairly dense. Most sound still bounces back. They help a bit with sharp, high noise.

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 acoustic panels for homes and recent projects.

Cork vs panels infographic

Cork floors

Cork flooring softens footsteps inside the room. It will not stop the unit below hearing thuds on its own. For echo, it does about as much as a thin rug.

Cork vs acoustic panels diagram

Where panels win

Panels are thicker and made to let sound in. They soak up voices and more bass. Our Flexi™ panels reach NRC (a score from 0 to 1 for how much sound a panel soaks up) 0.80 at 25 mm and NRC 1.00 at 50 mm. See why thickness matters.

Using both

Put cork pinboards at desk height and panels higher up and on the ceiling. This is common in schools and offices. You keep the display space and still fix the echo. See classroom echo.

Cost

Panels cost from S$185 each supplied and installed (50 mm, standard fixings included), or from S$120 supply-only. A small room needs about 4 to 6 panels, which is S$740 to S$1,110 installed. That is about 20–40% of the walls, not the whole room. See acoustic panel prices.

Thicker cork

Thicker cork panels do a little more. They still do less than fabric panels of the same thickness. Cork is too dense to let much sound in.

Look

Panels come in warm tones that sit well next to cork. Sand, stone and warm grey are easy matches. With 39 colours, you can pick one that suits the room.

What we see on real jobs

Cork boards are useful for class displays. Keep them, and add panels higher on the walls for speech.

Get a straight answer for your room

WhatsApp a photo of the room (+65 8930 1905) and tell us what you use it for: calls, TV, music or mixing. We'll suggest a layout, a colour and a price, including no-drill options where your walls allow.

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