How to fit acoustic wall panels: fixing, cutting, sockets and corners.

We got into felt by putting right a mistake of our own. We'd bonded soundproof plasterboard straight to a wall at a rental, in a hurry, and some PET felt offcuts from the office went up to put it right. That's where this started.

You don't need a mistake to get started. If you've ever tiled a bathroom, you already know how to fit acoustic wall panels. Set out, measure, cut round the awkward bits, fix. A Stanley knife does the tile cutter's job, and there's no grout at the end. Nobody has ever missed the grout.

It's easier than panelling a wall in MDF, too. No painting, no caulk, no sanding. The felt is the finish. So if you've been looking up how to panel a wall and dreading the decorating, felt skips it.

This guide covers installing acoustic wall panels from start to finish, in the order you'll do it: measuring up, getting the wall ready, fixing, cutting, working round sockets, windows and skirting boards, then finishing the corners. It's written for our PET felt panels, but most of it holds for any flat felt panel.

How to install acoustic wall panels, step by step.

1. Measure up. Work out how many panels fit and where the cuts will fall.
2. Check the wall is flat. If it isn't, fit vertical battens first.
3. Mark sockets, switches, windows and doors. Plan joints away from them, and isolate the power before you work round sockets.
4. Cut to size. A Stanley knife and a straight edge for 12mm felt, a jigsaw or track saw for longer cuts.
5. Fix the panels. Button-fix, adhesive or pin head nails.
6. Finish the corners. Internal corners butt, external corners overlap.

Each step is covered in more detail below.

What do I need to fit acoustic panels?

A tape measure, a spirit level, a pencil, a straight edge and a sharp Stanley knife. For long straight cuts, a jigsaw or a track saw. Then one fixing method: Button-fix, panel adhesive or pin head nails. If your wall isn't flat, add timber battens and screws.

• Stanley knife with plenty of spare blades. A fresh blade cuts felt. A blunt one argues with it.
• Steel rule or straight edge. Something to run the knife against that won't wander.
• Spirit level and pencil. For setting out and marking battens.
• Jigsaw or track saw. Optional, and handy for longer cuts.
• Your fixings. See the fixing section below for which to pick.

How do I measure for panelling?

Measure the width and height of the wall, then divide the width by the width of one panel. That tells you how many panels fit across and how much is left for the cut pieces. Plan it on paper first, the same way you'd set out tiles, and mark doors, windows and sockets on the plan.

Cuts look best when they're equal at both ends of the wall. A full panel at one end and a 40mm sliver at the other isn't a design choice. It's a confession.

A few things to settle before you buy:

• Full wall or part of it. A whole wall reads as one finished surface. A single panel or a run of a few works as a feature.
• How high to go. That's your call. Floor to ceiling, or a band across the wall. If the room's main problem is echo, cover the area where people sit and talk, at roughly head height.
• Where the sockets, switches, windows and doors are. Each one is a cut. It's easier to plan joints away from them than to cut a socket hole across a joint.

Does the wall need to be flat?

Yes, or as near as you can get it. Panels are a uniform thickness, so any dip or bump in the wall shows at the edges where two panels meet. Felt is honest like that. Whatever your plaster has been hiding, the joints will tell everyone.

If the wall is already flat, fix straight to it. If it isn't, fit levelling battens first. Battens give you three things at once: a flat surface to fix to, a solid fixing point whichever method you use and a small air gap behind the felt, which helps the panel take in more sound.

Run the battens vertically. When you're cladding a whole wall, plan them so each panel edge lands on the middle of a batten. That way the next panel butts up with something solid behind the joint. For a single panel on its own, the panel edge lines up with the outer edge of the batten.

Felt wall tiles are the exception. They're too small for a batten frame, so the wall has to be made flat first. The tile laying guide covers that in full.

Which walls can I fit acoustic panels to?

Most of them. Plaster, plasterboard, brick, block, timber and MDF all take felt panels, either direct or on battens. What changes from wall to wall is the screw and plug behind your fixings, not the panel.

• Plastered walls. To attach acoustic panels to a plastered wall, check it's sound and dry first. Loose or blown plaster needs repairing before anything goes on it.
• Plasterboard. Use a plasterboard fixing, or screw into the studs behind it.
• Brick and block. Masonry plugs and screws.
• Timber and MDF. Wood screws straight in.

Button-fix publish a screw guide that matches the screw and plug to your wall type. It's worth checking before you buy.

Fitting acoustic wall panels: fixing to the wall.

There are three ways of fixing acoustic wall panels, and all of them work on a plastered wall or on battens. Button-fix if you might want the panels down again, adhesive for a permanent fix or pin head nails for the quickest job. Pick based on whether the panels are staying for good.

• Button-fix. The fix screws into the back of the panel and a button goes on the wall. Line them up and press the panel on. It's easy to take off again, so it suits renters and anyone who changes their mind. Use 4 sets on a 600 x 600 panel and 6 on every larger size. The same fixings work on ceilings. The marker tool makes lining up the wall side much easier, and the Button-fix planning guide shows where each fixing goes.
• Adhesive. To install wall panels with adhesive, press the panel firmly into place and put a few holding pins in to keep it there while the adhesive cures. Once it's set, take the pins out. It's permanent, so be sure of the position first.
• Pin head nails. Quick, cheap and the simplest of the three.

Our plain wall panels need fixings buying separately. Button-fix panel fixings are on the site.

How do I cut acoustic panels?

For 12mm felt, a sharp Stanley knife against a straight edge. Score a line, then go over it again until you're through. It's the same method you'd use for tiles, without the tile cutter. For longer cuts, a jigsaw or a track saw saves time and your wrist.

A few things that make cutting acoustic wall panels easier:

• Change the blade often. Felt dulls a blade quicker than you'd think. If the edge starts to look fluffy, swap it.
• Several light passes beat one heavy one. You keep control and the knife stays on the line.
• Cut away from yourself. Keep your free hand on the rule and out of the blade's path.
• Cut on a board you don't mind marking. An offcut of plywood is ideal.
• You can cut from either side. The exception is anything with a chamfered edge, such as our chamfered wall tiles. Cut those from the chamfered side so the bevel stays clean.

Measure twice, cut once. It's a cliché because it's true, and felt doesn't grow back.

How do I cut acoustic panels around sockets?

The same way you'd tile around them. Mark where the socket falls on the panel, cut the opening with a knife and fit the panel so the faceplate sits over the felt. Turn the power off at the consumer unit before you loosen any faceplate.

1. Isolate the circuit. Switch it off at the consumer unit, not just at the socket.
2. Loosen the faceplate. Undo the screws so the plate comes forward a little. Don't disconnect anything.
3. Mark the panel. Measure from the panel's edges to the edges of the back box and transfer them to the panel. Measure from the same reference points you'll fit to.
4. Cut the opening. Cut to the size of the back box, not the faceplate. The faceplate then covers the cut edge.
5. Fit and refit. Put the panel up, then screw the faceplate back on over the felt. The felt adds depth, so you may need longer faceplate screws.

Here's the honest bit. If you're not comfortable working around electrics, get an electrician to do the sockets. It's a ten-minute job for them, and the rest of the wall is still yours to fit.

How do I fit panels around windows, doors and skirting boards?

Treat a window or door frame like a big socket. Measure from the edge of the last full panel to the frame, transfer it to the next panel and cut it with the knife. Butt the felt up to the frame or architrave so the cut edge sits tight against it.

Skirting boards work the same way. Leave the skirting where it is and butt the bottom edge of the panels down onto it. Nothing comes off the wall.

How do I fit acoustic wall panels around corners?

Internal corners butt, external corners overlap. On an internal corner, push the first panel tight into the corner and butt the second against its face. On an external corner, let one panel run past the corner by the thickness of the board, so the edge of the other panel meets it and covers the end.

Internal corners. The first panel goes right into the corner, tight against the adjoining wall. The second panel then butts up against the face of the first. You get a neat, closed joint and nothing to see.

External corners. Let the first panel overhang the corner by exactly the thickness of the board. That's 12mm on 12mm board and 24mm on 24mm. The second panel then runs up behind that overhang, and its edge meets it flush. The first panel's face hides the end of the second, so the corner reads as one solid block. Get it right and it looks like it was always meant to be there. Get it wrong and it looks like two panels that have never met.

Do felt panels need caulk, paint or gaps?

No caulk, no paint and, as promised, still no grout. The felt is the finish, so there's nothing to paint or fill. Plain panels butt tight together, and on a flat wall or a good batten frame the joints close up neatly.

Fully clad, our 12mm and 24mm square-edge panels read the same from the front, so the wall looks like one surface. If you want the joints to show as a feature, a small, even gap does that. It's a look, not a requirement.

Can I put up acoustic panels myself?

Yes. If you can put up a shelf or tile a splashback, you can handle fitting acoustic wall panels. The board is light, it cuts with a knife and it doesn't need specialist tools. The only parts worth slowing down for are the setting out and the sockets.

Our wall panel fitting guide has the same steps as a printable PDF, if you'd rather have it on the wall than on your phone. If you're still choosing, our wall panels guide covers 12mm or 24mm and plain or engraved. When you're ready, the acoustic wall panels are all here. If you hit something this doesn't cover, send us a message with a picture of the wall. We'll tell you how we'd do it.

Then step back and look at it. Then put the kettle on. You've earned it, and for the third time, there's no grout to wipe off.