Fitting · Guide

Laying and spacing felt acoustic tiles.

Felt tiles are a finish. Whether a wall reads as a crisp pattern or a flat slab comes down to two things: how you set the tiles out and how you finish the joints between them. Get those right and the wall looks deliberate. Get them wrong and the shape disappears.

This guide covers laying any shape evenly, choosing the gap for the look you want, and cutting in the edges. No tiling experience needed.

Setting out

How do I lay felt tiles evenly?.

Work from the centre of the wall, not a corner. Mark the middle of the wall, snap a level line straight across and a plumb line straight down so they cross at the centre, and set your first tile square on that cross. Every tile after that takes its line from the one before, so the centre tile decides the whole wall.

Then build outwards:

  1. Find the centre. Measure the width and height, mark the middle of each, and mark the point where they meet. Starting from the centre keeps the part tiles even on both edges, which is what makes a wall look planned rather than accidental.
  2. Snap two datum lines. Check level and plumb, then snap a level chalk line across and a plumb line down. They cross at the centre and are your reference for every tile.
  3. Set the first tile square to both lines. Line it up carefully and check it twice. This one tile sets the angle of the whole wall.
  4. Build out from the centre, keeping the same direction across and up so the pattern stays regular.
  5. Check for drift every four or five tiles by measuring back to the datum lines. Small errors grow fast across a wall, so ease it back before you carry on.
Wall elevation with a centre cross, level and plumb datum lines, and the first tile set square on the cross, tiles building outward from the centre
Set out from the centre. Snap a level and a plumb line, set the first tile square on the cross, then build outward.
The gap

What gap should I leave between felt tiles?.

The gap is not acoustic. It is what draws the outline of each tile, and whether you need it comes down to colour and edge.

In a single colour, nothing else draws the edge, so the joint is everything. Square cut tiles butted tight close up completely and the wall reads as one flat sheet, the shape gone. Chamfered tiles butted tight hold a fine line where the bevels meet, so the shape still reads, just softly. A uniform 5mm gap draws a clear outline round every tile and brings the pattern back in full, whichever edge you chose. In a single colour we default to a 5mm gap.

One colour felt tiles shown three ways: square cut butted tight reads as a flat sheet, chamfered butted tight holds a fine line where the bevels meet, and a 5mm gap draws a clear outline round every tile
Single colour, same tile and backing throughout. Only the joint changes: square cut closes up, chamfered holds a fine line, a 5mm gap draws it clearly.

In two or more colours, the colour contrast draws the edge for you. Tiles can butt tight and the pattern still reads, square cut or chamfered. A gap works too if you want the grid lines as well, so in multi-colour it is down to the look.

Two things worth knowing:

  • What sits behind the tiles matters more than the size of the gap. On a dark wall a wide 10mm gap still reads subtle. On a white wall even 5mm reads crisp. So pick the gap for the wall it is going on, not from a rule.
  • The gap between tiles is not the same as an air gap behind a panel. The gap between tiles is about the look. An air gap behind is a separate, acoustic idea and is not something you set for a flat wall finish. Do not confuse the two.
Black felt hexagon tiles shown against dark and white backing at 5mm, 6mm and 10mm gaps
The same gap reads differently by what sits behind it. Dark backing keeps even a wide 10mm gap subtle. White backing makes a fine 5mm gap read crisp. The strip on the right shows each gap width life size.

For a bolder grid, go wider than 5mm and keep it even. Hold the gap with flat tile spacers as you place each tile, two per shared edge, and pull them out before the tiles set for good. One left in blocks the gap and breaks the line.

Hexagons

How do I lay hexagon tiles specifically?.

Hexagon felt tiles go up dry, held off by spacers. There is no mortar, no grout and no notched trowel, this is not floor tiling. Choose point-up or flat-up, sit the first tile on the centre cross, and keep a 5mm gap on every joint. Work outward ring by ring, each new tile dropping into the notch between the two below it.

For the 300mm hexagon tile, the setting-out is fixed:

  • Tile across flats: 260mm. Point to point: 300mm. Depth: 12mm.
  • Centres sit 265mm apart along a row.
  • Rows sit 229mm apart.
  • Every other row shifts sideways by 132.5mm, half a tile.

Point-up puts a point of each hexagon at the top. Flat-up is the same grid turned a quarter turn, with a flat edge up, so centres run 265mm up each column and 229mm between columns. Pick one before you start and keep to it. Other tile sizes use different figures, so measure from the tile you have rather than assuming these numbers carry across.

Download the setting-out grid and work to it as you build: point-up grid (PDF) or flat-up grid (PDF).

Other shapes

What about other shapes?.

The method is the same for every shape: set out from the centre, keep the gap even, keep measuring back to the datum. What changes is how the tiles meet.

  • Squares and rectangles sit on a simple grid. Square cut edges butted tight give a seamless finish, chamfered edges leave a fine line and an even gap gives a tiled look.
  • Triangles, equilateral and right-angle, alternate point-up and point-down along each row. Keep the direction regular so the pattern does not wander.
  • Brick, chevron, ogee and paseo run in a repeating offset. Keep the offset the same on every row.
  • Circles and other shapes that do not tessellate are always spaced. Set them out on a grid of centres and treat the gap as the design.
  • Two interlocking patterns, the einstein hat and the Type 15 pentagon, need some tiles turned over as you go, the einstein about one in seven and the pentagon exactly half. In two or more colours they butt tight and the contrast carries the pattern. In a single colour leave the 5mm gap like any other shape. Each has its own setting-out guide to work from.

Every shape in the range has its own setting-out grid, on its product page and in the list below.

Cutting in

How do I cut in the edges?.

Tile the full field first and leave the edges till last. Only come back to the perimeter once every full tile is set and true. For each space at the edge, measure from the neighbouring full tile across to the wall, take the gap off that figure so the part tile still sits its gap from its neighbour, then cut.

To cut clean:

  1. Mark the tile. Transfer the measurement onto a full tile and join the marks with a straightedge.
  2. Score along the line with a sharp knife against the straightedge, on a board. Two or three firm passes beat one heavy one.
  3. Change the blade often. Felt blunts a blade fast, and a blunt blade drags and frays the edge.
  4. Fit with a spacer to the neighbour to hold the gap, check the line, then move to the next.

The cut edge is the one that meets the wall. The clean factory edge always faces into the room.

Edge cut worked out: measure from the last full tile to the wall, take off the gap, then cut, with the cut edge to the wall and the factory edge to the room
Measure from the last full tile to the wall, take the gap off, then cut. The cut edge meets the wall, the factory edge faces the room.

Cladding a whole wall means you will meet the odd socket, switch, pipe, light fitting, window reveal or corner that is not quite square. A straight edge you measure and cut as above. An awkward shape you template first. You template the obstacle, not the whole tile, so the size of the tile never matters.

To template an awkward cut:

  1. Hold a piece of paper over the spot and press it into the corner or against the fitting.
  2. Mark the outline, then cut and fold the paper until it sits right against the shape.
  3. Trace the finished paper onto the felt and cut once with the knife.

Paper bends, folds and cuts to shape in seconds, so you spend your mistakes on paper instead of on a tile. Any paper or card offcut does the job.

Kit

What you need.

A tape measure, a spirit level of a metre or longer or a laser level, a chalk line, a pencil, a few dozen flat tile spacers, a sharp utility knife with spare blades, a steel straightedge, and a cutting board or scrap board.

Downloads

Setting-out grids.

Every grid in one place. Each one is also on its tile's product page, so use whichever is easier. Print at 100 percent, no scaling, so the measurements hold.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

Should felt tiles be butted flush or spaced?

It depends on colour. In a single colour a 5mm gap draws the outline that brings the shape out. Butt them tight instead and square cut tiles close to a flat sheet while chamfered tiles keep a fine line. In two or more colours the contrast draws the edge for you, so either works and it is down to the look.

Do I need tiling experience?

No. If you can measure, snap a level line and hold a gap with spacers, you can lay a felt tile wall. The centre setting-out does the hard part for you.

Will leaving a gap reduce the sound absorption?

Not in any way you would notice. Felt tiles are a decorative finish first, and any softening of sound is a modest secondary benefit. A small design gap makes little practical difference. If reducing echo is your aim, how much of the wall you cover matters far more than the gap. For what actually settles an echoey room, see the separate guide.

Can I fix the tiles without adhesive?

Yes, there is a removable mechanical option. See planning Button-fix Type 3 fixings for felt panels and tiles for how that works.

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