9 Best Acoustic Partitions: How to choose the right one?
Have you noticed yourself trying to work at the office or at home, and found yourself distracted by background noise or side conversations? I have and it can be frustrated.
You find yourself focused and in work-mode, only be distracted by distant chatter, the TV, or something like this. Open offices or shared spaces often contribute to this problem.
However, with the right acoustic room divider, you can address these problems head on.
Below I will go through the questions you might ask yourself in choosing a room divider and I will make several recommendations to help you make your choice.
Ready? Let’s dive in.
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Acoustic Partitions at a Glance
Who should use Acoustic Partitions?
This is for anyone looking for additional sound-privacy or anyone who needs to cut down on background noise while working. You might be choosing this for home, or the office.
Regardless most of these options will work in either case.
Acoustic room dividers allow multiple uses for a room by cutting back on distracting sounds from either side, without needing to resort to noise machines, earplugs, or anything like that.
Related: Best ways to soundproof sliding doors
Key Feature 1: Placement location
When you chose a divider you will want to consider the primary location you will be using it. If it is at home, do you want something aesthetically pleasing, or much more functional?
Will you be moving the divider around much, or do you want something more permanent?
At the office, consider how large a space you are dividing. Are you cutting a room in half or sectioning off a desk, or specific area?
The dividers discussed below vary to meet these different needs.
Related: How to soundproof your cubicle
Key Feature 2: Portability
How important is portability to you? Some of these dividers are on wheels, which lock into place, making them portable soundproof walls.
This is particularly important if you think you will be making adjustments often, or moving the divider from room to room. Portable partition walls are particularly useful in work environments in which your room needs change often – you can move the divider around the room or to a completely different part of the building.
Several of the dividers come in separate panels, which “zip” together.
This means you can disassemble them and store them more easily than some of the others, which only fold up. However, if you’re going to be doing this often, the zippers can be a bit of chore.
Keep in mind that you should balance the ease of assembly with your storage and portability needs.
Related: DIY Sound Panels: How to make your own
Recommended Gear
1. VERSARE VP6 Economical Rolling Room Divider
Of all the dividers discussed here, this is by far the simplest. It is a single panel on wheels, and comes in multiple colors.
Once you assemble it, it is quite flat, and can be stored up against a wall or in a closet, without much distraction.
- What I Like
- Sturdy
- Easy to move
- Simple and effective
- What I Don’t Like
- Requires some form of assembly
- Size is slightly small
2. ReFocus Raw Freestanding Acoustic Room Divider
This divider absorbs 85% of the sound passing through it. It will cut back on sound quite a bit, even compared to the other acoustic dividers on this list.
It is modular, meaning you can use one or all of the panels, and you can expand on them by purchasing more panels.
The connections are flexible, meaning you can have a straight wall, or something that wraps around desks or other furniture.
- What I Like
- Easy to use
- Ready right out of the box
- Simple and effective
- High quality
- Sturdy, can even hang a bulletin board
- Good customer service from the company
- What I Don’t Like
- Zippers are not that easy to connect
- Not suitable if you need to assemble and disassemble often
3. S-Stand Up Desk Store ReFocus Acoustic Room Dividers
A similar option to the divider listed above: portable panels connected via zippers. It comes in multiple colors and can be customized and expanded upon.
- What I Like
- Easy to assemble
- High effectiveness in cutting back noise
- What I Don’t Like
- Zippers are not that easy to connect
- Can be difficult connecting multiple modules
4. VERSARE Room Divider 360 Accordion Portable Partition
This wheeled divider is more expensive than the other options on here but has a five-star rating and comes fully assembled.
It can be used as a bulletin-board with push-pins holding up notices and other decorations. Because it is accordion-style the configurations are very flexible from a straight line, to an L, to a C-shape.
If you looked on Amazon for reviews, you will see that it received plenty of 5 stars reviews.
- What I Like
- Easy to assemble
- High effectiveness in cutting back noise
- What I Don’t Like
- Zippers are not that easy to connect
- Can be difficult connecting multiple modules
5. VERSARE Partition
This is a less expensive variation on the accordion on wheels. Highly configurable, it can wrap around desks and other furniture easily. It is also very mobile because it is on wheels. You can move it from one room to another with ease and then lock the casters in place (which is true of the one above too). The acoustic fiberglass panels means it absorbs sound very well and it comes in multiple colors.
- What I Like
- Lots of positive reviews
- Assembled out of the box
- Very mobile
- Effective in cutting down sound
- What I Don’t Like
- Return policy is not great
6. Proman Outdoor/Indoor Room Divider
If you’re looking for something that you can use outdoors, or that is light-weight and can be used at home and easily stored, this might be a good option for you.
This divider is an Amazon’s Choice and has nearly 70 ratings, with four stars.
It’s fabric, so it will not cut down on sound as much as some of the heavier ones here, but will dampen light or distant noise.
- What I Like
- Easy to assemble
- Lots of flexibility in how you want to use it
- What I Don’t Like
- Not suitable for use outdoors
- Slightly flimsy
- Can be difficult to assemble
7. Rose Home Fashion Dividers
If you’re looking for something for home use, and aesthetically pleasing, this might be a good fit. It has over 60 ratings with 4.5 stars. It folds, with hinges dividing each panel. This means it is easy to store, but also note there are gaps between the panels when folded, meaning more sound will get through. The textured panels absorb echoes and help to block passing sound.
- What I Like
- Design is striking and eye catching
- High value for money
- Easy to move around
- Sturdy but not heavy
- What I Don’t Like
- Becomes off balanced when fully extended
8. ReFocus Acoustic Rear Mount Desk Dividers
This product clamps directly on the edge of a desk. If you’re looking for something to divide desks, something that directly attaches, this might be a good fit.
- What I Like
- Effective in cutting back noise
- Doubles up as a visual partition
- Easy to attach
- What I Don’t Like
- Needs an edge around your table to be able to clamp on
- Will not work on tables thicker than 1 inch
9. RYB HOME Black Privacy Office Divider
This option is more permanent than the others, but is worth considering.
These curtains offer privacy, block out light, and cut down on noise a great deal. However, once you hang them, you will not want to move them very soon.
This particular option is an Amazon’s Choice, with over 400 ratings and 4.5 stars.
- What I Like
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Multiple color options
- Effective in cutting back sound and light
- Light weight
- Easy to hang
- What I Don’t Like
- Slight odor when product arrived, needs washing
- Measurements of product is slightly off
Related: Best White Noise Machines for the office
Best Acoustic Partitions: Conclusion
As you can see, there are many different options to consider if you need to make your workspace quieter. All of the options discussed above are available on Amazon.
Hop over to have a look!
If you are interested in reading more about soundproofing projects you can start at home, do check out the latest articles to get inspired!
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