Acoustic Wall Panels & Tiles NZ

If a room sounds echoey, harsh, or tiring to work in, acoustic tiles are often the simplest fix. Hard surfaces such as plasterboard, glass, concrete, timber, and ceilings reflect sound back into the room. That reflected sound builds up as echo and reverberation.

Acoustic tiles absorb those reflections rather than letting them bounce. The result:

• Reduced echo
• Improved speech clarity
• Easier conversations
• Less listening fatigue

No. Acoustic tiles improve the sound inside a room by reducing reverberation and echo. They do not fully block sound travelling through walls, doors, or ceilings. If your goal is to stop sound passing between rooms, that requires a different approach — typically construction-based solutions such as insulated walls or acoustic seals on doors and floors.

Thickness matters. Versare SoundSorb tiles are 18mm thick. Many decorative PET panels on the market are 9mm to 12mm thick. While thinner panels can improve aesthetics and provide some sound control, they generally absorb less sound energy — particularly in lower speech frequencies.

At 18mm, SoundSorb tiles:

• Contain more acoustic material
• Absorb more reflected sound energy
• Perform better across the speech frequency range
• Deliver more noticeable improvement at the same coverage percentage

SoundSorb tiles achieve an NRC of 0.6, meaning they absorb around 60% of the sound energy that hits them. More depth means more absorption — in most meeting rooms and offices, this translates to clearer speech and less echo for the same wall coverage.

NRC stands for Noise Reduction Coefficient. It measures how much sound a material absorbs rather than reflects, on a scale from 0.0 (reflects all sound) to 1.0 (absorbs all sound).

An NRC of 0.6 means the material absorbs around 60% of the sound energy that hits it across key test frequencies, with the remainder reflected back into the room.

In practice, tiles with an NRC of 0.6 make a noticeable reduction in echo and harshness when adequate coverage is installed — particularly in offices, classrooms, meeting rooms, and home offices where speech clarity matters.

In most everyday rooms, treating around 25% of the reflective surfaces will create a noticeable improvement. This is known as the 25% rule.

To calculate tile quantity manually:

• Measure the wall area you want to treat
• Optionally include the ceiling
• Multiply that total area by 0.25
• Divide by the area of your chosen tile
• Round up to the nearest whole tile

Or use our free online calculator to get an instant recommendation based on your room dimensions.

The 25% rule is a widely used rule of thumb in room acoustics. It suggests that covering approximately 25% of a room's reflective surfaces with sound-absorbing material is typically enough to significantly reduce echo and reverberation in everyday spaces.

It is not a strict technical limit — it is a practical starting point that balances performance, cost, and visual impact. In most cases:

• Start at 25% coverage
• Assess the improvement in real use
• Add more treatment only if required

Yes — and this is encouraged. It is generally better to start conservatively, assess the result in real use, and add more coverage only if needed. This keeps the space balanced and avoids unnecessary cost. Our tiles are sold individually with no minimum order, so topping up is straightforward.

Start around typical head height. In meeting rooms, this means seated head height — where most speech reflections occur. From there:

• Spread tiles across multiple walls rather than clustering in one area
• Treat walls opposite each other for balanced absorption
• Consider large blank walls and hallways or shared work zones
• Distributed treatment generally performs better than a single concentrated cluster

Both approaches work. Walls only is often sufficient for smaller rooms. Adding ceiling treatment helps in larger rooms or spaces with hard ceilings. A mix of both usually provides the most balanced result. If ceiling access is limited, wall treatment alone can still make a significant difference.

Not necessarily — it depends on the room. Ceiling baffles are excellent when wall space is limited or when sound is bouncing primarily vertically. Many rooms perform best with a combination of wall tiles and ceiling baffles. Our free calculator can help you work out the right mix.

Simply exclude it from your calculation. Apply the 25% rule to the remaining walls and optionally the ceiling. You can still achieve excellent results without treating every surface — glass walls are a common feature in NZ offices and the calculator handles this.

This depends on the look you want and the coverage required:

• 500 Series — faster coverage and bold visual impact, ideal for larger walls
• 300 Series — detailed layouts and smaller spaces
• Brick tiles — pattern flexibility, well suited to narrow or awkward areas

Yes. Many customers choose them as both a practical acoustic treatment and a design feature. SoundSorb tiles are available in a range of colours, shapes, and sizes — squares, rounds, triangles, and hexagons — allowing layouts that complement the room rather than just covering it.

SoundSorb is Versare's PET-based acoustic panel material, designed specifically to absorb speech-range noise. It is:

• Made from dense PET fibres, containing recycled material
• 18mm thick for enhanced performance
• Suitable for offices, schools, home offices, and commercial spaces
• Engineered to reduce echo without making a room feel overly dead

Yes. Most tiles can be installed using adhesive strips, construction adhesive, panel pins, or mechanical fixings depending on the wall type and tile style. Many customers install them as a DIY project — no tradesperson required.

Usually yes, but this depends on the fixing method used. Some adhesives may mark painted walls or plasterboard. Mechanical fixings are generally easier to reverse cleanly. If removability matters, plan your fixing method before you install.

Versare is supply only. SoundSorb acoustic tiles are designed as a practical, DIY-friendly solution for schools, offices, and commercial spaces that want improved acoustics without major construction. However, we are happy to:

• Work directly with you on layout and coverage
• Coordinate with your builder or installer
• Review fixing methods for your wall type
• Sanity-check your plan before you order

Yes. Versare holds stock locally in Auckland and ships nationwide. Most orders are dispatched promptly — no waiting weeks for a special order.

3 Month Performance Guarantee. If your tiles do not make a noticeable improvement to your room acoustics, return them within three months of the original delivery date and we will provide a full refund of the tile purchase price. Please note:

• Tiles or panels must be installed to our recommended coverage of 25% or more of the total wall surface area of the treated space
• The return must be initiated within three months of the delivery date
• Tiles and panels must be returned in good condition
• The guarantee applies to the purchase price of the tiles and panels only. Freight costs for both the original delivery and the return are excluded
• The guarantee applies to full room treatments only and does not cover partial installations or sample purchases

Product Warranty. SoundSorb tiles are also covered by our standard product warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, subject to normal use and correct installation.

Start with our free room calculator for a coverage estimate. If you'd like a second opinion, get in touch — send us your room dimensions and photos and we can usually point you in the right direction.