Acoustic properties of mdf-board

gainreduction · 10th November 2007, 02:54 PM

Hi all acoustics wizards.

Simple question: will the acoustic properties of mdf-board change radically if it is painted ?

My vocal booth is basically finished and the inner walls are absorbtion (floor to ceiling) with 9" mdf board "strips" on top, floor to ceiling again, spaced away about 1/2 inch from each other. On top of the mdf there's a little foam (temporary) here and there for 1st reflexion control.

The good and bad part is it sounds great in there. Good 'coz it sounds good - bad 'coz it looks unfinished and I'd like to create a vibe in there.

I'm afraid painting the mdf would make the booth sound "harder".

Anyone have experience to share ?

lowfreq33 · 10th November 2007, 04:58 PM

MDF is made from glue and sawdust. I doubt that painting it would change it much. You might check with home depot and see if there's a stain for mdf, that would soak into the material and not just sit on top of it.

KEL · 10th November 2007, 05:28 PM

there are no acoustic properties to MDF, as far as reflection or diffusion. There are propagation differences between wall materials. It's basically the same as any other flat dense substrate. Painting will not change anything. It's a common misconception that wood sounds better than sheetrock or any other hard solid surface. Go ahead and paint.

gainreduction · 10th November 2007, 07:14 PM

Thanx

narco · 10th November 2007, 07:49 PM

when you paint mdf you need to get a special paint for the undercoat, cos it soaks up paint, make sure you get some advice from your paint retailer

and no it won't change the acoustic problems noticebly

narco

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10th November 2007, 02:54 PM	#1
gainreduction Lives for gear Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1,534	Acoustic properties of mdf-board Hi all acoustics wizards. Simple question: will the acoustic properties of mdf-board change radically if it is painted ? My vocal booth is basically finished and the inner walls are absorbtion (floor to ceiling) with 9" mdf board "strips" on top, floor to ceiling again, spaced away about 1/2 inch from each other. On top of the mdf there's a little foam (temporary) here and there for 1st reflexion control. The good and bad part is it sounds great in there. Good 'coz it sounds good - bad 'coz it looks unfinished and I'd like to create a vibe in there. I'm afraid painting the mdf would make the booth sound "harder". Anyone have experience to share ? __________________ "You always get more than you paid for at gearslutz" - Jules

10th November 2007, 04:58 PM	#2
lowfreq33 Lives for gear Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 1,890	MDF is made from glue and sawdust. I doubt that painting it would change it much. You might check with home depot and see if there's a stain for mdf, that would soak into the material and not just sit on top of it. __________________ Is Wayne Brady gonna have to choke a bitch?!

10th November 2007, 07:14 PM	#4
gainreduction Lives for gear Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1,534	Thanx __________________ "You always get more than you paid for at gearslutz" - Jules

10th November 2007, 07:49 PM	#5
narco Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Switzerland/New Zealand/guitar case Posts: 2,751	when you paint mdf you need to get a special paint for the undercoat, cos it soaks up paint, make sure you get some advice from your paint retailer and no it won't change the acoustic problems noticebly narco __________________ FS: Pro Tools HD core card PCI in EU/CH, see classifieds. Mytek 896 D-A (located in new zealand) - will ship worldwide

10th November 2007, 05:28 PM	#3
KEL Gear Head Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 66	there are no acoustic properties to MDF, as far as reflection or diffusion. There are propagation differences between wall materials. It's basically the same as any other flat dense substrate. Painting will not change anything. It's a common misconception that wood sounds better than sheetrock or any other hard solid surface. Go ahead and paint.

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