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What is an Akupanel

Akupanel is a decorative slatted timber panel with exceptional acoustic performance. The panels come in a standard size which is light weight and easy to install. The fast and effective way to modernize your home. The panels comprise of a 9mm PET Felt backing and 16mm MDF Slats with Oak Veneer or melamine finish to make it look and feel incredible.

PET (Polyethylene Terephalate) Felts

Inherent advantages including durability and modularity make felt a versatile material that meets the design needs of a variety of interior settings. “Felt’s design power is threefold,” says John Stein, president and founder of Kirei. “It offers advantages of both color and tactile beauty, with the ability to drastically reduce echo in indoor spaces. This is why we have seen the explosion of design applications for felt in interiors, such as walls, ceilings, hanging elements, and partitions.” Offering an environmentally friendly acoustic design alternative, traditional felt fabrics come in a number of forms including felted wools, synthetic felts, and industrial felts, as well as PET (Polyethylene Terephalate) felts, which are made of recycled plastic bottles. The information below explores the acoustic, environmental, and aesthetic advantages of PET felt.

Acoustically Absorbent

Delivering exceptional acoustic performance by reducing sound reverberations, PET felt aids in soaking up ambient sounds, which is imperative in many interiors. “One cannot separate acoustics as an essential element of any well-designed space, says Younger. “I have had senior designers tell me that often times sound is the last thing that designers think of but the first thing that people will notice. We all love open, airy, light filled spaces but if the balance between sound absorbing and sound reflecting materials is not in harmony, we end up with echoey, unpleasant ‘caves.’ By using PET felt as our primary material, we are at the same time adding sound absorbing material into the design.” PET felt panels provide an environmentally friendly acoustic design alternative for softening sound.

Sustainable Strides

Reimagining the possibilities for plastic bottles, PET felt materials are made from polyester fibers and recycled materials and they can also be reused or recycled themselves. “PET is made in part from recycled plastic bottles, a low melt poly fiber, and many of the color mixtures come from recycled clothing. This makes the PET acoustical panels one of the friendliest environmental raw materials in the construction, furniture, and interiors markets. PET is a chemically inert substance that does not give off VOC (Volatile organic compounds) or odor, which makes it safe and stable for indoor use. The abundance of plastic and clothing ‘trash’ makes an almost endless supply of re-usable material that is turned into something useful and also has an end-of-life recyclability.”

MDF – Medium Density Fibrewood

What Exactly is MDF? According to the composite panel association, MDF is defined as “…a composite panel product consisting of cellulosic fibers combined with a synthetic resin or other suitable bonding system and joined together under heat and pressure.” In common terms, it’s wood panels created essentially from wood shavings and sawdust. That might make it sound cheap and low-grade, but don’t be so quick to judge. MDF is very strong and stable, and is free from wood grain and knots. These features make it particularly useful for residential construction and home decor, where precise machining, detailed patterns, and smooth finishes are essential. Despite these valuable features, many are concerned about MDF’s potential health risks. Let’s dive in and see why MDF is one of the safest and most sustainable wood products on the market today.

MDF is Safe
The main concern regarding the health risks of MDF is the use of urea-formaldehyde adhesives
as the bonding agent during the creation of the panels. Formaldehyde has been thought to have cancer risks. However, studies linking cancer to formaldehyde have not been conclusive.
In fact, formaldehyde is naturally produced by plants, humans, and animals as part of the
metabolic process. Even so, most MDF production companies, including the one that we use, have moved away
from urea-formaldehyde based adhesives, opting instead for low formaldehyde alternatives.
MDF is Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly In addition to being safe, MDF is also very sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Because MDF is constructed primarily from wood fiber, many wood shavings and other portions of the wood that might normally be discarded can instead be recycled into MDF production. This both reduces waste and also means a higher percentage of trees harvested are used to create valuable products, putting less strain on our forests and creating sustainable construction practices for years to come. MDF panels are some of the greenest products available! The ECC Sustainability Standard insures that the production of MDF will remain sustainable and environmentally friendly. Today, MDF panels are carbon sinks, storing enough carbon to offset the carbon footprint from their creation. In addition, MDF is one of the most cost effective solutions for many construction and home decor applications. With MDF based products, consumers receive both an affordable and a high-quality product.

Why Should you Choose Akupanels

1. Aesthetics
We all have walls, and some of those walls often look unhappy, dull, and boring. Akupanel is a quick and cost-effective way to create an incredible feature. Many colour options to fit
every theme.
We call it, ‘’THE POWER OF THE PANEL”
2. Acoustics
Acoustics is the last thing designers think about, but the first thing people notice. Open plan living has become the focus of modern-day design and architecture. Often these big open spaces create some echo and reverberation throughout the space. The 9mm PET felt used as the panel backing along with the 16mm MDF Slats creates an exceptional acoustic solution by soaking up the surrounding sounds and therefore reducing
reverberation and echo within the room.
3. Versatility
Akupanels are incredibly versatile. The possibilities are endless. The only question is: How wild is your imagination? Feature Walls, Ceilings, Doors, Under Counter, office walls, boardroom walls, kids rooms, music rooms, kitchens, indoor dog kennel etc. Let your creative juices flow.
4. Ease of Installation
It has been proven that installing one of our akupanels against your wall increases the body's serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin levels. There is a bit of 'DIY-Suzelle' in all of us. The feeling you get when you stand back and look at what you have created is incredible. Akupanels are designed to be a DIY project. The panels are light weight, easy to handle and easy to install.