Acoustical Baffles & Clouds

Open Ceilings Need Sound Control Too

A lot of modern commercial spaces go with the open ceiling look — exposed ductwork, pipes, and structure. Looks great. Sounds terrible. All those hard surfaces above bounce sound around and make the room loud and echoey. Baffles and clouds fix that. They hang from the structure and absorb sound without closing off the ceiling.

What We Install

Armstrong Soundscape Baffles

The standard-bearer for commercial baffles. Fiberglass core, NRC up to 0.90, Class A fire-rated, comes with hanging hardware. Available in standard sizes and custom dimensions. Multiple colors. This is what we install most often for offices, schools, and retail.

Felt Baffles

Made from recycled PET plastic. Lightweight, available in tons of colors, and you can cut them into custom shapes — rectangles, curves, circles, geometric forms. NRC 0.40-0.70 depending on thickness. Popular in modern offices, coworking spaces, and restaurants where people want color and personality overhead.

Metal Baffles

Aluminum or steel baffles for an industrial look. Perforated faces with acoustic infill give you real sound absorption in a material that's tough, moisture-proof, and won't deteriorate. Powder coat, anodized, or wood-look finishes.

Wood Baffles

Natural wood baffles from 9Wood and Rulon. The most expensive baffle option, but the visual impact is worth it for the right project. Available in multiple species and finishes. Good for restaurants, hotel lobbies, and corporate spaces where the ceiling is part of the design story.

Acoustical Clouds

Horizontal panels that float below the structure. They absorb sound from both the top and bottom surfaces, so they're more efficient per square foot than the same material installed as a flat ceiling. Standard rectangular shapes or custom — circles, hexagons, curves, whatever the design calls for.

Where These Work

• Open-plan offices with exposed ceilings
• Converted warehouse and loft-style offices
• Restaurants and breweries
• Retail stores
• Gyms and recreation centers
• School cafeterias and common areas
• Corporate lobbies and atriums
• Churches

Getting the Layout Right

Spacing, depth, and coverage all affect how well baffles perform. Pack them too close and you waste money. Space them too far apart and you don't absorb enough sound. We calculate the right layout based on room size, ceiling height, and how bad the noise problem is. Then we install with hardware rated for the weight, meeting California fire and seismic codes.