FSorb Acoustic Panels and their Natural Resistance to Mold, Moisture, and Insects
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
When carpets, curtains, and comfy furniture start to put allergens into a room’s air, we usually replace them with something new.
Sound panels, on the other hand, are more likely to remain even as a room’s furniture, flooring, and window treatments come and go. After all, sound panels often look like they’re part of a wall or ceiling and not an add-on.
But traditional sound panels – just like a room’s furnishings – can turn into breeding grounds for mold, mildew, fungi, and insects, making the air dangerous to breathe.
That’s one reason we designed FSorb acoustical panels from the inside out to resist moisture, allowing our panels to enhance a room’s sonic atmosphere for decades without harming indoor health.
How FSorb Resists Mold, Moisture, and Insects
Traditional sound panels are built from many of the same materials that go into couches, curtains, and carpets. These panels combine a hardened edge structure with a cloth exterior and some kind of filler material like fiberglass.
Moisture, especially in humid environments, can compromise every element of these panels, from the substructure to the visible fabric on the outside, introducing allergens, including dangerous mold particles, into the air.
We engineered our FSorb acoustical panels to resist these types of changes as time passes. We make our panels from one material: recycled polyethylene terephthalate plastic, the same kind of plastic that’s used to make clear water bottles.
Since different plastic fibers melt at different temperatures, using the right mix of fibers binds our panels together during the manufacturing process. So there are no glues to wear out or sealants to spread thin. There are no tack holes to let moisture in. There’s no cloth to grow saggy in moist air.
What This Means for Your Indoor Space
From the inside out, FSorb acoustical panels resist moisture, mold, mildew, fungi, and insects. In fact, our customers can wipe their FSorb panels with a damp cloth to clear dust without compromising them.
This resistance to moisture contributed to FSorb earning the UL GREENGUARD Gold Certification, which reflects our compliance with chemical emission standards and our commitment to healthier indoor environments.
The GREENGUARD Certification goes beyond allergens. It also tests products for volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This certification means UL’s researchers do not expect FSorb panels to introduce VOCs in your classroom, office, clinic, worship space, or any other indoor area where people gather.
Preserving Indoor Health, from Installation to Demolition
When people worry about air pollution, they tend to think about the outdoor air we all breathe. Most Americans spend a lot more time indoors than outdoors, so the safety of our indoor air matters just as much as the air quality outside.
Unfortunately, many common building materials can release VOCs and allergens into the indoor air. Then, HVAC systems can recirculate these particles, some of which are too small to be collected by air filters.
People who suffer from allergies, asthma, or respiratory illnesses may be the first to notice unhealthy indoor air, but air quality affects everyone’s health, whether they know it or not.
Have you ever walked inside a building and started to experience symptoms like:
Sneezing
Runny nose
Nasal congestion
Itchy eyes
Coughing
Wheezing
Skin irritation
Chances are you were breathing some type of allergens being released by flooring, furniture, or even building materials from another room being circulated through the HVAC system. As many building materials age, they become more likely to release allergens and VOCs.
FSorb’s ability to preserve indoor air quality won’t waver as our products age. Since we include no adhesives, fabrics, or wood products, FSorb panels remain the same even as temperatures and humidity levels change.
Sonic Performance That’s Always Worth Mentioning
The same characteristic that helps FSorb resist mold, mildew, fungi, and other allergens also contributes to their superior sound shaping ability. That characteristic is simplicity.
Simplicity guides our process, from design and manufacturing to installation and daily use. FSorb’s founder, Doug Bixel, worked as a builder before starting FSorb in 2009. One of his guiding principles for FSorb was to create a building material that worked for builders rather than asking builders to accommodate their plans to meet the needs of their materials.
All this, of course, while delivering on each panel’s purpose: To shape a room’s sound as well as, or better than, all other products on the market. Our ½-inch, 1-inch, and 2-inch panels all outperform similarly sized panels in Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) tests.
Better Indoor Air Quality Can Look Good, Too
The installation process for many building materials can also introduce allergens into the air. FSorb’s simple design helps here too. Our panels can be cut or combined into three-dimensional arrays.
FSorb offers 24 colors, 8 wood prints, and many different shapes and designs, allowing designers who want to incorporate acoustic panels into their designs rather than changing their design plans to match available panels.
Research has shown that intentional visual design, just like good sound absorption, can have a calming effect, supporting the mental health of people who spend time in a space.
Get Better Indoor Health Quality Delivered to Your Job Site
We make all our patented products, and we maintain an inventory in Woodinville, WA. Our FSorb distribution centers, located throughout the U.S., allow us to deliver our standard products quickly to job sites throughout North America.
We deliver sound panels in standard 4-foot-by-8-foot panels so they fit seamlessly with standard building materials. Since there’s no substructure inside our panels, they can be mounted from anywhere on the panel, not just from specific mounting plates. This makes installation faster and easier.
To learn more about how FSorb can support your next project, we invite you to contact your closest distribution center or contact us directly. Most of our distribution centers staff local experts who can answer questions and guide you through the ordering process.
At FSorb, we are motivated by improving human health and do so by creating eco-friendly acoustic products. Our mission is to help designers build beautiful spaces that reduce excess ambient noise while calming the human nervous system. With over 25 years in the acoustic business we stand behind FSorb as a durable, environmentally friendly, and low-cost product. If you want an acoustic solution that is safe to human health at an affordable price, then we are your resource.
(844) 313-7672
