John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

Hi.

I'm going to buy burlap to cover fiber glass panels in my home recording studio.

I've got some doubts:

Which kind of burlap should I buy?
Is it better to use natural burlap (jute or hemp or cotton) or the synthetic one (polypropylene or nylon)?
I know that FR701 (I don't think I will find it here in Italy...) is made of polyester, so I'm thinking about the synthetic one, but I'm not so sure.

Or maybe there is a better fabric to put on the absorbers?

I'd really appreciate any comment.

Thanks in advance,
Anto.

Anto, welcome - could you please update your profile information to include your location? This makes it easier for people to make suggestions, as some things aren't available in different parts of the world; thanks -

As to fabrics - for safety's sake, you first need to consider flammability - quite a few materials have little or no resistance to flame, and so are not safe in a lot of situations.

If this is a concern to you (and it should be) there are fire retardant chemicals available - if you can't find them locally, you can check at

http://www.natfire.com/

http://www.stifirestop.com/

For absorbers in a room, it's important NOT to use too tight a weave - a good test is to blow through the material - if it is difficult to do this, it's not a good choice for an absorber.

Beyond those two considerations, it's largely a matter of preference based on looks and budget - some specialty cloths get really expensive, so if you're doing very large areas this can be a concern.

Not knowing what you have available locally, that's about all I can say... Steve

Thanks a lot Steve (for your welcome and your suggestions)

In my city I can find jute, hemp, cotton and nylon burlap.
Synthetic burlap are cheaper but I don't think they are fireproof...

Anyway, if I haven't misunderstood what you wrote me (sorry, but I am italian), there's no differences, so I could use any porous fabric.
Isn't it?

Right - but if you're using incandescent lighting or any heat producing lighting, or if there's a chance anyone will smoke in the room, I would see about finding some of that fire retardant spray very seriously.

Just make sure any cloth you pick you can blow through it fairly easily, and it will work for covering your absorbers... Steve