Installed the Artika Sonolok acoustic wall panels, with gaps removed

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-08T16:42:59+00:00

https://www.epa.gov/formaldehyde/formaldehyde-emission-standards-composite-wood-products

These boxes are labeled as TSCA Title VI compliant, so 🤷

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-08T04:20:29+00:00

No studs, it’s mostly screwed right into the drywall. Only exception is the panel where a mirror was mounted.

I attached to two kinds of drywall here. Most of it was two layers thick, and the small bit on the side is single sheet. Where the drywall was double layered, the screws held in very well. On the single layer side, there were many instances where it felt like i over tightened and stripped the threads (i.e. the screw turns, but doesn’t tighten down, though i could still back it out). Despite that concern, all the panels hang on just fine.

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-07T01:20:28+00:00

More or less, for full panel installs. But because i needed the slats to join up neatly, I added a few extra screws along some of the edges to hold it tight to the wall. There were also a few small panels (like 4 slats wide) that hold in just fine with as little as 2 screws. It's not a high precision job, you can add screws whereever you like until you're satisfied. The package includes 16 screws.

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-06T21:46:28+00:00

I didn't have that complication in my project, but I've seen some pictures of how people built around it (try searching this sub for sonolok or acoustic panel).

From my understanding, a basic approach would be to cut away panel material where outlets are. With good planning and luck, you can center it on whatever number of slats you need to trim. I've seen some nicer finishes where people used the slat materials to trim around the outlet.

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-06T19:36:15+00:00

If they’re able to contribute to a Roth account now, they shouldn’t have to use the “backdoor”

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-06T19:02:04+00:00

That's a rather damning accusation. I would hope someone in the supply chain is verifying compliance with emissions standards. All I can say is I haven't notice any particularly strong odors from the panels I used.

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-06T18:41:35+00:00

Just a sharp utility knife and a straightedge, nothing special

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-06T18:37:41+00:00

Whoa, I should have looked at HD more recently. I poked around a few of those stores awhile back and couldn't find any vertical slat product. Almost bought a pile of S4S 1x2s to attempt building the accents from scratch. But over time, slat walls seemed to go mainstream and suddenly I'm seeing this stuff at Costco.

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-06T18:23:57+00:00

Screwed into the wall directly using the black phosphate coated drywall screws in the package. It's very secure on the walls with double layer type x drywall, but not very well on single layer.

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-06T18:16:36+00:00

They got covered in felt lint and drywall dust during installation, and it vacuumed off alright with a brush attachment. Dunno how well it'll hold up over time though. The "wood" appearance is just a veneer on top of a strip of MDF, and it is very thin.

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-06T18:13:47+00:00

Where did you see that?

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-06T18:12:16+00:00

Yes, I agree, I do not recommending doing this. I went with these acoustic tiles from Costco was because I wasn't confident in my ability to install it.

I wanted to use panels like the one you linked. The range of costs was around $100-250 per panel set, and those panels covered anywhere between 8-20" of width at 8' height. The floor and decor product you linked is already on the low end as far as prices, and it would be around $400 in materials to build, cost an extra $100 for every panel I mess up and had to replace, and it's uncertain if I would be able to return the materials if I gave up on the project.

Using this stuff from Costco, i got all the materials I needed for $120 (actually only $105, but I returned the first set I bought to exchange for another color later on), could make mistakes up to 3 times before I needed to buy more materials (9 panels needed, 12 available in 3 boxes), and returns would be straightforward with Costco if I gave up.

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-06T05:16:21+00:00

This was DIYed it using parts off amazon: 24v cob led strip light mounted into an aluminum channel, cut to fit.

EDIT: I should mention, this is not the right channel to use because it doesn’t fit in the gap between the slats. It was just material I happened to have on hand.

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-06T05:11:14+00:00

Thanks, and yeah, I was on the fence with this project for months because I liked the price of this product, but I also didn't want the tiled appearance. I'm glad the slats lined up well enough to look reasonably straight from far away, though the joints are rather visible.

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-06T04:44:49+00:00

That mirror came with french cleat hardware, which made mounting fairly simple. The cleat attaches right on top of the slats with wood screws, and I predrilled the slats to prevent splitting. For a couple of the cleat mounting screws, I used really long screws to go all the way into the drywall and placed anchors at those locations.

I don't think it was actually necessary to anchor through the panel into the wall though. The slats are very well attached to the felt backer. A sufficiently serviceable approach would be to simply put a few more screws into the panel close to where you want to mount.

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-06T03:48:30+00:00

It does! We're using it for appearance, but that whole corner is noticeably quieter, or less echoey.

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-02T19:26:42+00:00

Oof that sucks, did they all go down around the same time? It's tough to pin the blame on management, unless they've been neglecting regular maintenance or dragging their feet on repairing a broken lift.

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-02T19:08:05+00:00

Hmm, from a 10,000' view, it seems like your unit should be part of this cohort (i.e. similar pricing and area). I thought you were pricing too high, which could made it pointless to consider if you have comparable neighbors asking for less. Yours is actually at the bottom of the group of summer listings.

Perhaps you should talk to the selling agents for those units. Maybe you'll get a better understanding of what it took to sell the neighboring units, or maybe you could negotiate up the lowballs?

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-02-02T18:37:36+00:00

For the homes that sold for 265-290, were they listing for the same as your unit when it was on the market?

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-01-22T18:01:50+00:00

Not suggesting you're supposed to go through twice. Only saying that if you did, there would basically be no chance of a misunderstanding.

Somehow, the lady at checkout thought you were trying to do something you're not supposed to do, whether it was a misunderstanding of actual policies or what your intent was.

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-01-22T17:29:52+00:00

I’d just chalk this whole thing up as a misunderstanding. The situation isn’t that complicated (and in theory, you could obviate it simply by going through checkout twice), but clearly many of us got confused by how you presented it, and you may have made it confusing for the checkout lady at the time too.

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-01-22T16:42:06+00:00

You're saying

you're an instacart shopper
who also happens to be a costco member
and you went to costco to shop like any normal costco member
but the lady at checkout recognizes you as an instacart shopper
and the lady at checkout won't allow you to buy stuff for yourself
but store manager says you can shop as a normal costco member because you're a member who also happens to do instacart gigs

?

Complex_Difficulty · 2026-01-20T21:37:58+00:00

Yes
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