Why maintenance is an acoustic issue, not just a cosmetic one
The sound absorption in a wood slat panel happens in the PET felt backing, not in the wood. Felt works because it is an open-cell material: sound waves enter the fibres and lose energy as heat. Fill those cells with dust and the material becomes progressively more reflective, particularly above 2 kHz - exactly the range that carries speech intelligibility. A panel that looks fine can have lost a measurable part of its NRC.
The routine
- Weekly: dust the slat faces with a dry microfibre cloth or a soft brush attachment. Thirty seconds per panel.
- Monthly: vacuum the felt between the slats with an upholstery attachment on low suction, running along the slat direction.
- Quarterly: check for scuffs at chair-back and trolley height, and check that fixings and rails are still tight.
- Annually: inspect for humidity damage, veneer lifting, and any panel that has moved - a panel that has shifted is usually a fixing problem, not a panel problem.
Cleaning the wood slats
For melamine and UV-coated faces, a damp microfibre cloth with water is enough, dried immediately. For real wood veneer, use a slightly damp cloth and a pH-neutral wood cleaner, then buff dry - never leave standing water on the edge of a veneer, which is where lifting starts. Avoid silicone polishes; they build up and attract dust.
Cleaning the PET felt
Vacuum, do not wash. Felt that is saturated takes days to dry, can distort, and may delaminate from the MDF substrate. If a section is genuinely soiled, use a very lightly dampened cloth with a few drops of mild soap, blot rather than rub, and dry with a hairdryer on cool. Test on an offcut first.
Spot removal by stain type
- Pencil and scuff marks on slats: a clean pencil eraser, then dry cloth.
- Grease near a kitchen or canteen: a diluted dish soap solution, blotted, then dried.
- Ink: isopropyl alcohol on a cloth, used sparingly on the coating only - never on felt.
- Scratched veneer: a matching touch-up oil in the slat direction, then buff.
What will void your finish
Abrasive pads, acetone, bleach, steam cleaners, and pressure washers. Steam is the worst offender: it drives moisture straight into the felt and swells the MDF.
Humidity and sunlight
Keep interior relative humidity between 40 and 60 percent. Below 30 percent MDF can shrink and reveal joints; above 70 percent edges swell and veneer lifts. Keep panels out of direct afternoon sun, which fades both veneer and printed felt over a few years.
If a panel is damaged beyond cleaning, matching replacements are normally available from the same production batch. Send us a photo and the order reference.