In this guide
Noise and stray balls are the two things that turn a simulator room from a pleasure into a problem. Wall padding and acoustic covering deal with both, and neither costs much relative to the rest of the build.
The three options, and what each is good at
| Product | Format | Panel size | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard wall padding | 8-pack, adhesive foam | 50 x 50 x 5 cm (19.7" x 19.7" x 1.9") | $93 |
| Premium wall padding | 12-pack, velcro-mounted foam | 50 x 50 x 5 cm (19.7" x 19.7" x 1.9") | $387 |
| Acoustic felt covering | Roll, adhesive | 12 m x 1.2 m (39.4 ft x 3.9 ft) | $368 |
Adhesive or velcro
Adhesive panels
The standard 8-pack mounts directly to the wall. Simplest to fit, least forgiving if you want to move or remove them later.
Velcro panels
The premium 12-pack uses velcro, so panels come off and go back on. Worth it in a rented space, or where the room has another use.
Felt covering
The felt roll covers a large area for noise rather than impact, and takes velcro or hook-and-loop attachment on top.
Combining them
A common approach is felt across the broad wall area for sound, with foam panels concentrated either side of the screen where mishits actually land.
How much do you need
Work from the area you actually need to cover rather than the whole room. The panels are 50 cm square, so an 8-pack covers 2 square metres and a 12-pack covers 3 square metres.
Side walls beside the screen
The highest-value area. This is where a pulled or pushed shot goes.
The screen surround
If your enclosure has its own padding, as the ImpactSports enclosures do with pole padding included, you may only need to extend beyond the frame.
Behind the hitting position
Lower priority for impact, but this is where reflected noise comes back at you.
Ceiling
Rarely padded for impact. Worth treating for sound if the room is echoing badly.
Padding is not soundproofing
It is worth being clear about what foam does. Foam panels and felt absorb reflected sound inside the room, which makes the space sound less harsh and reduces what carries as airborne noise. They do not isolate structure-borne noise. If the problem is the thump travelling through a shared wall or a floor into the room below, that is a construction question, not a padding one.
For the broader room planning question, our guide to simulator room requirements covers the dimensions and clearances to design around.
Continue planning your simulator
Use the next guide or go directly to the equipment category that matches the part of the build you are working on.
