DIY Room Divider

While setting up my photo and video studio, I realized I needed some type of room divider that was free-standing and lightweight that could section off the vocal booth area from the noisy computer workstation. I had worked with these foam insulated panels in the past and just needed a simple way to get them to stand upright. After thinking about it for a while, I landed on a simple foot design made from a 4 inch plastic pipe. To my surprise the design worked quite well, and I was even able to cover the panel with felt, further increasing their sound dampening properties. If you really want to make these panels sound-proof, you can even hot glue foam acoustic tiles to the panels. In addition, the reflective side doubles as a studio reflector for bouncing light, perfect for flash photography or interview lighting. Whether your making a recording studio, a streaming studio or just want some privacy in your home from your roommates, this room divider is cheap and easy to make with all materials available at most home improvement stores. Each 4ft x 8ft panel costs about $50 and can be completed in about 30 minutes. Look for future updates to this build that include alternate foot designs and panel mods.

Insulation Board - https://thd.co/2KtuqaI
ABS Pipe - https://thd.co/2DRxI7a
Felt Fabric - https://thd.co/2DRxI7a
Craft Glue - https://thd.co/2DRxI7a

Alternate foot design see blog: http://bit.ly/2Jd6CtM
Floor Glides - http://bit.ly/2Jd6CtM

The fabric is optional but it gives you the opportunity to add some interesting color, pattern or design to the room divider. Using a thick, heavy fabric such as felt adds insulation and noise reduction properties to the panel. You can also paint the panel with a roller or spray paint if you prefer, but I recommend cleaning the surface of the panel with rubbing alcohol prior to ensure adhesion.

First, lay the panel on the floor and cover the panel with your preferred fabric. Then using a pair of sharp scissors, trim the fabric giving yourself a little overhang.

Using a paint roller or paint brush, and to avoid the glue from drying too quickly, apply a liberal amount of white glue to the panel. You may want to add some water to the white glue to thin it a bit. Work quickly so the glue doesn't dry before you finish.

Smooth any wrinkles out of the fabric and let dry.

Once dry, trim the overhanging fabric with a sharp razor blade or craft knife.

Using 2 inch gaffer's tape or duct tape, place a strip of tape all the way around the panel. This will give the panel a finished look and hide the unsightly yellow foam core.

The four inch pipe comes four feet long so you can get (2) two foot feet out of one piece (that was hard to wordsmith). Once you find the midpoint of the foot, measure the thickness of your panel and cut a channel in the pipe 1/8 inch smaller than the thickness of the panel. You'll want a snug fit so be sure not to cut the opening too wide. Using a miter or hack saw, cut the channel almost all of the way through the pipe, leaving about 2 inches of piping in tact at the bottom. For the sideways cut, you can use a multi-function tool with a saw blade attachment, a Dremel® tool with a cutting bit, or you can drill a bunch of small holes or drill a starter hole, and use a scroll saw. I gave my feet a coat of matte black paint to clean them up, but it's optional.

To attach the feet, stand your room divider upright and while spreading the channel open, slide the panel down into the foot. It should be a tight fit, the foam panel will compress a bit.

And just like that your room divider is complete! Make several panels and slide them together for larger rooms.
Check out the room divider gallery and alternate foot designs on my blog.