MASS LOADED VINYL VS RUBBER INSTALL

As a construction material, it’s useful because it’s inexpensive, easy to use, and widely available. It’s fair to say that most people know what drywall is, but it’s probably worth defining in the context of soundproofing.ĭrywall is made from a sheet of gypsum sandwiched between 2 sheets of paper. They’re good at making rigid objects vibrate, but this same energy is dissipated by a flexible material, such as MLV. The process is exactly the same with sound waves, which are vibrational energy. The residual energy would cause the wall to vibrate, to an extent. If you throw a ball at a rigid surface, such as a wall, it’s able to bounce off again. You throw the ball at a bed sheet hanging on a washing line, and what happens? The ball drops to the floor because the bed sheet has dissipated the energy in a 3D space. Viscoelasticity is very useful in soundproofing because it flows when a force makes contact with it (sound waves) but then returns to its original form once the force has been removed.Ī common and useful analogy for understanding this concept is throwing a ball at a hanging bedsheet. These are what provide it with the ability to block sound waves. It’s known as a viscoelastic compound, which means that, although a solid, it has elastic properties. Obviously the denser the material the better it is at blocking sound. MLV comes in a range of densities, from 1/2lb. Both of these products are dense and flexible. MLV is made from 2 outer layers of vinyl with a core of high-density material, which is usually calcium carbonate or barium sulfate.

Limp mass is particularly effective for soundproofing because it physically blocks sound transmission rather than just absorbing or dampening the sound waves. This means that when sound waves make contact with it, they’re unable to make it vibrate. Importantly, it’s what’s known as limp mass. It’s a great product for soundproofing a range of structures and was designed specifically for this task. The sound mat is very similar to a mutex but only the difference is that mutex has two layers in which one work as a blocker and the other work as an absorber.īut in the Sound mat, there are three layers in which one is worked as an absorber and the other two are worked as a sound blocker.MLV is short for mass loaded vinyl (Amazon link).

Yes, you can paint over the MuteX but the company does not recommend it because painting may change the sound deadening and observing capabilities. Yes, Mutex is fire-resistant and It meets flame test MFVSS 302 and has a class “C” burn rating. Yes, you can staple, glued, nailed, or screwed it easily as like MLV, but always remember one thing and that is the carbon-weave side should always towards the source of the sound.

MASS LOADED VINYL VS RUBBER INSTALL

Mutex works great when it is used inside the wall or ceiling or floor.Īs you installed MLV, just like that you can install MuteX. MuteX helps you in reducing noise, but it will not completely block the sound. Therefore if sound waves pass through something, they need to make it vibrate.Īnd you know very well that, the heavier the structure the less it will vibrate and fewer vibrations mean more sound will block or reflect. It requires some material medium to travel, whether it may be air (gas), or solid material, or liquid. How does MLV workĪs we saw MLV is the vinyl sheet loaded with mass such as barium sulfate, which is a high mass material.Īnd as you already know that mass is one of the very important principles of soundproofing for blocking out sound. That’s why you can use MLV even in complicated places very easily such as pipe, duct, tank and so many. Vinyl is a naturally rigid product so an additive known as a plasticizer is added to give it flexibility. Calcium silicate or barium sulfate makes the MLV denser and you all know that the denser materials are able to block the noise effectively and Vinyl provides strength and stability.

Mass loaded vinyl vs rubber