Mass Loaded Vinyl For Soundproofing / All the MLV Facts! 

Watch the UPDATED VIDEO Feb 2023 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zy0S47-FadY.html

One major disadvantage you failed to talk about is how labor intensive it is to install on walls and ceilings. They are usually sold in 25 foot rolls. Try hanging MLV by yourself on a wall or ceiling. You will need a crew to do this. I had two people have to help me to do this. However- it did block sound incredibly when done.

Thank you for sharing all these usual techniques with us

It is very important to be on your phone while you are painting MLV.

We used this all over the place on the yachts we built at Burger Boat Company. It was built into the plywood for the walls and floors, but the entire room was also decoupled from the frame, floating on Regufoam and insulated with Roxul. Insanely expensive, but the rooms came out very quiet.

Easy on saying that MLV “soundproofs” your room. If your walls are directly screwed into the studs, A LOT of low-mids and bass will transfer through the wall, through the studs, into the adjacent wall, and into the next room. The last thing generally overlooked in soundproofing is the necessity of decoupling your wall to the adjacent wall. Otherwise, most of the low-mids and bass WILL transfer out of the room and effectively put a cap on how loud you can run your low-mids and bass without getting the cops called 😊.

I really appreciate this video ... and the uses of it. Been looking for a great source for soundproofing for a townhouse wall for my living room and bedroom. It looks thin enough and do-able and I LOVE you don't have to tear out a wall to use it! Wooohoo. Thank you for the review!

Very helpful video! Thank you.

Great video and commentary thanks

The Best channel on the subject. Thank you.

I know it's kind of like an infomercial, but I really enjoyed that! I would get/use this.

Thanks for the info

I’m sound proofing an existing wall between my bedroom & roommates but have around 1.25” of available space before hitting the trim for the door. I also want to finish the wall with shiplap. Where would you recommend I put MLV? : - existing wall - Green glue - 5/8 fire resistant drywall - Green glue - Shiplap

Can you use it as an engine cover insulator with 10'' of clearance from exhaust manifolds?

Also, regarding floors, is there something you can put down before cement board for tiling to help with sound? Could you lay MLV over the flooring planks (1950’s house)? I’ve already put cement board down on the floor above where we’re going to do the ceiling so would be too late for MLV there. Is there something else that might help over the concrete board before tiling? We couldn’t put concrete board under the acrylic bathtub. Would laying rock wool over that part help at all? Or mlv? One of your videos said that any gap will mess up most of what you doing for the sound dampening, so I feel like the whole thing will be wasted because essentially there are open holes in the floor planks underneath the bath tub over the other room where we will be doing things in the ceiling.

Great Video! Curious.. If I install MLV but then also paint it will the Acoustic Coat Paint would that help alot more to reduce sound transfer or should I not spend the money? Maybe also use Green glue at as well? I want to put MLV on the hardwood floor (1910 building) and then cover it with a laminate floor. I'd assume I'd also need to use an underlayment just under the laminate floor as well? Any suggestions for that? Thx!

As an FYI MLV can be digitally printed to any finish you wish. You would need to talk to specialty acoustics providers for this though, Home Depot wont have this option. I would strongly suggest this over painting. For those worried about fire rating, any MLV I have come across is rated under E84.

Been in construction for almost 20 years. In my experience the most effective way to soundproof a room is to use two layers of fire rated 5/8 drywall with a healthy amount of acoustical sealant between them. .. Looks like a great product for soundproofing floors though...

Question for the group... need to retro fit a walk in closet to make it a sound booth... I'm currently using Sound Blankets which are great for treating my sound...but not keeping sound out... My thought was to put down a layer of MLV...(Walls, Ceiling and floor) put up furring strips and put another layer of MLV down... then put a thin layer of plywood so I don't lose room space.... Do I need the two layers or would 1 layer do a pretty good job? Trying to reduce the outside noise from coming in... mainly neighbors and cars driving by. Thanks

Can MLV work with wall paneling? Or would you recommend MLV with 5/8 sheet rock than the paneling ?

Great video. I am contemplating using on garage door that faces street. I am wondering how heavy it is and if it will put a strain on my auto garage opener motor and brackets that support the door.

Great information. Subbed.

Hi, how would one Sound proof a ceiling that has an air conditioning vent? It has to remain, but how to block sound that could come in through the roof and through the air-con ducting through the vent and into the room?

Great advice !!! Thanks for a comprehensive and excellent video on MLV. I was looking for exactly this information and am overjoyed. It's 7 minutes after midnight and I am sadly on my 4th sleepless night due to noisy neighbours. Bless you 🙏🏾👍🏾❤️🇨🇦

I need to soundproof 50 sqm of the commercial ceiling to reduce the noise of passing planes near the airport, with wire meshed insulation over the metal beams, shall I use your mass loaded vinyl to cover extruded metal beams or just under insulation underneath? Any self-adhesive version in Australia?

Can you create a fantastically sound reducing assembly with MLV stapled to studs, then resilient channels or sound insulation slips, then 5/8 quiet rock?

Nicely explained

The one thing this video doesn't cover is the frequency range for sound reducing that MLV performs. The other thing is the STC class the narrator mentions is that it is limited to frequencies between 125 Hz.- 4000 Hz. The most difficult vibrations to block sound transmission from are low frequencies-- the lower the frequency, the more difficult it is to prevent sound transmission.

WOW! well spent time I will subscribe to be one up on the building trades who claim to know whats best for your money.

DOES MLV ignite at 50 c that is around 110 F. In summer some times reaches that but it is around 40 c for the whole summer is there a chance MLV ignites I am planning to use on a flat roof which I use it a a deck and it is in the last story of my building

Excellent.

Need to soundproof against 4 types of noises from my neighbor in nice bachelor apt in heritage building. Her voice is 1, her chair drags on solid wall to wall porcelain tiles ( or objects when dropped and rattle).her heavy thud heel to floor rapid stepping ( each step like a 5 pound rubber mallet to 1 inch steel boat hull) and finally her steel door in steel.door box slams. I need to cover 350 to 380 square feet of shared wall. If spend that much...will it solve these noise issues? Can't do anything in her place, but if puts her carpet down would help some...but not much.

informative. thanks for sharing

my concern is the FS flame spread and SD smoke developed rating of this material, and what the building code allows for the type of construction.

Does anyone know the performance of this material versus cork, for a floor sound insulation application?

Good information and I would like to know that pressure-sensitive adhesives used while installing MLV for Sound dampening. Thank you.

Thank you for this! Do you know if it would be ok to apply this vinyl on a door? I dare say staple it?

It can be used externally? Can this be used to reduce the air conditioner noise level?

great vid. subbed.

Hi, I am looking to build a drum studio, and will include MLV for soundproofing. A question I have is to where to place the MLV? Wall --> MLV --> Rockwool --> Plasterboard Wall --> Rockwool --> MLV --> Plasterboard thanks

Can I install MLV behind a fence, to reduce the noise from a pump pool on the other side of the fence? Would that be effective?

So can i put mlv on my bedroom wall and call it a day? no hazard? I don't have to put another layer on top of mlv right?

So glad to hear there is transparent MLV!! I have been looking for a solution for my home windows. Great video.

So my garage has just the exposed studs. Would the ideal thing to do would be to put the MLV directly onto the studs and then drywall over the MLV or the drywall onto the studs and the MLV on top of the dry wall?

Hi! love the channel, I recently subscribed to it... I'm thinking about remodeling my kitchen cabinets.. can I add this behind my kitchen cabinets? would that work even though I won't be covering it with another layer of wall?

Can this be installed to soil pipes with p-traps and clean outs? And will it deafen the noise from toilet flushing, considering that there is no ceiling installed in the floor below?

Will you say resilient channels with mass loaded vinyl in between two pieces of drywall is better than double wall for soundproofing? The each wall in the double wall will have safe and sound insulation and double drywall with green glue in between them. Please help lol

Good video

We are insulating a Caboose that is close to a state highway. Framing the caboose, placing fiberglass insulation then wrapping with soundsulate then nailing wood planks. Is this going to help with the external noise? ALso, can it be used on the floors as a underlayment beneath thick LVP?

4:20 hahahah that washing machine tho

Is it possible to apply this directly onto an existing wall if you're unable to build a fake wall? I dont have the room to do this you see so I was thinking of putting this onto the wall and then putting noise muting panels over it?

Might need this. My new bedroom shares a wall with my elevator and elevator machine room. Very loud.

Thank you for the informative video. Question: if MLV is STC 27, and a soundproof curtain is 17, do the numbers add together giving me an STC f 44? Like wise, if I add two curtains would the STC be 61?

you sound proofed this video

VERY INTERESTING PRESENTATION...2-👍🙂 I WILL CONSIDER THIS PRODUCT VERY SERIOUSLY ON VAN INTERIOR OVERHAUL.

Great video! HELP.....My noisy HVAC closet with air handler/furnace and return, is a living room closet, 1 story ranch house on a slab. Until the HVAC is replaced, please: 1- clarify which MLV products with adhesive is good to apply to the big tin box of the return - either inside its walls or its exterior or both. To line the inside, the product must be odor free and safe. 2- Could you clarify for me which type of materials are generally best for "low level" versus higher level sounds? Plan to order MLV sheet 1LB for walls and door soon. Thanks.

hello.... 1- can MLV be used on lighttly uneven floors (ie does it forgive say 1/8 -1/4 spaces...) instead of having to poor floor levers products... 2- do you need to put MLV under kitchen cabinets to prevent "noise" from main floor to basement bed room... ? 3- what MLV weight should one use for soundproofing ? thx...

Would be interesting to use the product for a firearm test fire chamber ....like a bucket of deep sand you fire into to test firarms in your garage and just wrap this stuff around the bucket and tape a cap piece on with a hole for the barrel....would be really nice to have a simple inexpensive means of putting such together ...I think the finished product on market are pretty pricey

Does MLV absorb gain from your microphone pre-amp and make all recordings obnoxiously quiet?

Are rubber mats 2nd place? More absorbant but less dense?

Can you compare mlv to tec sound 50? Or share a link where you’ve discussed it. Please and thanks.

Very helpful. I'm dealing with 2 bathrooms side by side. I really don't need to hear what the other person is doing, lol. Off to Home Depot!

TY, for this video; I’ve thought about hanging thick bedding egg crates then draping sound proof curtains over them. I’m disabled and can only afford to live in govt Sect 8 apartments. I’m 52 and have lived in quite a few apartments in my time but NEVER have I lived under such hell! I’ve called the office, even spoken to the manager face to face, and she tried the ol’ u live in an apartment you have to expect some noise. Then I laid out everything I’ve tried before coming to her including benzo’s, Kratom, swapping sleeping times, moving my living room stuff into the farthest room fm my nice elderly neighbors so I’d have a door to close off fm and so when I have to turn up my tv I’m not bothering them. One friendly gent even brought over a half of a watermelon and asked if I was okay. He’d no doubt heard me pleading, begging loudly, crying and banging on the ceiling, & finally losing my religion, in that order. He lives next door to this family so he no doubt is bothered, too. But he speaks little English like most here so we can’t communicate much more than that. That was the point I moved to a room that is on the end of the building, sadly the smallest room; closing the door and using fans doesn’t even help & what really ticks me off is my dog freaks out and tries getting under me or my chair~all 95 lbs! There can’t be an ounce of insulation btwn their floor and my ceiling bc it seems to act as a bullhorn. I think carpet with padding would help but some genius thought vinyl was best! I’ve tried staying up all night when the they’re asleep & sleeping during the day but either they wake me up or my dog. I moved the bed back into the tiny bedroom with my recliner on one side and the Tv on the other and let me just say, 24/7 in a cramped small room is freaking me out. I used to love reading and studying my Bible almost everyday and I planned on dying here; it was my sanctuary. It’s why I’ve tried put myself out instead of risking her getting kicked out with two lil kids. Obviously, money is a huge barrier, but I will go borrow from every family member if necessary to place at least one barrier on the ceiling, if not two! But besides money, my biggest issue is they have popcorn ceilings here. I have to get back to my living room as this is affecting my health and keeping me from reading or studying, even writing a social media post bc I can’t think straight with running, stomping and pushing chairs around or bouncing balls. So, please help! If I buy some rolls and paint them with the sound proofing paint, what is the best way to apply them to the ceiling with the least amt of damage, and will it even work as well not being flush to the ceiling? I can’t afford plywood, I’d have to be a millionaire these days. heh I’m planing on covering the entire ceiling throughout except for the bathroom and maybe both bedrooms. So it’s going to take a lot of begging hat in hand & maybe even some panhandling! LoL If they don’t keel me over first! But I’m good with that, too! I’m not suicidal, just a Christian that knows where I’m going so death would actually be a plus; I’d get some peace and quiet. I hardly hear the man walk, y’all walk like mice & women, which I am, like elephants, size be damned, but dudes trying to learn to play the guitar and sing to boot. If I got a break or felt like they tried, it’s one thing, but I’ve never heard anything like this fm a neighbor and I think they’re straight out of hell, forgive me for saying so & forgive my thesis length comment/question. Any and ALL suggestions would be welcomed aside from any felonious behaviors. If I were 25 I’d already be in jail; I’m thankful I can’t get up those stairs. I don’t speak Spanish, barely speak good King’s English & I’m not sure she speaks English or we’d have already talked. They came in like a tornado tho there were ppl already here so it’s clear she doesn’t care. I’ve rigged my kitchen cabinets so they won’t bounce so I’m over sensitive and aware so I never bother anyone. It feels personal at this point which adds to my frustration. Last thing, they’re about to do complete renovations from windows to walls, the kitchen to the bathroom and lastly, put down new vinyl; would this material work better under vinyl upstairs or would carpet and thick padding be better? I’ll have a long sit down with the manager and plead for the best option. But until then, will this work against a popcorn ceiling or not as well since it won’t be flush? I can’t afford to try too many things. I actually can’t afford to try one, but my pride is long gone and I will beg enough money to drown out even just half of the demonic stomping, running and gymnastics! TY for your video. It was the first one that offers legit help! I appreciate beyond words! God Bless, You & Yours!🙋🏻‍♀️ Sheri in Jax, FL! (Forgive typos; it’s too long to proof with a migraine!😉

I have a wood fence that the bad side is facing me. Can I cut the vinyl in widths, weave it in under the poles holding up the fence and staple it in between the boards that are vertical instead of placing it over the entire fence?

Can you use a thick plastic over the studs and under the Sheetrock?

It needs to hang like a curtain in the void between the original wall with the noisy neighbour and the new stud wall ,then it will block just about all the noise. As soon as it’s in contact with the wall it’ll transmit the sound through.

For a wall what would be the recommended thickness of MLV? I have seen some MLV that is 1/8" thick and others that are much thinner at 1.2ml.

Cool Commercial! As a musician for 40 years and a General contractor for 30, I've looked into many methods of "soundproofing"... Here on the east coast, in our row homes, Clients would ask me to soundproof against neighbor noise... I would tell them, it's impossible. Some areas are basically impossible, more appropriately, economically unfeasible. I guess if you ran 3/4 inch thick perpendicular layered MLV over all surfaces, you'd cut the sound down between properties significantly. But it's all about Cost/sq. ft.

would this stop noise of door slamming coming from next door neighbours?Can this be purchased in UK ?

Would putting a layer of this over my door and then acoustic paneling on top of that reduce sound coming out the door

it blocks low frequency too, how low?

Is it fire resistance? Thanks!

Thank you so much i needed this!!!!

Can you apply mass loaded vinyl to a existing bedroom wall and ceiling that's sheetrocked already

Great video on soundproofing and use of MLV!! Wondering if you know if MLV can be used to absorb vibration from a metal staircase. I will send you an e-mail with a picture of the stairs in my house, hopefully you can shed some light on my challenge.

Suggestion: create MLV backed wall boarding of multiple finishes. Guaranteed hit! But keep the costs down. Another idea is MLV impregnated boards and other products.

This question is not on-point, but it's about sound absorption or blocking. In my apt., I hear my neighbor's intercom buzzer as loud as my own; both her intercom station and mine are located in the same spot, separated by the wall. I unscrewed my station from the wall, and looking behind it, saw that our stations were separated ONLY BY A PIECE OF CARDBOARD, bent in half. So I look around my place and found a very thick unused sponge, maybe 2" thick. I put the bent cardboard back in and added the sponge, and then screwed my station back onto my wall. Is this likely to work? Does a thick foam sponge have sound absorbent properties? If it doesn't work (I haven't heard it buzz since, but it's only been one day) what should I use, instead of the sponge? What about coating the bent-over cardboard with duct seal compound? I think that's like modeling clay, which I've heard is helpful for soundproofing.

If I want to install MLV on ceiling to block upstairs unit coming to basement suite (basement tenant is complaining crazy about upstairs chair and footstep sound), what's the layer order? After opening the existing drywall on ceiling, from ceiling down: ROCKWOOL Safe'n'Sound® insulation, Resilient Channel (or Resilient Sound Isolation Clips), drywall, MLV (Goes here?!?), then paint (or can I add another layer of drywall here using Green Glue)? Please correct my order or if you advise anything should be put in or taken out.

How much outgassing does this product have? Does it reduce indoor air quality?

Does mlv help with impact noise such as bass and footsteps from upstairs neoghbors?

Can I use this MLV on my original wood floor and on TOP use engineer wood vinyl?? I am trying to minimize the steps, sound, ect of my kids running around because my downstairs neighbor keeps complaining to me that they run a lot and pull chairs, ect. please let me know what options I have, thanks in advance!!

Wanting to install these in a ceiling, in between the floor joists, over the mineral wool insulation, following by 1/2 dry wall, plastered in between the floor joists, leaving them exposed. Reason is we have a low ceiling, so wanting to get all the headroom we possibly can. Do you think the mlv will still help installed in this way? Will it be far more noisy with the floor joists exposed? Thanks!!

Can I use regular MLV on ductwork? As can I just wrap it around instead of buying Thermo?

Can I staple the mass vinyl to the drywall and screw it together to the ceiling?

Can it take 170 degrees F safely?

How can you tape it to the wall? Rental friendly

Would this be effective if attached to existing drywall, then placing Shiplap panels over it (for aesthetics). Used on exterior walls. Think a one-bedroom house, all four walls covered with this material. Thanks

So I need to basically build a wall, at a 30degree angle, that will go from a wall to another wall. There will have to be a door in there, as it's going to block off the front room, from the main hallway to the only full bathroom and 3 bedrooms as well as the living room which has a tv 4 feet from said wall. Or I need some way to put up a wall for a recording/mixing session, and take it down...daily! The wall has to be floating as it's a rental house and there is the floating, fake hardwood floors! So how do I do this, as I am not handy at all! All thumbs...

My yard gets lots of traffic noise and neighbors barking dog. If I hang this on the fence will it help much? 6 foot tall fence. Of course the sound can go over the fence but I'm wondering if it would be worth the cost...

Yeah, ~14 years ago, I added MLV to my 2010 Toyota Camery due to road noise, I used Seconed Skin Audios, I think it was luxury liner pro or something, I put in on the floor of the whole care and the doors, god the doors where a PITA. iirc it was MLV + closed cell foam.

so wait, can I put it on a wall and just paint it? or do i have to sandwich it behind another layer of drywall? cause I need to soundproof a room but only temporary so putting drywall would be too much but i was thinking maybe i could staple mlv to my walls

Where would be best to buy MLV today -2 year later- And from which company ?

Thanks for this video! Will this keep sound from going out of my walk-in closet if I hang it on top of the walls, ceiling, and floor with heavy duty velcro? I live in an apartment and want to be able to take this with me when I move out. Is there anything I need to do when putting it up to make sure it works? I read it should have some space between the wall and itself for it to actually work. I can hardly find any info online about how to do this :(

You mentioned that the Soundsulate MLV has no odour. Do you mean that the Soundsafe from Home Depot (or other available mlv) does have an odour?

Hi, How can I block bass frequency (20 - 180Hz)? Would MLV work?

Does it help with an upstairs neighbor who is a heavy walker and walks with such a THUD that it shakes the entire building, the walls, and drops stuff?

so could this be used on a completely open gap with maybe something holding it in place and blocking sound? my room divider doesnt reach the ceiling for some ungodly reason and all the light and noise from my roommate come into my room. gap is 118" length x 20.25" height x 3.62" width

Where in The Algarve can I buy 280cm x 230cm , width a depth of 6cm ...so that I do not hear my neighbour ??

but is the vinyl safe? apart from barium sulfate

So, you did not mention on purpose or inadvertently, the disadvantage that mlv smells. Am I correct?