Mass Loaded Vinyl

Where mass-loaded vinyl works best

Mass-loaded vinyl is a dense, limp membrane. It is heavy for its thickness and does not stiffen, so it adds mass to a wall, ceiling or floor build-up without taking much space.

• Shared apartment walls, where a neighbour’s TV or voices come through plasterboard
• Home cinemas, music rooms and podcast rooms in villas
• Office meeting rooms and manager’s cabins
• Hotel rooms and clinic consultation rooms
• Wrapping HVAC ducts and drainage pipes that carry noise through ceilings

MLV adds mass, but mass is only part of the answer. It works best together with decoupling, cavity insulation and careful sealing. Our soundproofing service plans the full build-up, and our guide on how to soundproof a bedroom in Dubai shows how the layers fit together.

How it’s fitted

On a stud partition, MLV is usually fixed across the studs or sandwiched between two layers of plasterboard. Sheets are hung so they stay limp, seams are overlapped or taped, and every edge, joint and penetration is closed with acoustic sealant, because a small gap lets sound around even a heavy barrier. On ceilings it is fixed to the framing above the board; on ducts and pipes it is wrapped and taped. The rolls are heavy, so fixing and handling need planning, especially overhead.

Our own team installs MLV in all seven emirates as part of a wall, ceiling or floor system. For Saudi Arabia and the other GCC countries we supply rolls only, for your contractor to fit.

What to send us for a quote

• Wall, ceiling or floor areas in square metres, or the room sizes
• Drawings or photos showing the existing construction
• What the noise is (voices, TV, music, footsteps, machinery) and where it comes from
• Site location and type of building (tower, villa, office)
• Your programme, and whether you need supply only or supply and installation

Our guide to NRC, STC and Rw ratings explains them in plain terms. The technical data sheet for our mass-loaded vinyl is sent on request.