![]() ![]() However, it’s excellent at insulating from impact sounds (ΔIIC: 25). It’s a fairly good sound blocker but not as good as MLV. It’s more than 3 times cheaper than MLV (1lb density). The underlay that I found provided the best STC and IIC on the market is the FloorMuffler UltraSeal. A dense, spongy material is your best bet for floor underlayment. Polypropylene foam is a good option, but so is cork. Instead, pay attention to the material used in the underlayment. I discuss how STC and IIC ratings for underlays are calculated and their limitations in a different article. This is when it’s used as part of a floating floor setup, which is a lot of work. For example, FloorMuffler Underlayment claims to have an STC of “up to” 73. However, be cautious when looking at these units. IIC stands for Impact Insulation Class, and I probably don’t need to explain what this measures. The market is flooded with products that apparently provide world-beating STC and IIC ratings. It acts as an extra layer for muffling impact sounds and airborne noises passing through a floor/ceiling structure. You can put floor underlayment under hard floors and carpets, but it’s particularly useful for the former. So, for the best mass loaded vinyl alternatives, we must look for products with similar STC ratings. The STC of mass loaded vinyl can be anywhere from 20 to 32, which is decent for such a thin product. STC of a wall/material is measured by comparing the noise level difference between emission and reception. The higher the number, the more sound it attenuates. To measure a material’s ability to attenuate sound passing through it, we use a rating called Sound Transmission Class (STC). Impact sounds, on the other hand, require spongy materials or decoupling hard surfaces with softer ones. While mass loaded vinyl will help with both, it’s more useful for airborne sounds because most waves don’t go through, and dissipate when they come into contact with it. We use different methods to block and/or absorb impact and airborne noises due to their differing energy levels when passing through structures. The footsteps create vibrations, which pass through the floor and come out the other side as sound waves. Impact noises come from an object hitting a surface, such as footsteps on a floor.Common examples are TVs, people talking, and music from speakers. Airborne sounds are waves that travel through the air into surfaces (such as a wall).We can divide sound waves into 2 types: airborne and impact. To learn more about how to install MLV for effective soundproofing, check out my step-by-step guide. Well, mass loaded vinyl is the hanging bed sheet of the soundproofing world.įor that exact same reason, it’s recommended to install MLV with some slack, rather than compressed in between 2 hard layers (drywall for example). ![]() However, if that bed sheet was a piece of drywall, the ball would bounce back off and some of its energy would transmit into the drywall. The ball hits the sheet and drops to the floor. The sound waves dissipate as they lose energy, meaning they don’t transmit through the surface.Ī good way of thinking about this is if you threw a ball at a bed sheet hanging on a washing line.Rather than vibrating with the sound waves like a rigid material would, MLV doesn’t, causing the waves to lose energy. ![]()
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