MLV vs. Roof Coating

Purpose

• Mass-loaded vinyl and roof coatings exist for very different reasons. MLV constitutes a type of soundproofing material used to damp the transmission of sound throughout interior environments. The material appears in numerous domestic settings to prevent outside noise from leaking into the home, and can also appear in environments like recording studios. Roofing coatings comprise a group of liquids applied to roofs as an adhesive and weatherproofing layer. These coatings make up one of the layers in a built-up or multi-layered roof and help adhere layers of the roof to one another while protecting buildings against inclement weather conditions including rain and snow.

Material Differences

• Mass-loaded vinyl comes in rolls or mats composed of a thick layer of vinyl. When you purchase MLV it comes in bundles that look like large yoga mats. Roof coatings come in buckets in a liquid, clay-like or tar-like state -- the actual consistency of a roof coating depends upon the materials used to make a specific type of coating. All roof coatings go on the roof in their wet form and dry to create a binding layer and/or waterproof surface.

Installation

• Mass-loaded vinyl usually installs within walls. MLV mats attach via staples or nails to solid material, such as wall sheathing, attached to the frame of a building. Any heat insulation used in a wall goes on top of the mass-loaded vinyl, and drywall goes on top of this insulation. Roofing coating, as the name makes explicit, gets applied to roofs. Numerous types of roof coatings exist, some comprising a middle layer in a built-up roof, working as an adhesive, others forming a top layer of weatherproofing material. You install these materials by spreading them across the surface of a roof with a paint roller or similar device.

Considerations

• Because mass-loaded vinyl and roof coatings serve different purposes, you can use both of them in the same building without one affecting the other. Mass-loaded vinyl contains nothing but vinyl, salt and sand, making it perfectly safe for interior environments. Roof coatings, on the other hand, may produce malodorous fumes and contain potentially toxic ingredients, making them inappropriate for indoor use, though fine for using on the roof.