Green Glue Installation

OVERVIEW

Section 1.0 Introduction

Section 2.0 Applying Green Glue and creating the sandwich

Section 3.0 Screwing the new drywall onto the first layer

Section 4.0 Utilizing less than full coverage of Green Glue

Section 1.0

Section 1.1 -How Green Glue works Green Glue is a constrained layer damping material - it must be utilized as two things to be effective. It will not be effective as a paint/coating, or just sitting on top of anything. Section 1.2 -Where Green Glue works The best application of Green Glue is between sheets of drywall, OSB, plywood, and so forth over the main part of a wall, floor, or other structure. Although it is not always possible when upgrading existing walls, Green Glue is also effective when placed between joists/studs and subfloor/drywall. It can also be utilized between frame components to minimize vibration transfer. Now we will take a step-by-step look at the construction and assembly of a Green Glue wall. Green Glue is not difficult to use, and these simple guidelines will help ensure the success of your project.

CLEANUP WARNING:GREEN GLUE IS VERY STICKY! Take precautions such as drop cloths and latex gloves. Take care to remove the Green Glue before it dries. Products that clean well are Avon Skin So Soft Bath Oil, as well as citrus based solvents and cleaners such as Goof-Off and Goo-Gone. There is nothing harmful about Green Glue, but it can be tough to clean up, especially after dried. You need to warn your installers. GREEN GLUE SMELL: You are going to be dispensing a LOT of Green Glue in this project, so you are naturally going to smell it. Just like you smell paint when you're painting a room. Green Glue is harmless, and while most folks aren't bothered by it you should be aware of it ahead of time. VENTILATION: Keep circulating and exchanging the air in the room to prevent the harmless off-gassing from building up. HEAT: A cold room does not promote drying. Slow drying will cause any smell to last longer. CLEANUP: Keep the spent tubes in a plastic back and remove them regularly.

Section 1.2: Making the big Green sandwich with the second drywall layer
What to do with the seams on the first drywall layer? After hanging the first layer of drywall, you may pay some attention to the seams. For best results, it is recommended that you seal the seams in the first layer. You may simply caulk the seams, taking care to not leave a high bead that will interfere with the application of the second layer of drywall. You may apply a setting type drywall mud in a single, quick coat to fill the seam, and fill the indentation caused by the tapered drywall edges. This layer of mud does not need to have a nice finish, and you can do the job with a single broad swipe with a drywall knife. Any imperfections are fine, so long as they do not protrude forward and interfere with the second layer of drywall pressing against the first.

 

Summary:
The detail that is necessary on the first layer of drywall is simply that which is necessarily for a good quality of wall without Green Glue.

• Make the first layer flat and smooth

• Do not have protruding bits of drywall mud, caulk, or fractures in the drywall that will prevent the second layer from intimately contacting the first.

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Section 2.0 Applying Green Glue and creating a sandwich

Section 2.1 - What you need to get started 1. Standard 29 oz. caulk gun. 2. Cartridges of Green Section 2.2 - Where to apply the Green Glue You may apply the material onto the wall or ceiling, and raise a raw sheet of drywall onto the wet surface, like this (right): Apply Green Glue to the sheet to-be hung while on the floor or lift, and then raise the new, Green Glued, sheet into place. Like this (below):

Section 2.3 Applying the material to the sheet

The application of Green Glue to sheets isn't rocket science, no specific pattern is necessary to ensure excellent results. We have researched coverage patterns and bead sizes considerably in our labs, and we have not noted a dramatic difference among many different techniques and choices. The recommendations we give are useful, and prudent, but small variations from them will not cause failure. Acceptable tip openings range from 1/8 to 3/8, and coverage patterns for the recommended 2 tubes per 4' x 8' sheets should target either uniform coverage or intentionally leave about 20% of the surface area un-covered, in moderate sections, as shown below:

 

After screw application with 16" on-center 2.25 standard drywall screws (16' on center studs), the coverage pattern is excellent. Green has been specially reformulated to very large beads, giving you leeway in application.

Green has been specially reformulated to "squish" out from even very large beads, giving you leeway in application.

Helpful hint: Above we suggested the use of a simply and quickly applied layer of setting type drywall mud between seams. This is less expensive from a materials standpoint than caulk, and can be done very quickly (supreme finish is not a priority). This can increase the overall contact area and improve the performance of your wall a bit. See this sketch for the details. Again, this is not necessary for the construction of a good wall, but for those interested in the details, it's a simple, cheap, fast, and nice touch.

Section 2.4 details of the application of Green Glue

When applying the material to the work surface spacecraft precision is not necessary, but some prudence is in order. Avoid extremely large blobs and large areas where your ridges are thin/small. These may impair the production of a thin continuous film. This isn't rocket science, and perfection is not necessary, but a good quality of work should be observed.

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Screws are always used in conjunction with Green Glue or any other adhesive in all construction applications. They are mandatory per building code, and Green Glue is not intended to be a structural adhesive meant to allow their omission. Screws will not ruin the performance of Green Glue, and, again, must be used.

 

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Section 3.0 Screwing the new drywall onto the first layer

Audio Alloy recommends the same general practices that are recommended for any adhesive:

1. Screw from the inside out

• Screw into the center of the new sheet first, and work your way out. This prevents screws into the tapered edge from bowing the sheet, and helps the formation of the thin continuous film by squeezing material outward.

2. Stagger the seams of your wall

• Do not align the seams of your drywall, but rather overlap them to ensure that no direct air path exists through the wall

 

 

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Section 4.0 Utilizing less than full coverage of Green Glue

Green Glue retains ~2/3 to 3/4 of it's full-coverage performance when utilized at 50% coverage, which is important for sound isolation applications on a budget. It may well be possible to utilize even lower coverage and get performance well exceeding that of other damping options.

When utilizing reduced coverage (1 tube, or 1.5 tubes per 4 x 8 sheet, for example), we recommend intentionally leaving some of the area un-coverage, and using denser coverage on the rest of the sheet. Uniform coverage works well, but you'll get a bit more low-frequency performance with the recommended pattern. Again, the difference is not enormous.

 

Coverage: Green Glue will cover approximately:

32 square feet/tube at 1 tube per 4' x 8'

22 square feet/tube at 1.5 tube per 4

16 square feet/tube at 2 tubes per 4 sheets x 8 sheet x 8 sheet (recommended)

Any of the above will work well, 1 tube per sheet will deliver ~70% of the performance of 2 tubes.

If budget is not an issue, the use of 3 tubes per 4 x 8 sheet will improve low-frequency performance around the primary resonance slightly.

We do not recommend using more than 3 tubes per sheet if you use too much Green, performance will start to get worse, not better.

It is 100% up to the customer/crew to ensure that coverage meets your coverage goals.