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How To Apply Green Glue With Caulking Tubes

 

What You Need For the Job:

For Applying Green Glue From Tubes:

Quart sized caulking

Razor knife

For Installing Drywall:

T-Square or other straight edge

Razor knife

Measuring tape

Pencil

Drywall screws (1 1/4" for 1st layer, 1 5/8" for 2nd layer)

Corded electric screw gun

 

 

 

 

Optional:

Garbage bag to place empty tubes in to reduce mess

SilenSeal for sealing joints, angles, and other gaps

Putty pads to install on the back of outlets
This installation guide is for applying Green Glue from regular tubes.  Learn to apply Green Glue from buckets with a dispensing gun by clicking here.

Quick Bits of Info

Smell
Green Glue does have a smell, but the smell is less noticeable than paint and begins to fade as soon as the drywall is attached.  Green Glue is rated as a low VOC product so people with sensitivity to odors do not need to be worried about using Green Glue.  Also, removing tubes from the work area will significantly reduce any lingering smell.
 		  

  Not Really An Adhesive
Green Glue is very sticky so it is best to keep the glue either in the tubes or on the drywall.  While Green Glue is sticky it is definitely not to be used as an adhesive on its own without the assistance of screws.

     Cleanup
The best way we know so far to wash Green Glue off your hands or an object is using a hand soap that contains pumice.  The popular GOJO that is used by mechanics is a recommended product.
Green Glue Is Not That Thin
Green Glue will not flow off of the drywall when applying.  It has the consistency of ketchup, but the adhesive qualities of Green Glue keep it from running. 		     Coverage Requirements
No specific coverage pattern is necessary to ensure excellent results.  Apply at least semi-evenly over the correct amount of square footage per tube and you will succeed.		     Larger Nozzle Opening
A larger tip opening on the nozzle to speed up application will still yield the same results as applying Green Glue with a smaller bead.
     

Opening A Green Glue Tube

   
Cut Tube Bubble Off
First cut the bubble off the end of the tube.  Use the 'poker' on the caulking gun to penetrate the seal inside the Green Glue tube.		  

  Attach Nozzle
Attach the nozzle to the tube. 

Friendly Tip:  Each case of Green Glue will come with 12 nozzles.  To speed up application and save about an ounce of Green Glue per tube you should use the same nozzle for each tube.

     Cut End Of Nozzle
Finally, cut off the end of the nozzle after attached creating a roughly 1/8" wide opening.
     

Different Levels of Coverage

   
1 tube per 4' x 8' sheet, minimal coverage  

2 tubes per 4' x 8' sheet, normal coverage

   3 tubes per 4' x 8' sheet, maximum coverage
     

Installation Tips

   
Green Glue Layers
Applying Green Glue within multiple layers of drywall will always provide the best results.  If you were to install 3 layers of drywall and apply Green Glue at a rate of 1 tube per 4' s 8' sheet between each layer you will significantly outperform a wall that has 2 layers of drywall and Green Glue at a rate of 2 tubes per 4' x 8' sheet between the 2 layers.  Ultimately the same amount of Green Glue is used, but the result is a more solid mass wall that is and additional 5/8" thicker.		  

Green Glue Directly To Studs
Applying Green Glue to the exposed studs in a 'lazy-S' fashion is an alternative to damping with joist tape between the drywall and studs with very little extra cost.  This concept would definitely outperform any thin joist tape type gasket material you see advertised by other companies.  This is just an alternative to joist tape and not in a significant improvement in performance.  Each tube of Green Glue should cover around 80 linear feet of studs if applied conservatively.

  

Sealing The First Layer
It is important to make sure the first layer of drywall is sealed before adding the second layer of drywall and Green Glue.  You can do this by coating the seams with mud (taping not required), or by caulking the joints and angles with SilenSeal or a comparable quality caulk. 

Image Detail:  The image detail above shows that you need to seal around your outlet openings.

Stagger Seams To Seal The Wall:  Another option that will save quite a bit of time and money is to simply stagger the drywall seams.  View our information on staggering seams at the end of this Green Glue application guide.
     

Four Steps To Applying Green Glue

   
Dispense The Green Glue
Now that you have the tube opened and the nozzle attached you can being to apply the Green Glue to your drywall.  If you are not working with a full piece of drywall then remember to make sure the piece you cut fits before applying the glue.  You can lay the drywall on the floor or lean the drywall against a helper for quicker installation. 		  

  Place Drywall Against Wall
After applying the Green Glue to the first piece of drywall you can now begin to place the drywall against the wall or ceiling.  It is important to place the drywall successfully the first time and not slide the drywall around.   It is smart to have a helper assist with this step.  Have one person hold the drywall while the other person begins attaching screws into the studs. 

Do not use nails to attach the drywall that has Green Glue applied to it.  The screws allow the Green Glue to properly compress between the layers of drywall.

     Screw Drywall To Studs
You should completely screw in the drywall before moving on to the next layer so the Green Glue will be fully compressed before having a chance to dry between the layers.  The second layer of drywall should be fully attached to the studs with the same screw pattern as the first layer.  The 'short circuits' caused by the multiple screws will not lower results in a Green Glue system and are actually important to the effectiveness of Green Glue.  All sound tests provided for Green Glue have been achieved in walls where standard screw patterns have been implemented.
 

 

 

Other Useful Project Tips:

We recommend using 5/8" drywall.  If you already have 1/2" or would prefer to use 1/2" then feel free to do so.  Results will not be noticeably lower with 1/2" drywall.  We do not recommend 3/8" drywall or 1/4" drywall unless required.

  1st layer of drywall should be attached using
1 1/4" drywall screws and the 2nd layer of drywall should be attached with 1 5/8" or 1 7/8" drywall screws.

 

 

 

Leave a 2" to 3" border gap around the entire perimeter of the drywall piece so you will be able to handle the drywall when installing.

Attach the drywall to the wall within 15 minutes of applying the Green Glue to drywall.  Completely screw off each sheet of drywall before moving on to the next.
Seal Your Wall
The final step is, once again, sealing the wall.  Notice that most steps involved with applying Green Glue are more related to sealing the wall or ceiling rather than the actual application of the glue.  Your walls and ceilings need to be properly caulked with either an acoustical sealant like our SilenSeal or with a comparable high quality caulk.  SilenSeal is much cheaper per ounce and is easier to work with so we feel SilenSeal is the best solution for caulk used on any project.		  
         

Possible Green Glue Patterns

The patterns above in no way need to be accurately followed.  The purpose of showing these different patterns is to reiterate the fact that it does not really matter what pattern you follow to apply Green Glue.  The red dashed border displays a 'no-apply' area that should be 2" to 3" wide and serves two purposes.  The main purpose is so you will be able to physically handle the drywall without getting glue on your hands. 

The other purpose to leaving a 2" to 3" gap around the perimeter is so the glue does not squeeze out the sides of the drywall when you install the 'Green Glue'd drywall'.
 

Staggering Your Drywall Seams

 

You can avoid sealing your first layer of drywall with caulk and/or drywall mud if you stagger your seams.  The above images illustrate this concept.

First Layer Horizontal, Second Layer Vertical
This image shows the first layer of drywall hung perpendicular with the studs.  The easiest way to stagger the seams from here is to simply hang the second layer parallel to the studs or joists.  This is the most common method of staggering the seams. 

  

First Layer Vertical, Second Layer Vertical and Offset From First
This image shows the first layer of drywall hung parallel to the studs.  The second layer of drywall is also hung parallel to the studs. This method to stagger the seams is more common on resilient sound clip systems with horizontally attached hat channel. 

     

Conclusion

Applying Green Glue is very simple.  There is no product on the market that is as simple and straight forward as applying Green Glue.  Do not stress about the consistency of your Green Glue pattern, but rather focus on applying the correct amount of glue per square foot.  Always maintain a quality seal in your walls and ceilings as well using at least some type of caulk and drywall tape/mud. 

If you have an excessive number of outlets, (more than 3 in a 100 sq. ft. area of wall space), then use putty pads on the back of your outlets.  Avoid use of recessed lighting and in-wall or in-ceiling speakers.  If you really want in-wall or in-ceiling speakers then use our EnWall or DynaBox products.