Floor Talk!

Hands down this goes to Green Glue. Green Glue is the simple and easy answer to sound proofing floors, wall and ceilings in new construction or remodeling. You simply apply the product with a caulk gun between two sheets of standard drywall or plywood. There is no exact measuring (other than 2 tubes per 4×8 sheet of plywood) or specific coverage pattern - you just apply it randomly all over the board.

This product is great for home theaters, recording studios, condos, apartments, impact noise (footstep noise) and squeaky floors.

Green Glue has been tested and found to:

• Be the most thoroughly of any sound isolation material available

• Be able to be inserted into any fire rated assembly according to the International Building Code

• Not form a vapor lock

• Be environmentally friendly with almost no V.O.C.’s

• Not contribute to mold growth

Thank goodness for the FAQ on their website. Below are a few:

1. What is Green Glue and how does it work?

Sound travels as a wave through the air. It’s an airborne vibration. The waves hit a wall or ceiling and the energy becomes structure-borne. Unless the wall or ceiling material is damped, the vibration will travel through the building framing and exit somewhere else as sound again.

2. How does Green Glue Work?

In a constrained layer damping system, sometimes referred to as CLD, a damping material is sandwiched between two other (usually stiff/center of the “sandwich” is sheared rigid) materials. For example, Green Glue sandwiched between two layers of drywall. Damping occurs when the viscoelastic center of the “sandwich” is sheared (see left).

When bent, shear forces pull and stretch on the damping material. Under these conditions, the unique polymeric construction of Green Glue very efficiently converts this mechanical energy to heat. The vibration energy is not isolated, it’s dissipated and gone.

8. Can Green Glue be used in floors?

Absolutely, in fact when used in floors, Green Glue yields a double benefit - it helps with both impact (footstep) noise and airborne sound, and is very effective at both. Green Glue may be used between layers of subfloor, between subfloor and tile backer board, and between thinset mortar and the surfaces below. You may be able to use 2 layers of thinner subfloor if convenient.

16. How much does Green Glue cost?

About 80 cents per square foot, making a layer of Green Glue the most economical sound isolation product around, as well as one of the best.