Green Glue Pails Easy To Apply Without Applicator?

You can't trowel Green Glue. To loose. Like Ketchup.

Also, a stock applicator won't work well, either.

For my room of ~18 x 20 I went through 3 pails of GG. I'm pretty sure if you get three pails that the applicator comes significantly discounted. If you are going to use three pails, you WANT the applicator. I will save you tons of time. I am a huge penny pincher and even I got the applicator and am glad I did so.

I used a large paint brush when I built my backer boxes (I didn't want to gum up the applicator since I wasn't doing the walls yet). What a pain in the ass. You can cross that method off your list.

The Green Glue has unusual physical properties. When wet or dry.

Has the formulation changed? I trowelled it, with the notched trowel. That was before cartridges.

^^What he said, 'cept all green and sticky!

Yes it certainly has. Back in those days the GG was thicker and less compressible. It took a good three months of R&D to increase the compressibility and maintain the damping capacity. This new formulation was released in tubes.

... I've always wondered if a drywall finisher could spatter apply GG directly from the pail using a drywall texture spray rig.

Does not work due to GG viscosity. We've looked into that as well as powered pumps. Pumps proved impractical

I've heard many stories of how messy that stuff is. Is the jumbo sized caulk gun ruined afterwards, or does everybody still have theirs?

If they aren't ruined, you probably have a lot of people on this site who have one sitting in their basement. I bet if you paid shipping both ways they would lend you one. You might even have someone local who has one.

Working with gallons of any glue can be messy.

Stock applicators you'll find have leather parts and are not well suited for the water-based Green Glue. A Speedload had significant modifications. One mod is the use of Nitrile rubber parts to deal with the water. This allows you to easily water flush the applicator between uses.

You can still buy the tubes, right?

Yes, certainly.

Has anyone tried a heavy duty zip lock bag with one of the bottom corners cut off (1/4" wide)? I imagine you could squeeze it out like a frosting bag. Also there are mortar/grout bags that are designed for this, but don't hold as much. They are conical shaped and the tip is reinforced with vinyl or something. So you cut it to the desired opening, and then it shouldn't blow out wider, like it might with the zip lock.
I've got the bucket of glue and don't want to wait for an applicator to be shipped, so if you have advice please respond at your earliest convenience! Thanks!

I used a turkey baster.

...but only for turkeys, although I'm sure there are other more sordid uses.

The GG applicator works well. You don't HAVE to clean it between applications. Mine has been in a bucket of water for 11 months now!!

I am sure I have seen someone trowel is on with a tile trowel, 10mm from memory.

Ted - not a good idea?

The performance is less when troweled on from what I have read. Also, I think it is less viscous than even ketchup.

Even if you pay full price for the applicator it is such a small price vs the cost of the project.

Unfortunately I'm finding this thread AFTER purchasing a 5 gallon bucket of Green Glue and no applicator. There were MANY sites that said I could trowel this on (1/8" v trowel), but only now I'm I finding evidence to the contrary. $55 is a lot of money for an applicator (especially after spending $215 on the glue itself). Anybody had any luck with troweling or using a different (less expensive) applicator?

I'm wondering if I could use a water canon like the Stream Machine or Max Liquidator (each around $15) instead.

Sorry but I think you should shell out the additional $40 to get the correct applicator; it's the correct tool for the job. Drywalling is already enough of a PITA without having to worry about a dodgy GG applicator...

Is the viscosity the only issue? You responded to my question about using a trowel on another forum, but only with "because I said so." I am responding on this forum as well, as I think the audience for this forum (mostly theater people) might not find the information on the other thread (mostly music studio people).

I am installing Green Glue at around 50 degrees (in Denver in November), so viscosity doesn't seem to be an issue. The "bead" I am getting with a trowel looks and behaves exactly like the bead that would come out of a caulking tube.

I just need to find out if the difficulty with handling the material is the only issue, or if there is some other reason that using a trowel causes the product to fail (or at least have its efficiency reduced).

Thanks so much.

I don't recall saying "because I said so." This is part of the problem buying technical items online with bad information / no support.

The 50 degree temperature would be better moved to 70 to aid in compression.

You want 3/8" thick beads for optimal performance, hence the Speedload Applicator.

$14.99 + tax

I'm not trying to pick a fight; I am just trying to get answers.

I took the time to read a lot of the technical data (yes, I actually read hundreds of page of math and science from the Green Glue and Sound Proofing Company INC websites) and researched other people's experiences in addition to the data posted via the company and various reseller's online. I'm not sure what "bad information/no support" means when I'm reading all the technical data posted by Green Glue and purchasing directly from Green Glue (admitedly via Amazon, but it says "by Green Glue Company" in the listing, so if this is incorrect, Green Glue should remedy this misleading information).

There is nothing in the data that suggests that a trowel couldn't be used if the viscosity is lowered. As previously stated, I would think this issue would not have been tested by Green Glue because it's not likely that someone would suggest lowering the temperature (of the room or of the product). Thus, I was trying to get an answer regarding a situation I thought might be a new one to the people with the answers.

If, however, lowering the temperature is counter productive to installation because the lower viscosity resists compression of the Green Glue, and the end result when placing the second layer of drywall is not conducive to the best final result, that is exactly the kind of information I am trying to ascertain (and I appreciate the information). In my research, however, I did not find any information suggesting that the Green Glue should not be installed at lower temperatures... just that it would take longer to cure.


For the record, your exact quote (and the only thing you typed in your previous response to my questions on the other thread) was: "What I think is that I co-founded the Green Glue Company and you need the gun." I'm not sure how that doesn't translate to, "because I said so."

Good luck

Hilarious.

Thanks for the one valuable piece of information you actually posted: "The 50 degree temperature would be better moved to 70 to aid in compression."

I sincerely appreciate it, and hope to find further answers to my inquiries elsewhere, since you don't seem to think the information is valuable enough to share (or even consider) with people whom it might help.

Welcome to the forum, by the way.

This entire thread describes how troweling is far from ideal. You can certainly use whatever trowel you like, however.

I mentioned the 3/8" bead, which I believe is standard in all the installation instructions, whether for tubes or pails.

You say that whoever sold you this product neither discussed it nor provided installation instructions. Have you asked them for a copy?

Digabyte - Since you have only been an AVS Forum member for 1 day, I'll be the first to welcome you. Since you haven't had the opportunity to read all of the threads and get a feel for who the real experts are, I thought I'd help you out. Ted White is the go-to guy on this site for all things related to soundproofing. When approached in a polite manner, he is always more than willing to answer any and all questions, whether you end up buying his products or not. He actually recommended I not spend the money soundproofing my space after I explained my goals to him. Take a few minutes to read some of these threads and I think you will find just how helpful Ted is.

Good luck with your build.

I'm about at the fifty bucket club level this year. Get the gun, If the stuff is getting stiff because it is cold I would keep it in a warm place for a couple of days, Bring them out one at a time and wrap in something to keep them warm.