[P-Dizzoh]

I wanted to start with a large corner walk-in closet to test green glue performance. The objective was to eliminate or greatly reduce barking dogs and rude neighbors that sit outside and drink beer and yell all night about 50 feet from this corner closet. I read all the reviews and looked at the lab results so I decided to give it a try. I drywalled the ceiling with additional 1/2 inch drywall and the walls with additional 5/8 inch drywall. Wall square footage = 222. I used 12 tubes of GG. All boards were cut and fit together with minimum spacing, fastened with 1 5/8 inch screws and taped with paper. As I was mudding today I enjoyed the sounds of neighborhood dogs and people yelling. As I put my head against the wall I could CLEARLY hear the barking dogs. I went into another part of the bedroom, put my head up to the drywall, and boom... same noise. I didn't need to put my head to the wall in the closet, I just did it to find the source of the noise. The noise was clearly coming in. And for the GG diehards, there are NO other places for noise to come into this closet AND I'm not hearing it coming from someplace else. Simple test, put head to the wall with GG and hear noise, put head to wall w/o GG and hear same noise. The noise isn't really even muffled in the closet. Also, I followed the instructions to a T. (Random pattern on board with about a 2 inch border) 2 tubes per 8X4 board.


Maybe this stuff helps reduce home theater noise going out, but it is useless for preventing noise coming in the home. Please don't respond and ask obvious questions. I drywalled correctly and installed GG correctly. I'm positive someone will quote this out and insist on making an assumption about installation or room environment and I'll respond.


I did read this stuff takes 30 days to cure but what is frightening is I really hear no difference. To me, the product works if you can experience it working first hand. I can't imagine this stuff will go from providing minimal reduction to the great product everyone rants and raves over. Come to think of it, I haven't found a single post about someone who has used this stuff in my scenario and had significant results. Maybe this is why I can only post to the theater design section.


My advice, and take this from first hand experience from someone using his ears, don't use this product to eliminate outside noises.


Here's my advice, if you want quiet move into a solid brick home on a few acres out in the country. Don't try and GG some drywall in a house made from 1/2 drywall and exterior vinyl siding.


I shut my door into my newly GG'd closet and listen to loud engines, neighbors ,and barking dogs.


I have an extra case and I want my money back. I busted my butt this weekend with hope and instead all I got is my clothes spread out all over the house.


And for those of you telling me it works great in your home theaters,


A.) I can't validate that by listening with my EARS.

B.) I don't want to get into a comparison of how many drywall layers, tubes, etc.


I can just say, one additional layer installed as mentioned above had a VERY minimal effect.

 

[aquafire]

Wow.


Bad news for many here including myself!


WS

 

[bpape]

The additional layer of drywall is the primary means of stopping noise coming in - as well as physical decoupling of said drywall. The purpose of the Green Glue is to provide additional low frequency isolation from sound passing between spaces.


Bryan

 

[advertguy2]

I think if you wanted to stop the noise from coming IN, then you probably should have put it up on the outside of your house. No?


Perhaps your random pattern wasn't random enough?


I'd give it 30 days or so and then come back and let us know how it performs. I've read a few threads similar to this one where people aren't satisfied right off the bat. Give it time.


Dan

 

[Ted White]

Randomness of pattern isn't the issue. Let the glue dry as the instructions say.

 

[two-rocks]

I think I would follow the directions and wait until the product cures.


There are cheaper ways to 'fix' neighbors

 

[mbgonzomd]

How do you know the noise is not coming throught the door and causing vibration of you closet wall? In other words how do you know the noise is coming from the opposite side of the closet wall, through the framing and DD/GG sandwich (ie, getting flanked). Did you seal the closet with a heavy door and good weather stripping?


Also, as above, the product is suppose to cure in order to provide the dampening effect.

 

[BritInVA]

What type of flooring? Was that that treated?

 

[JOHNnDENVER]

Are you saying that two layers of 5/8" drywall had no benefit as well here?

I'm not sure what you saying actually. Please clarify some.


GG's main benefit is down low. I'd formulate a different test using a sub maybe? But 2 layers of 5/8" drywall where each layer is finished off is generally pretty darn good on isolation from the outside. I've seen lots and lots of installations like that alone. I have verified it doesn't do much for the subs though.


In about 30 days or so, I should have a good report on what I think of GG.

 

[P-Dizzoh]

The noise coming in through the door would be a long shot wouldn't it? Considering the interior door is on the opposite side of the noise source. Also the door doesn't go to the outside, it goes to a bedroom. (One I just put approx 40 STC rated windows in)


We are talking about basic airborne neighborhood noise here. I have GG'd the ceiling, and the walls of this closet as an initial test. I can can say sitting in the closet with the door shut and putting my ear to the wall opposite of the door and the wall perpendicular to the door I can clearly hear the noise. I'm wanting to stop occasional drunken yelling and the onslaught of barking neighborhood dogs from 50 or so feet. No subs, no home theater... although some of the dogs have bassy pipes.


The extra layer probably has some effect from a db reading level. I'm sure we can break out the ghostbusters equipment and potentially graph some variations. However, I'm really only interested in what my ears are telling me.


I have some nice condenser mics, perhaps an audio/video demonstration would be of benefit to others.


If GG needs to fully cure for 30 days then in fairness I will have to report back after the product has fully cured.


My advice for those looking to stop neighborhood noise is simple... move.

 

[P-Dizzoh]

Interesting about doing the outside of the house for noise coming in? Anyone know if this is indeed the case from a technical standpoint? Most are trying to contain their home theater equipment.... perhaps this is the case? If there is a substantial difference in terms of how sound is blocked based on which side of the wall the extra layer is applied (obviously I cannot apply drywall to the vinyl siding of my home) the claim of blocking outside noise should be removed from the GG site without clearly stating this. (If this is the case)

 

[Ted White]

This is one of the reasons soundproofing treatments are more effective on the source side. Doing this helps to limit the amount of vibration entering the original framing. Once in the framing, vibration is conducted into the rest of the structure, and will be re-created as sound inside. Sometimes the sound can travel quite a distance inside depending on the framing and conductivity of materials in play.


It's obviously a lot more difficult to damp the exterior of a house, but treating the inside with beefed up soundproof windows and GG on walls has been done successfully for years.


Exterior sound is vibrating your structure. If it didn't, you would not hear it inside. It's vibrating the exteror sheathing, the studs, joists and drywall. So this isn't a straight airborne sound issue, unless the window is open.


The apparent vibration pathway isn't a direct line exclusively. That is, the exterior sounds you hear will in fact travel into the room where the door is, as well as up through the floor.


All this is moot at this juncture, however, since you are assessing essentially wet glue if you just applied it over the weekend. Test this for yourself. Choose a place on a treated wall and rap on it with your knuckle. Then try the same thing tomorrow. You will hear that spot on the wall get progressively quieter and quieter as the water leaves the Green Glue and the polymers set up.

 

[rgladiator]

I don't see that this has anything to do with green glue at all. Just adding another layer of drywall should have blocked some of the sound. If you are hearing the same sound in the bedroom with 1 layer of drywall as you are in the closet with 2 layers than the problem isn't green glue or lack of it. The sound is getting through somewhere else.

 

[mbgonzomd]

I guess my main issue is that GG has been independently tested and does help in sound isolation (unless that testing was flawed). Hopefully, if this was the case some of the acoustic guys or HT designers would of caught that. GG is one part of sound isolation (decoupling, dampening, mass, preventing flanking, etc). If your test does not work to decrease sound transmission, I fear that some of the other aspect of sound isolation is amiss. And of course let it cure before drawing any conclusions.

 

[krasmuzik]

Putting your ear against the wall - is the same as putting your ear on the railroad track to hear the train.....because you cannot hear the train in the air.


What you care about is what is the sound difference away from the wall - do the structural vibrations carry enough into the air to hear it?


Also as mentioned - green glue has a curing time before it is effective.


If the sound is still airborn - your door likely has a crack in it so you don't suffocate when trapped in the closest. Sound gets thru the cracks. Barking dogs and loud neighbors is airborne sound - that got into your house somehow. Either thru a crack in the house - or thru vibrating the house structure which then reradiates in to the closet. You could live in a brick house and still have cracks - mine has gaps around the windows covered with thin plastic molding that is loose. Have you ever had your house energy efficiency tested for air leaks?


If you want to properly do these tests - you must construct an air tight box and allow the time for the GreenGlue to cure. Put your head in the box but not on the box.


HT designers use it because it works - they make way more making drawings than they ever would on GreenGlue itself (and thats if they even sell it themselves). If they specify stuff that don't work - they lose money on future referrals.

 

[McCall]

In addition to what everyone else has said the closet door would make big difference. when you were listening in the closet was the door open or shut? Is the door a fully solid door? is it sealed? any outlets or lights not treated in the closet?

All those thing contribute to flanking sound. AND of course the Green glue is not cured as mentioned AND you don't put your ear to the wall to see if it works.

GG may not be the answer for you, but I don't think your test is completely valid at this point.

 

[dbbarron]

Too many variables...

 

[kainers]

Is it possible to GG the outside walls of a house? What would you do...GG inbetween 2 layers of plywood or dricore? Then stucco?


I guess that would be a shield before the noise could penetrate area's easily effecting by flanking. I had thought that doing the walls would equally effect in and out.

 

[instantpop]

I agree with what others have said here. I can tell you from first hand experience that any area left untreated (in this case you have a door) is where the sound that has been blocked elsewhere is going to flank to. I have a noisy neighbor (I live in a brownstone style townhouse) who plays the bass. I put an extra layer of drywall with GG in between on both the common wall and another that acts as a shelf. I can hear the difference in noise reduction, but can also clearly hear that the sound now merely flanks to another spot in the structure. You are not going to get pure isolation without building a room within a room and completely separating yourself from the vibrations coming through your structure, which is what I am currently in the process of doing.

 

[ntode]

how much of the noise was coming through teh door.