We are working with our strategic partners that provide Property & Causality (P&C) Insurance for our clients when utilizing GZ Drywall Tape to enhance their coverage or potentially reduce their premiums. Since our tape does not require demolition if damaged (unless in case of fire) the replacement costs in many cases is less than if you had to demolition the walls.

Does this  drywall joint tape adversely affect the Sound Transmission through the wall?

A: our drywall joint tape, like all other drywall joint tapes, does not change the STC (sound transmission coefficient).

However, the Structural Engineer’s framing layout can have a major impact on the STC.  We discussed this with the a hotel structural engineer and he applauded the suggestion.  He made sure he ran the joists from perimeter wall to corridor wall (not from separating wall—demising wall—to demising wall) for two reasons:

1. The STC rating between rooms is increased because when the demising (separating) wall between rooms is Not load bearing and therefore the joists do not rest on top of the wall, it is easier to mitigate sound because the Wall goes straight up to the deck without being interrupted with intersecting joists which are subject to sound transmission.
2. This increases the tax benefit from about $5 per square foot of floor area to about $9.  Further, the structural engineer made the header over the corridor-entry door an 8 foot long header (with a 3 foot wide door AND 5 feet of studs beneath the 8 foot header).  This increased the Green Zip tax benefit to about $12 per square foot of floor space.