John Sayers' Recording Studio Design Forum Archive

I'm getting ready to seal the outlet boxes and put up some drywall. I've read a bunch about the putty pads, but wonder why fire rated caulk wouldn't work just as well, besides being cheaper. Maybe it's an STC issue...

I'm using the standard plastic wall boxes that nail to the studs, so it would seem just a little dab of caulk around the unused wire holes, and another line of caulk around the perimeter of the box once the drywall would do the trick.

Pros...cons? Anyone solved this problem aother way?

I think the appeal of the putty pads is that they have a thickness that wraps around the entire box, thereby adding mass to the box itself -- in addition to sealing it. There's also the added benefit of the fact that they expand when exposed to extreme heat, so they dynamically react with increased fire protection when needed.

• Seal: Putty pads and caulk each earn a point.
  Fire Protection: Putty pads earn two points and caulk earns one point.
  Mass: Putty pads earn a point and aulk earns zero points.

Putty pads win the game with a score of four to two.

Gotcha

A quick question about the putty packs. I surrounded the outside of the boxes in the putty, and I'm in the process of putting up the first layer of drywall. I'm wondering:

How should the putty get sealed to the drywall in order to make the wall airtight? My holes for the electrical boxes are not all "perfect"...

I've been wondering this myself. Perhaps one can apply the packs before the drywall goes up in such a way that the packs extend past the boxes, "into the room" basically, and then the drywall "squishes" against it...?

Once you figure this out, please take some photos and post 'em!

--Keith