How We Remodeled Trim-Tex HQ Using Our Own Code-Compliance Products

How do you know Trim-Tex has 100% certainty in the effectiveness of our code-compliance drywall accessories? We used in our own headquarters!

In the summer of 2024, we took on a huge project: gutting and remodeling a little more than half of the front-office facilities of Trim-Tex HQ in Lincolnwood, Ill. This would make way for Trim-Tex's “Innovation Center,” including pristine new offices, meeting and event spaces, staff kitchen and more. And to safeguard our awesome new digs against the spread of sound, smoke and fire, we were able to take advantage of our own family of code-compliance solutions. Specifically, we chose our Sound Gasket (pictured throughout, in blue) for all bottom-wall joints throughout the area — and Fire Gasket (pictured below, in pink) wherever firestop materials were required — due to their speedy installation, ease-of-use and efficacy.

Read on to hear from the project’s contractor about their experience using our highly innovative soundproofing and firestopping products, and see just how easy using these solutions can be.

Sound Gasket & Fire Gasket: ‘This Is Huge’

For the installers at Tannco Construction, Inc., the contractor we partnered with to build out our dream Innovation Center, this would be their first time using the latest code-compliance innovations for drywall joints. In the past, they had only used acoustical sealants and fire caulks, and were used to all their little quirks and inconveniences. So, when they got their hands on our Sound and Fire Gasket products, it didn’t take long for them to see how much faster and easier they could be.

“Caulk is always a mess,” Tannco Construction Project Manager Ryan Soderblom told us. “You use a full tube of caulk, and it'll go four or five feet, depending on the gaps. It's a mess. It's a mess. It takes time. It's not fun crawling around. So, this stuff definitely saves a lot of that … If we're on a job too long, we're losing money. Everyone wants to make money. So, this is huge.”

One of the reasons sealant is so messy and so time consuming is that its dosage is left up to the installer — too little and you’re failing inspection, too much and you’re cleaning up wasted material. On the other hand, code compliances “devices” like Trim-Tex’s accessories remove the guesswork: their flexible bubble gaskets form a consistent seal against the adjoining floor or ceiling, evenly suppressing sound passage. And, in the case of Fire Gasket, the attached intumescent tape provides the correct dosage of firestop materials in every application, eliminating the likelihood of installer error.

Sound Gasket & Fire Gasket: ‘Peel It, Stick It & Rock It’

Among Trim-Tex’s line of fire and sound rated drywall accessories, Sound Gasket and Fire Gasket stand out in at least one key category: installation speed. Unlike the other, drywall-mounted solutions offered (which are attached to the wall and finished with joint compound), a product like Sound Gasket is simply affixed straight onto the framing, pre-drywall.

Installation of Sound and Fire Gaskets is essentially a one-step system: just remove the backing from the attached adhesive foam and press the accessory into place on the track, applying pressure along the entire bead to ensure a tight, even seal across the abutting substrate. Then, when ready, just hang your drywall over the bead, perhaps using a piece of scrap drywall as a spacer to keep the gap between the drywall and floor/ceiling consistent.

But Ryan, the project's PM, summarizes this simple installation better than we ever could.

“What we're using here down at the floor is your Fire Gasket and your Sound Gasket,” Ryan says. “It's impressive. It really is. You save time. You go the extra step now to save a lot of time, a lot of mess later, so it's nice. It's nice to work with … and it's relatively simple. There's not much to it. You peel it, you stick it, and you rock it! That's it!”

Thank you to Ryan and the Tannco team for taking time out of their days to speak with us — and for helping provide us with some excellent new additions to Trim-Tex HQ! You’ll be seeing more of their top-notch work coming up in the near future as we show off our full office remodel. In the meantime, you can get a closer look at Sound Gasket by requesting a free sample below.