Gold Bond Ready-Mix Plus joint compound — National Gypsum

Product Description

Gold Bond Ready-Mix Plus joint compound were manufactured under the National Gypsum name and supplied throughout the period when asbestos was the routine sealing and insulating material in drywall joint compound service. The National Gypsum catalog reached American industrial worksites, including power generation facilities, refineries, paper mills, shipyards, and major institutional construction projects.

According to asbestos litigation records, Gold Bond Ready-Mix Plus joint compound were supplied to American industry through the period when asbestos was treated as the routine sealing and insulating material for high-temperature service. National Gypsum built its market position around durability and reliability under demanding conditions — the same operating envelope that drove asbestos use across the drywall joint compound category well into the late 1970s.

Asbestos Content

Court filings document allegations that Gold Bond Ready-Mix Plus joint compound incorporated asbestos in one or more of the structural roles common to drywall joint compound of the era:

Asbestos fiber filler — Ready-mix and dry joint compounds incorporated short-fiber chrysotile asbestos as a cracking-resistance additive. Plaintiffs alleged that Gold Bond Ready-Mix Plus joint compound contained asbestos in formulations sold throughout the period before EPA regulatory action.

Drying-stage dust — Once applied to drywall joints, the compound dried into a fragile crust that drywall finishers sanded smooth — a process that liberated respirable asbestos fibers into the breathing zone of the finisher and other trades sharing the space.

Mixing dust — Workers who mixed dry joint compound from powder generated airborne fiber concentrations during the initial mixing operation, particularly in enclosed or poorly ventilated rooms.

Cleanup and dust accumulation — Sanding debris accumulated on surfaces, tools, and clothing. Sweeping and brushing reactivated airborne fiber, exposing workers performing routine site cleanup.

The asbestos in these components was not unique to National Gypsum; the materials in question were industry-standard well into the 1970s. The relevance to litigation lies in the volume of Gold Bond Ready-Mix Plus joint compound installed across American worksites and the frequency with which those components were disturbed during ordinary maintenance.

How Workers Were Exposed

Workers most likely to have encountered asbestos through Gold Bond Ready-Mix Plus joint compound include those whose trades brought them into routine contact with the equipment:

  • Drywall finishers and tapers — applying, sanding, and finishing joint compound on residential and commercial projects
  • Painters — sanding and prepping joint-compound finished walls before painting
  • General construction laborers — mixing dry joint compound and cleaning up sanding debris
  • Renovation and demolition workers — disturbing joint compound in older buildings during remodel and tear-out
  • Drywall hangers — working alongside finishers in the same enclosed spaces

Court filings document that bystander and take-home pathways were also common. Workers who did not directly handle Gold Bond Ready-Mix Plus joint compound but who shared confined work areas with those who did were alleged to have inhaled the same airborne fibers. Family members were exposed through fibers carried home on contaminated work clothing — a pathway recognized in occupational medicine and asbestos litigation as take-home or secondary exposure.

The latency period for asbestos-related diseases — mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and pleural disease — ranges from roughly ten to fifty years between initial exposure and diagnosis. Workers exposed through Gold Bond Ready-Mix Plus joint compound during the 1940s through the early 1980s may only now be receiving diagnoses tied to that occupational history.

The current trust-fund and litigation status for products in the National Gypsum catalog is summarized on the manufacturer reference page linked at the top of this article. Where a Section 524(g) trust exists, claims may be filed in parallel with civil litigation against other defendants whose products contributed to the same exposure history. Where no trust exists, claims are pursued through the civil court system. Statute-of-limitations rules vary by state and disease type; the limitations clock generally begins at the time of diagnosis rather than the time of exposure.

Individuals who worked with or around Gold Bond Ready-Mix Plus joint compound and have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease should preserve documentation of employment history, jobsites, and product identification, and consult an attorney experienced in asbestos claims promptly after diagnosis.

Documented Product Identification

The following details are drawn from public asbestos litigation records, manufacturer catalog pages, technical manuals, and corporate history materials. Each item reflects the product as documented in those sources.

Documented asbestos-use period: 1930-1981

Corporate context: National Gypsum was incorporated in Delaware on August 29, 1925, with headquarters in Buffalo, New York until 1976 when they moved to Dallas, Texas. The Gold Bond Building Products Division was created in 1966. Following bankruptcy reorganization, asbestos claims are handled by the NGC Settlement Trust through Asbestos Claims Management Corporation (ACMC).

Brand identification: Gold Bond trademark used across all product lines; specific sub-brands include Asbestibel, Humiguard, Permaboard, Plia-F-Lex, Therm-O-Tec, Woodrock, Sprayolite, Macoustic, Asbestone, Natcor

Documented asbestos components: asbestos cement siding, asbestos cement shingles, asbestos cement panels, asbestos cement flat sheets, asbestos cement corrugated sheets, joint compounds, acoustical plaster, texture coatings, insulating cement, marine board, bulkheading, adhesives, mortar mix, roofing shingles, soffit panels.

Documented asbestos-component suppliers: the public records lists the following external suppliers of asbestos-bearing packing, gaskets, and seals used in conjunction with this manufacturer’s equipment — Keasbey & Mattison Company, Johns-Manville, U.S. Gypsum, American Marietta Company, Durabone Products Company (USG subsidiary), Hatcher Lumber Company, Ruco Company, Monarch Paint Company.

Industries served: construction, residential building, commercial building, industrial building, agricultural/farm buildings, marine/shipbuilding, merchant vessels, waterway infrastructure.

Naval / marine service: This manufacturer’s equipment is documented in connection with U.S. Navy and commercial-marine service.

Documented product lines:

  • Asbestos-Cement Siding Shingles (1954-1981). Exterior siding products including Classic Shake, Chromatex, Chromatone, Chromashake, Deeptex, Woodgrain, and Sussex varieties in various thicknesses. — asbestos components: chrysotile 11.9-21.7%, amosite substitute 1959-early 1970s, crocidolite in Louisiana 1959.
  • Asbestos-Cement Ceiling Panels (1958-1981). Interior ceiling panels including Gold Bond, Asbestibel, and Humiguard branded products. — asbestos components: chrysotile.
  • Asbestos-Cement Flat Sheet (1954-1981). Flat sheet products including Permaboard, Pliaboard, Plia-F-Lex, Therm-O-Tec, and Woodrock for construction applications. — asbestos components: chrysotile 15-44.78%, amosite substitute 1959-early 1970s.
  • Corrugated Asbestos Cement Sheet (1954-1981). Corrugated sheets including Economy 250 and 400 series for sidewalls and roofs on industrial, commercial and farm buildings. — asbestos components: chrysotile 16.3-22.8%, amosite substitute 1959-early 1970s.
  • Drywall Joint Treatment Materials (1935-1975). Joint compounds and cements including Joint Cement, Crown Coat, All-Purpose, Tri-Treatment, Finisher, Quick-Treat, Triple T, Sta-Smooth, Velvet, Two-In-One, Thermo-Weld, Quick-Weld varieties. — asbestos components: chrysotile 0.9-23.1%, some formulations up to 45.2%.
  • Acoustical and Texture Plasters (1930-1976). Spray-applied and trowel-applied acoustical plasters and texture products including Sprayolite, Macoustic, Perfo-Lyte, Thermacoustic, and numerous texture coatings. — asbestos components: chrysotile 1-39%, amosite 11-21% in Thermacoustic.
  • Canal Bulkheading (1959-1981). Gold Bond Bulkheading manufactured for preventing soil erosion along inland waterways and canals in three types. — asbestos components: chrysotile in Type 1, chrysotile and crocidolite in Types 2 and 3, 16.3-30.4% by weight.
  • Roofing Shingles (1954-1968). Asbestos cement roofing products including Dutch Lap, Hexagonal, and Ranch Style shingles. — asbestos components: chrysotile 12.9-22%, amosite substitute 1959-early 1970s.

National Gypsum operated through its Gold Bond Building Products Division and also sold products manufactured by Keasbey & Mattison and Johns-Manville under Gold Bond labels. The company engaged in extensive private-label manufacturing for retailers including Sears, Montgomery Ward, and major building products companies. U.S. Coast Guard approved K&M A-C Board sold by National Gypsum for merchant vessels from 1943-1977.