Painted wall or tile

[67 455 Bird ragtop]

I'm getting ready to finish the bathroom in my new garage. I have a shower enclosure installed and drywall is up. Next thing is to mud up the seams. After I have a few options.

1. First paint the walls with a texturizer then paint.
2. Simply paint the walls.
3. Either leave the walls above and around the shower painted or tile them.

Any thoughts here ?? I hope to have the seams mudded up by Saturday. Not a big job. Then hope to finish the interior so I can install the rest of the fixtures by next weekend. Have company coming for the 400 July 5th and want 3 full bathrooms available.

 

[dps]

I'd do smooth walls and paint. Smooth walls take more care taping and mudding, but the paint will go fast and offer enough protection for the occasional shower use. After the guests go home you can always choose to spend more time and money with tile, though admittedly it's easier without the fixtures already placed.

 

[boiler7904]

Standard drywall and wall tile in a bathroom are a recipe for disaster and a remodeling project in the future. If you really want tile, the drywall needs to come down and be replaced by tile backer board.

 

[Kevin54]

Standard drywall and wall tile in a bathroom are a recipe for disaster and a remodeling project in the future. If you really want tile, the drywall needs to come down and be replaced by tile backer board.

Ditto that. Cement backer board for tile. Waterproof and mildew resistant.

 

[larry4406]

I agree on the cement back board. If you are doing a fiberglass shower, it will stop about 6 feet or so off the subfloor. I would then add tile to the ceiling.

 

[67 455 Bird ragtop]

hmm I always thought you could use the moisture resistant drywall and tile over it also. Also, I"m not using heavy stuf like tavertine. Just your basic "cheap" bathroom wall tile.

 

[gesoffen]

May be over kill for occasional shower use but check out the schluter kerdi shower systems. The water proof membranes are easy to work with and in my one installation using it so far (basement shower where mold/mildew was a previous problem), I've been extremely happy with the results!

 

[67 455 Bird ragtop]

May be over kill for occasional shower use but check out the schluter kerdi shower systems. The water proof membranes are easy to work with and in my one installation using it so far (basement shower where mold/mildew was a previous problem), I've been extremely happy with the results!

Thanks for the info. Probably is a little overkill for the ocassional use shower. But I'll keep this stuff in mind when we get ready to remodel our master shower.

 

[Kevin54]

hmm I always thought you could use the moisture resistant drywall and tile over it also. Also, I"m not using heavy stuf like tavertine. Just your basic "cheap" bathroom wall tile.
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They have had a few remodeling shows on either DIY or HGTV and most go with the cement backer and it is not that expensive. The seams are also covered with a fiberglass tape and sealed just about like in drywall to keep any moisture from making it to the wood. The cement backer is WATERPROOF, the moisture resistant drywall is just that, moisture resistant but NOT waterproof. It can still mold over a long period. Better be safe than sorry later on. I would also put a vapor barrier between the framing and the backer just for added insurance.

 

[wrigh003]

They have had a few remodeling shows on either DIY or HGTV and most go with the cement backer and it is not that expensive. The seams are also covered with a fiberglass tape and sealed just about like in drywall to keep any moisture from making it to the wood. The cement backer is WATERPROOF, the moisture resistant drywall is just that, moisture resistant but NOT waterproof. It can still mold over a long period. Better be safe than sorry later on. I would also put a vapor barrier between the framing and the backer just for added insurance.

I gutted/redid a nasty NASTY bathroom in my house that some idiot10-15 years ago decided to "upgrade." The shower enclosure was built out of a couple layers of masonite tile-look kitchen backsplash material that's intended to be water resistant, not water proof, and a generic plastic shower pan. Anyway, of course it got water in behind it, soaked it up, rotted/delaminated, and then the leaky enclosure started to rot the floor.

If I read your post right, though, you have a regular shower enclosure- you can get away with moisture resistant drywall above those if you want, I think. Folks have been putting those in houses just drywalled around for years. Keep up with the caulking between the top of the shower enclosure and the drywall, though, and paint it with some kind of semi-gloss paint so you can wipe it down if need be. If you decide to go back with tile, you can even tile over that if you decide, but it'd be a simple/quick project to cut out the drywall and go back with cement board if you decided to. The place where folks have issues with the moisture resistant drywall as a substrate for tile is where it's directly exposed to water, for instance at the base/ in the corners of the shower. Caulk fails, drywall eventually wicks moisture up, all the sudden there's mold and rot going on and/or the tile starts falling off the wall.

 

[67 455 Bird ragtop]

I gutted/redid a nasty NASTY bathroom in my house that some idiot10-15 years ago decided to "upgrade." The shower enclosure was built out of a couple layers of masonite tile-look kitchen backsplash material that's intended to be water resistant, not water proof, and a generic plastic shower pan. Anyway, of course it got water in behind it, soaked it up, rotted/delaminated, and then the leaky enclosure started to rot the floor.

If I read your post right, though, you have a regular shower enclosure- you can get away with moisture resistant drywall above those if you want, I think. Folks have been putting those in houses just drywalled around for years. Keep up with the caulking between the top of the shower enclosure and the drywall, though, and paint it with some kind of semi-gloss paint so you can wipe it down if need be. If you decide to go back with tile, you can even tile over that if you decide, but it'd be a simple/quick project to cut out the drywall and go back with cement board if you decided to. The place where folks have issues with the moisture resistant drywall as a substrate for tile is where it's directly exposed to water, for instance at the base/ in the corners of the shower. Caulk fails, drywall eventually wicks moisture up, all the sudden there's mold and rot going on and/or the tile starts falling off the wall.

Yes you read my post right. I have a normal 3-wall fiberglass enclosure. It's 3x5x6. I used "purple" board all around. I only plan to tile to just above the shower head and on the front sides a little wider than the sliding doors. Then leave the rest painted.

Your info sounds like what I have read. I know if I was not using a fiberglass enclosure I would need to use cement board for the entire shower area. I also have a moisture barrier between the wood and the drywall.

 

[wrigh003]

You'll be fine- just finish that drywall as normal and paint it with semigloss and keep the bottom part caulked. It'll be OK.

 

[gesoffen]

The cement backer is WATERPROOF, the moisture resistant drywall is just that, moisture resistant but NOT waterproof. It can still mold over a long period. Better be safe than sorry later on. I would also put a vapor barrier between the framing and the backer just for added insurance.

Technically, the cement backer board (and similar hardibacker stuff) is not water proof. IT will still absorb moisture, it just won't fail when wet like drywall does.

For a fiberglass surround, the substrate won't be exposed to direct moisture (unless you have a joint or plumbing failure) but it'll be exposed to condensation under the right conditions. I'd recommend a moisture resistant/mildew resistant substrate at a minimum. The only significant benefit of a cement backer board (and hardi backer) would be a stiffer substrate that is more compatible with tile application. IF your aren't tiling anything, I wouldn't bother.

Bottom line is cement backer board, hardi backer, and drywall (moisture resistant or not) are not a suitable water proof membrane. Grout is not water proof either (again, it just doesn't fail from moisture exposure). For the most robust application to prevent moisture damage from direct water exposure and condensation, you need a moisture barrier such as roofing felt (with sealed seams), the red plastic stuff, or this Schluter-Kerdi stuff (my new favorite).

The Kerdi is nice because it gets set on TOP of the substrate with thin-set so you don't have to patch dozens of screw holes if the substrate goes on top of the water proof membrane (as in the case of roofing felt or the red stuff) - much fewer points of failure. Also the Kerdi has a fleece on it that holds thinset and tile VERY well - all in all, the most thought out system I've seen for this application. Its used very extensively in health care and commercial applications where sterile environments are necessary.

 

[kbs2244]

In process right now on a bath tear out. 40 year old house. “Green Board” behind the tile.
Some mold but no rot in the studs where the water got through the grout and so called waterproof green paper.
Lessons learned.
Do not trust the backing board alone.
Paint with oil based paint, but do not trust it alone.
Caulk at the bottom of the cement board even if it will be behind what ever is the finished surface.
Use as few seams as possible. Pre made fiberglass may not be the most classy, but it will not leak.
I have been in $300.00 a night hotels and even they don’t use tile any more. Preformed corners and very well caulked 4x5 acrylic panels.