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Best underlay for ceramic tiles?

16 years ago

Hi, I'm doing a cheap/basic upgrade of a basement bathroom, it kind of mushroomed from a replacement of a cheap, poorly positioned vanity to a much bigger job, although I have no budget apart from what's left over from my modest pay...

The builders used regular drywall (surprise surprise) and when I ripped out one wall to get to/relocate the plumbing where the vanity goes, the old stuff was in reasonable shape. Above the small one-piece fibreglass shower, the drywall on at least one wall is in not-so-good shape, and I have no idea if they lined with plastic, here in British Columbia, these unlicenced 'handypersons' and even the builders seem to get away with a lot. I had figured on replacing the worst piece and leaving the rest of the existing drywall above the shower and tiling it, but I've since thought it may be better to replace all of what's around the shower. I bought moist-area drywall to go where I've removed the vanity and would probably have enough to go above the shower (I basically don't want to reline the whole bathroom at this point) and wonder if the wet-area drywall is good to affix ceramic tiles to, or if I'd be better off getting the cement board to do it with. Any thoughts?

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Comment (1)

Brewbeer
16 years ago
In the sink area, where the walls may occasionally see an occasional splash or two of water, but don't generally get wet frequently, the greenboard is sufficient.

Cement board as a rule is used as the backboard for tile showers (there is an exception to this rule if using a paint-on waterproof membrane). But behind a fiberglass stall, cement board is not necessary. If you plan to rip the whole thing out and start over, hang plastic on the wall studs, attach the cement board over the plastic, then tile.
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