debi, here's the thing: True cement board is made of non-organic "ingredients". Nothing cellulose-based, like the paper facing on gypsum board. Cement board will not degrade when undergoing long periods of water saturation. It will not degrade after repeated wetting and drying cycles like the gypsum core in gypsum board. So does cement board itself have moisture protection and mold resistance? Yes. Because there's nothing organic in it to feed mold, and there's nothing in it that will degrade from water exposure. But you'll note that it does not say cement board is waterproof. It's not. Water can wick right through it. And what's on the other side of the cement board? Your house's wood framing. Again, you'll find manufacturers telling you about their specific product, but they can't say how their product will interact with or protect materials attached to it. So cement board is essentially not affected by moisture. Your house's wood framing will be affected by moisture. Insulation can be affected by moisture. So you have to decide how to prevent moisture generated by your shower from reaching the wood framing or any insulation within the framing bays. Obviously the tile and grout will shed most of the water. But that's why a barrier of some sort needs to be included before residual moisture and moisture vapor driven through the assemble can reach the wood framing. There are a lot of people who build incorrectly. Some through ignorance, some through apathy. Two dollars worth of 6-mil plastic could have solved this before the cement board was installed. You can unscrew the cement board, hang the poly and reinstall the cement board. Or leave the cement board up, mesh tape and mud the seams, then use a topical membrane to waterproof the CBU. Based on the path this thread has taken, I'll toss this out. When you tile, don't use mastic. Don't use any premixed comes-in-a-tub type of adhesive.

Well, I'm new to this bathroom renovation stuff, being a first time homeowner who's never had to replace a tub before - but I thought replacing the tub generally meant you had to replace the tile surround also, because that would get damaged? And in this older house, most likely there would be some re-plumbing to be done. (At the very least it seems any fixture we've replaced has necessitated a replacement shutoff valve because the old one didn't work anymore). Not to mention that we don't have an access panel to the plumbing because someone patched the wall behind it. Is it possible to replace a tub and keep the tile intact? I worry about how if it's even possible to get a tub in through the fairly narrow doorway and maybe this is the same tub since the house was built in 1945! On the other hand...our tile definitely needs to be replaced, both from an aesthetic viewpoint and a functional one. The ones in the tub area aren't in bad shape but those same tiles go all around the bathroom and there are several cracks in them. My thought was that if I could get a reglazed tub to last five years, hopefully I'd have the money to rip everything out and re-do it by the time the tub reglazing was shot. But if it is possible to replace the tub without too much expense, I'd definitely consider doing that and waiting to replace the hideous tile! I'm a little leery of the home kits for reglazing. The pros use some pretty powerful chemicals to etch the old surface and get the new one to adhere. I suspect the home reglazing kits are more like painting your tub and would peel much more quickly.

I love my under mount tub ...it is very comfortable. The back slopes; I never have banged my head on the ledge. I use mine daily - I prefer a bath to a shower. An under mount gives me a place to set my morning coffee without spilling it on the tub ledge and plenty of room for the morning paper or my Kindle. I am short, so I wanted one that wasn't too long - a 60" works great for me. I've never understood free standing tubs - where would you put everything? And a drop-in would have an uneven ledge and I'd spill my coffee.

I have never had a big, luxurious bathroom with lots of space. When I see those kind of large bathrooms with a sculptural soaking tub not in a nook with lots of space everywhere, I wonder does the soaking experience get chilly very fast? Anyone with experience? Just curious. No palatial bathroom in my future.