Should have been in before the tile and taped with non-alkaline take and spackled with thinset. Not sure what to suggest now. However what was used as waterproofing over the cement board?

Just to be clear, this is not a new bathroom, in which case yes, the cement board and drywall would have been installed first, taped, then the tile would have been added.

This is an existing tiled shower, where the drywall above the tile had to be removed due to rusted corner bead and some termite damage. I don't want to remove the tile, just replace the drywall, hence the situation above.

The drywall above the tile seems like it was just regular drywall. It's 77 inches from the bottom of the tub, so likely not considered a splash area.

Set the denseshield in a bed of caulking then.

That sounds good. What type of caulking do you recommend? Would a flexible sealant work (this is what densShield recommends putting between joints)?

How would I lay this bed of caulking into the channel quickly enough so that it doesn't dry by the time I drop the densShield in? Seems like a caulking gun would take too long to fill this area, no?

Use a adhesive sealant. Wedi, Laticrete, Kerdi fix. etc.

https://laticrete.com/en/shower-installation-systems/accessories/hydro-ban-adhesive-sealant

https://us.wedi.de/product-systems/shower-and-wet-room-systems/accessories/wedi-joint-sealant/

KERDI-FIX Data Sheet.pdf (schluter.com)

Thanks for that, it really helps.

As for the corner bead around the window returns, the densShield documentation mentions using fiberglass mesh tape at all joints, but says nothing about corner bead (vinyl or otherwise).

Is vinyl corner bead even possible/desirable here?

I would use a vinyl cornerbead and a tear- away bead againd the window. I like to staple them on would mud it with durabond,.

That sounds like a good solution.

Maybe avoid the staples to avoid rust down the line? I've heard the adhesive for vinyl works really well.

As for the Durabond, since I'm a novice, should I get Durabond 45 or 90? Or is Easy Sand a safer option?

Instead if the plastic corner bead you could use a composite corner bead , they are paperlessand have no metal and is easier to set then plastic corner bead which can lift with out fastners. Home Depot has them. I woukd use the easy sand since it is higher up, the regular durabond is more resistant but is extra hard to sand. with a small area like that I prefer 5 min mud so i can do more coats quickly, I think youd be fine with 20 if your a newb. If your impatient you can always use a heat gun to accelrate dry times

Those are great tips! Thanks so much for the additional info!

I'm pretty patient, but we'll see how long the other two family members remain so, ha ha.

Ok, it's been a few days, so not sure whether anyone is reading this, but:

The densShield is now up above the shower tile, screwed in. All edges are connected with Wedi joint sealant.

The manual says I now need to tape all joints and corners with mesh tape. However, on the window outside corners, since I'm using vinyl corner bead, should I first tape with mesh tape, then install corner bead? Or just install the corner bead?

On the right side, there is at most an 1/8" distance between the exposed edge from the wall panel and the window return (see photo). Is that still manageable?

A few days later...

I have taped all joints, installed the vinyl corner bead, mudding all beads and joints with quick setting compound.

As per densShield's guidelines, I also added a skim coat of quick set across the remaining drywall surface (see photo) in preparation for painting.

The question now is how to finish this.

1. I could apply a skim coat of either all-purpose or Plus 3 to even out any surface imperfections (small holes etc), then apply primer and paint.

2. Or, directly apply a primer that can hide these imperfections.

The question is which primer is appropriate:

High build drywall primer?

PVA, such as PVA Kilz?

Primer/surfacer?

Primer/sealer?

I've looked at KILZ Mold and Mildew Primer/Sealer, but I'm not sure whether that will handle surface imperfections, or if it is even appropriate on new drywall like this.

DensShield gives no info on what kind of primer to use, hence my hesitation.

Thanks for any kind advice!

I would skim coat it, primer will only hide light scratches from sand paper. You could use either of those joint compounds or even more durabond. I think any primer will work, i’d go with the same primer brand as the topcoat.

Thanks for confirming I should do the skim coat.

Regarding the primer, when you say any primer will work, am I correct in inferring that a drywall primer (eg high-build or PVA) isn't necessary? Would that be because we have an even coat of mud on the whole surface, not paper and tape as on regular drywall?

To my knowledge, KILZ only makes primer, I don't think it has paint.

kilz will work, not a fan of there latex primer as it is thin, easily bleeds through.

What would you recommend?

I usually use whatever I have around , and buy from the store closest to me. Ppg, Behr from Home Depot , Sherwin Williams , I’m not picky and I would even use Kilz if I had lying around.

Good to know. I just skim coated with the Plus 3 and it worked really well, thanks for the tip!