I get where you’re coming from, but I’m not totally convinced green board is useless in all bathroom scenarios. I mean, it’s definitely not for inside the shower or anywhere that gets direct spray—that’s a recipe for trouble. But for the rest of the bathroom walls, especially if you’ve got good ventilation and you’re careful about sealing everything up, I think it’s still a step up from regular drywall.
I’m working on my first reno now, and the budget is tight. Foam panels are great, but they’re not cheap, and not everyone can swing the extra cost. As long as you’re realistic about where you use green board and don’t cut corners on waterproofing, it can hold up fine. Maybe I’ll regret this in a few years, but honestly, if you keep up with caulking and make sure fans are running, most of the moisture issues are avoidable... at least outside the shower area.
Green board’s kinda like that one friend who’s not the life of the party, but still shows up and helps clean up after. I get what you’re saying—foam panels are awesome, but my wallet just laughs at me every time I price them out.
“As long as you’re realistic about where you use green board and don’t cut corners on waterproofing, it can hold up fine.”
Couldn’t agree more. I did my powder room with green board a couple years back (no shower, just the occasional steamy mirror) and it’s still looking solid. I mean, if you’re not hosing down your walls every day, and you’ve got a fan that actually gets used, it’s probably gonna be fine.
I do get a little nervous about the “maybe I’ll regret this in a few years” part, but honestly, everything in my house is a gamble at this point. If it holds up, great. If not, well... that’s what patch kits are for, right?
I hear you on the “everything’s a gamble” part—my house is basically a collection of educated guesses at this point. I used green board in my laundry room a while back, and it’s held up just fine, even with the dryer pumping out steam every other day. I did make sure to caulk all the seams and slap on a good primer, though. Foam panels are great, but yeah, that price tag stings. As long as you’re not putting it in a shower stall, green board seems like a pretty safe bet for most bathrooms.
Green board’s kind of the “default” for a lot of folks, especially in older homes or quick flips. I’ve torn out my fair share of bathrooms and laundry rooms, and nine times out of ten, if there was green board behind the tile (and it wasn’t in the direct line of water), it was still holding up okay—maybe a little soft around the tub edge if the caulking failed, but not catastrophic. I do think a lot of its success comes down to how well you seal it up, like you mentioned. Primer, caulk, and a good paint job make a world of difference.
That said, I’ve run into a couple situations where green board just didn’t cut it. Had a client who thought it’d be fine behind a tub surround, and after about five years, we found some pretty gnarly mold when we pulled the surround off. Turns out, even with decent caulking, any crack or pinhole is an open invitation for moisture. Once water gets in, green board doesn’t really stand a chance compared to cement board or those pricier foam panels.
I get the sticker shock with foam panels—every time I quote them, people look at me like I’m trying to sell them gold-plated drywall. But man, they’re light, easy to cut, and you don’t have to sweat every little seam as much. I guess it comes down to how much risk you’re willing to take versus the budget.
Curious how you handled the floor in your laundry room? Did you go with tile, LVP, or something else? I’ve seen some wild combos lately—one guy did epoxy over plywood and swore by it, but I’m still on the fence about that one...
I’ve actually tried epoxy over plywood in a rental laundry room, mostly as an experiment. Looked slick at first, but after a couple years, the seams started to show and it chipped where the washer vibrated. For my own places, I usually stick with LVP—handles moisture, easy to swap out if a tenant trashes it, and doesn’t break the bank. Tile’s great, but I’ve had more cracked grout than I care to remember, especially if the subfloor isn’t perfect. Green board’s fine for walls outside the splash zone, but I just can’t bring myself to trust it behind a tub or shower anymore. Too many “surprises” during demo days...