Green board in the news—worth the hype for bathrooms?

Green Board in the News—Worth the Hype for Bathrooms?

Yeah, I hear you—green board gets hyped up way more than it deserves. For a powder room, though, you’re probably fine. I’ve done a few and never had issues unless someone decided to turn the sink into a water park. My only extra tip: don’t cheap out on the paint. I learned that lesson after one too many splashy kids’ hand-washing sessions... semi-gloss is your friend. Cement board is overkill unless you’re prepping for a flood or your family showers in every room.

I get what you’re saying about cement board being overkill, but is green board really that much better than regular drywall for a powder room? I’ve read mixed stuff—some folks say it’s not even that moisture-resistant unless you’re dealing with actual splashes.

“don’t cheap out on the paint. I learned that lesson after one too many splashy kids’ hand-washing sessions... semi-gloss is your friend.”

Green Board: Worth It or Just Extra?

I totally get where you’re coming from. I remember standing in the aisle at the hardware store, staring at the green board and regular drywall, wondering if I was just falling for a marketing gimmick. For my own powder room, I ended up going with regular drywall too—mostly because it’s a half bath and there’s no shower or tub, so the moisture risk seemed pretty low. Like you said, a good primer and semi-gloss paint make a world of difference. I’ve got two kids who treat hand-washing like a competitive sport, and honestly, the walls have held up just fine.

I do think green board gives some folks peace of mind, especially if they’ve had bad experiences with mold or water damage before. But in a powder room? Unless you’re expecting major splashes or someone’s going to dump buckets of water on the floor, it might be overkill. I’ve seen more issues from poor ventilation than from not using green board—like when people skip an exhaust fan and then wonder why their walls get funky.

One thing I will say: if you’re ever planning to convert that half bath into a full bath down the line, it might be worth thinking ahead and using something more moisture-resistant now. Otherwise, for most powder rooms, I’d save the extra cash for nicer fixtures or eco-friendly paint (which is what I did—no regrets).

Funny enough, my neighbor went all out with cement board in his powder room “just in case.” He jokes now that his walls could survive a flood but his sink still leaks every few months. Sometimes it’s about picking your battles.

Anyway, sounds like your setup is working well so far. If it ain’t broke…

- Totally agree, green board in a powder room is usually overkill.
- Regular drywall with a good primer and paint holds up just fine unless you’re dealing with constant moisture.
- Biggest issues I’ve seen are from bad ventilation, not the type of drywall. If you don’t have an exhaust fan, that’s where problems start.
- If you’re thinking about a future shower install, maybe consider it, but otherwise I’d spend the money elsewhere.
- Funny how people go all out on walls but ignore leaky plumbing... priorities get weird sometimes.

Green Board Isn’t Always Overkill—Here’s Why I Still Use It Sometimes

“Regular drywall with a good primer and paint holds up just fine unless you’re dealing with constant moisture.”

I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve seen regular drywall fail in powder rooms more than once, even with decent paint. Maybe it’s just bad luck or older houses with iffy airflow, but I’ve had to patch bubbling seams and soft spots around toilets and sinks. Not every powder room gets used the same way—some are practically mini steam rooms after a family gathering.

Here’s how I usually approach it:

1. **Assess the Ventilation**: If there’s no fan or window, I lean toward green board, even in a half bath. Like you said, ventilation is the real culprit, but not everyone wants to cut a hole in their exterior wall or deal with retrofitting ductwork.

2. **Check for Plumbing Risks**: Leaky plumbing is a silent killer for drywall. If the house has older pipes or questionable shutoffs, I’d rather have something a bit more forgiving behind the paint.

3. **Cost vs. Hassle**: Green board isn’t that much pricier than regular drywall—maybe $2-3 more per sheet in my area. For a small room, that’s like skipping one coffee run. If it buys me an extra few years before repairs, I’ll take it.

4. **Future-Proofing**: Even if there’s no plan for a shower now, stuff changes. I’ve had clients (and my own family) decide to add one later, and then we’re tearing out walls that could’ve been protected from the start.

Not saying everyone needs to use green board everywhere—definitely overkill in dry areas—but I wouldn’t write it off as hype either. Sometimes that little bit of insurance saves a headache down the road.

And yeah, totally agree about leaky plumbing being ignored... nothing like finding out about a slow drip by stepping on a soggy baseboard at 2am.