Had a similar situation last year—old house, couldn’t rip out all the drywall, so green board with RedGard was the compromise. Here’s what I noticed:
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That’s exactly it. Not my first choice, but sometimes you gotta work with what you’ve got.“sometimes budget constraints or existing structures make green board with proper sealing a reasonable compromise.”
- Key is *really* taking your time on the membrane. Miss a spot and you’re asking for trouble.
- Three years in, no issues yet... but I still wouldn’t use it behind a shower if I had any other option.
It’s a calculated risk, but sometimes that’s just reality.
Green board with RedGard is one of those “good enough” solutions that gets a lot of debate. I’ve flipped a few places where the budget just didn’t allow for a full cement board redo, and honestly, with careful sealing, it’s held up. But I’m with you—if I’m tearing down to studs, I’m reaching for cement board every time. Green board’s fine for half-baths or powder rooms, but in a shower? It’s always a bit of a gamble, no matter how meticulous you are with the membrane. Sometimes you just have to weigh risk vs. reward and move on.
I get the appeal of green board with RedGard, especially when you’re trying to keep costs down. In my old Victorian, I inherited a bathroom where someone did just that—looked fine for a few years, but eventually moisture found its way in and I had to rip out half the wall. If you’re restoring or working on something with a bit of history, I’d say cement board is worth the extra hassle. For a quick flip or a powder room? Eh, green board’s probably fine. But showers in these old houses... they’ll find your shortcuts eventually.
Title: Green board in the news—worth the hype for bathrooms?
Honestly, I’ve seen green board + RedGard hold up okay in low-traffic spots, but showers are a different beast. Moisture just finds every weak spot, especially in older homes where nothing’s ever quite square. Cement board’s a pain to cut, sure, but it’s way less painful than dealing with moldy drywall down the road. If you’re already investing in tile and fixtures, might as well do the bones right.
- Gotta say, as someone who’s just finished demo-ing a bathroom and discovering what lurks behind 30-year-old tile, I’m now officially scared of anything with “drywall” in the name.
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“Cement board’s a pain to cut, sure, but it’s way less painful than dealing with moldy drywall down the road.”
This right here. My hands still have the Band-Aid marks from wrangling cement board, but at least I’m not coughing up spores.
- Green board + RedGard sounds good in theory, but I keep reading horror stories about pinhole leaks or missed spots. Maybe I’m just paranoid after seeing what a slow drip did to my subfloor (RIP, 1993 linoleum).
- The cost difference isn’t huge once you factor in the “peace of mind” tax. Tile isn’t cheap, and neither is my sanity when I start thinking about hidden water damage.
- That said, cutting cement board is like arm wrestling a porcupine. Anyone got tips for not turning my bathroom into a dust bowl? Or is there some secret ninja move I missed?
- Has anyone actually seen green board + RedGard fail in a home that’s less than 20 years old? Or is this mostly a problem in older houses where everything’s already a little wonky?
I’m all for overkill if it means I don’t have to rip out tile again before I retire... but maybe I’m just traumatized by demo day.