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

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

Man, I feel this. I thought green board was supposed to be the “easy button” for bathroom walls, but mine still ended up with those weird mushy spots after a year. Here’s my rookie move: I figured if it’s green, it’s gotta be waterproof, right? Nope. Turns out, it’s just “water resistant,” which is like saying my umbrella works unless it rains sideways. If I had to do it again, I’d probably cough up for cement board in the shower area and save green board for the dry spots. My back and my wallet both complained, but at least the walls are still standing... for now.

Cement board in the wet zones is definitely the way to go. I learned that one after my first flip - thought green board would cut it behind the shower tile, but nope, ended up with soggy seams. Now I just use green board for bathroom ceilings or outside the splash zone. It’s a little more work up front, but I sleep better knowing I’m not gonna find a science experiment growing behind my tiles...

Green board gets a lot of hype, but honestly, I’ve seen it fail in showers more times than I can count. In my old Victorian, the previous owner used green board behind the tub tile - ended up tearing out half the wall thanks to mushy drywall and a nice crop of mold. Cement board’s heavier and a pain to cut, sure, but it’s just not worth risking rot in these old homes. I’ll use green board for ceilings or maybe above wainscoting, but never near direct water. Those “water-resistant” claims just don’t stand up to decades of steam and leaks.

Green board’s one of those things that sounds good on paper, but in practice...eh, not so much where water’s involved. I’ve pulled out more soggy green board from behind showers than I care to remember. It’s like, “Congrats, you resisted water for a couple years, but now you’re just as mushy as regular drywall.” I get why folks use it for bathroom ceilings or above tile - sure, it’s better than standard drywall there. But behind a shower or tub? That’s just asking for trouble down the line.

Cement board’s a pain to lug around and cut, no doubt. But once it’s up, you can actually sleep at night knowing you’re not gonna find black mold colonies in five years. I’ve even seen some people try to “waterproof” green board with paint-on stuff, but honestly, it’s just putting lipstick on a pig. If you’re going to all the trouble of redoing a bathroom, might as well do it right the first time - even if your back complains about the cement board.

I’ve even seen some people try to “waterproof” green board with paint-on stuff, but honestly, it’s just putting lipstick on a pig.

That’s exactly what I ran into during my last bathroom reno - layers of “waterproof” coatings on green board, and underneath it was still a soggy mess. I get the appeal of avoiding heavy cement board, but is there really any scenario where green board behind tile in a shower actually holds up long-term? Or is it just wishful thinking that it’ll last? I’m tempted to just skip drywall altogether in wet zones, but maybe I’m missing something...