Waterproofing Drywall Before Tiling

Determine how much tile you ll need.

Waterproofing drywall before tiling.

Tiles are ideal for showers bathtubs and backsplashes. Compare this to the common practice of tiling over drywall and you get the idea that you have a totally different shower by using a product that is meant to function in the shower. These materials can be used to make your drywalling projects in basements bathrooms and other potentially humid rooms waterproof so you don t have to spend extra money on. Spread mortar along the vertical wall corners with a 10 inch wide drywall knife.

The tile had been in decent shape but i d grown to hate it and i finally had the budget to get a better bathroom. You protect it with a layer of water proofing material. Lumps and bumps lead to misaligned tiles. For our shower we chose a running bond pattern.

Remove the old shower tile and green board drywall. After the second coat is dry and the whole shower area is prepped it s time to make tile decisions before going any further. Most paint manufacturers make oil and latex based primers and paints designed to be waterproof and even mildew resistant. Repeat the previous steps to apply waterproof membrane to the remaining shower walls.

The top objective is to create a smooth and uniform surface on the drywall for the tile to be evenly placed. How to tile over painted drywall. Smooth the membrane with the drywall knife. So where i last left off i had taken out the old shower tile and cut out the damaged drywall.

Regular drywall can be used as a base for tiles in a shower but only as an absolute last resort. Drywall can be primed and painted to be waterproof. Preparation is the most important step for drywall before any tile installation project. Measure each wall area calculating the width times height.

The tile does add a layer of waterproofing protection but the real heart of the system is in the wedi board behind the tile. Even in the best of scenarios the tile and grout will eventually wear down leaving behind a clear route for water to seep through and soak into the drywall. These membranes consist of products such as custom building products redgard and laticrete s hydrobarrier and hydroban and mapei s aquadefense. You don t really water proof the drywall itself.

I will refer to all the membranes as. You should be attaching the tile to cement. Waterproofing and tiling the master shower an overview 1. Elastomeric or liquid waterproofing membranes are one of the most convenient methods of waterproofing shower walls before installing tile.

You ll need a design plan before you start attaching the tile. You should not ever put tile directly onto drywall even the green board water resistant kind.