Durarock and other cement boards do not have a suitable paintable surface,
and is not really necessary unless you plan on having lots of water sloshing
around on your countertop. There are many ways to finish the backsplash that
will work better.

One hint that I learned the hard way, do not install nor let them install
drywall behind the cabinets with the standard seam 48" above the floor. This
is right in the middle of the backsplash and often where all the electrical,
phone and other outlets are located. Have them install a 2 foot strip along
the bottom of the wall, then a standard 4 foot wide sheet above it then
another 2 foot strip along the ceiling. This will place all the seams behind
the cabinets and leave the backsplash smooth.

The problem with a seam down the middle of the backsplash is tiles and other
rigid materials will not fit against the slight bulge of the seam causing
the tiles to rock or sit with one edge protruding above the tile below or
above it. When the tiles are cut around the electrical boxes small strips of
tile can be easily broken when fitting over the seam bulge. Placing the
seams behind the cabinets will provide a flat surface to fit whatever
backsplash material you want without placement problems.

"Mikepier" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm getting ready to sheetrock my kitchen and was wondering if I
should sheetrock the entire wall or just sheetrock up to 36" high,
then put 18" high durock for the backsplash, then continue up with
sheetrock. Can I just rock the entire wall and still put the
backsplash tile on the sheetrock?