Please see responses below..


wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,

Remodeling a bathroom and using a contractor. He's a general and he's
going to do the tile install since he's cheaper than the tile guy. The
tub is installed with 3 walls surrounding. They've put up green board
around the tub and then his plan is to install wonderboard 6' above the
tub and then tile on top of that. Bullnose to cover the wonderboard.

So if I understand correctly what you are describing, the contractor is to
put wonderboard, starting 6 inches above your tub, on top of green board? Or
is he putting greenboard only up 6 inches from the bathtub and then the rest
Wonderboard? Either way, it's stupid and nuts IMO, and possibly affect
(poorly) how your tile looks. Just use the Wonderboard/Cement board/Backer
Board/Hardi-Backer/etc. and forget the greenboard. I just finished
remodeling my bathroom and here is what I did on all three walls around the
tub.....

- On the walls, ripped everything out to the studs up to 5 feet above the
tub (the greenboard that was previously used was ok above the 5 foot above
the tub so I took the shortcut of not going above 5 feet since Wonderboard
is 5' x 3'. I would have ripped everything out if I would have wanted to
tile all the way to the ceiling.)
- Covered studded wall with plastic. (Cant remember the exact pound
rating.)
- Placed Wonderboard all around, on top of the plastic.
- Taped and mortared the seams (let sit for 1 day and then used a rock
sander to knock off the excess and to level.)
- I used an industrial strength membrane that you paint on (like the red
stuff you can get at HD) which was given to me by my friends father (he
would do the tile for me as a favor. He is a tile'er *not* a general
contractor). Let sit for one day.
- The final day my friends father came over, used thin-set and set the tile.

The membrane paint isn't necessary but it was free, and certainly couldn't
hurt.


I was at Home Depot today looking to see what kind of tile they had and
explaining the job to a guy there. He said that install method was not
to code and problematic. Condensation can happen behind the greenboard
and rot it out. He said the proper way to do it was no green board and
just use backerboard against the studs (same as wonderboard?) and tile
on that.

Well the HD person's advice is worth as much as mine is. It has nothing to
do with code but it does have to do with being problematic. Greenboard does
help prevent moisture from penetrating, however, it's only *SLIGHTLY* better
than regular sheet rock. This is why I'm remolding the bathroom in the
house I just purchased. (the previous owners let it get WAY too far.)
Forget saving $1 or $2 bux per sheet of green board Vs. using concrete
board. (Note that concrete board *does* allow moisture to penetrate however
it does not get soft and/or turn into mush.)


Been looking around the net and have seen sites showing both of these
install methods? Any advice. Been seeing info on using a membrane or
waterproof felt. Should that be used in either of these methods?

Thanks.

I'd drop your general contractor doing your bathroom and tiling. Spend the
extra money and get a tile person to do the work. Don't use a general
contractor. Some family members of mine did that and they are now sorry the
did. This time around they are using a tile person and the work he is doing
is a lot better and higher quality than the gen. contractor.

Good luck my friend!