Many people add drywalls in the bathroom because these are less costly and easy to install. In addition, you can apply high-quality paint or tiles on them to give a finished appearance.
Can You Tile Over Drywall in a Shower? You should not tile over drywall in a shower because these are not waterproof, and their material disintegrates. In addition, it can cause mold growth, tiles can fall, and pests can enter humid areas. It is better to use cement backing when installing tiles because these are waterproof.
Most people install them in the kitchen and near the cooking area. These are the best choice for the kitchen because of their fire-resistant properties, which provide safety in the cooking area.
Can you add tiles over drywalls in a shower area?
You can add drywall in the bathrooms but not near highly humid areas like bathtubs, faucets, and showers.
These are made of water-resistant material but are not completely waterproof, and they lose their structural integrity when they come in contact with moisture.
These are manufactured with gypsum and paper product materials, and gypsum is sandwiched between paper layers. Paper can absorb the water, cause the dissolution of gypsum material, and ruin the overall appearance.
These can also become soggy when water comes in contact with their non-waterproof material. Green and blue board-type drywalls are made of waterproof material, but you cannot use them in humid areas.
These can also lose their texture when paper products absorb water. These are coated with wax; their paper is thick, so moisture cannot damage the sandwiched gypsum material.
Why you should not add tiles over drywall in a shower?
You should not install the tiles over damp and humid areas because they cannot stick to these surfaces.
Mold growth
You cannot add the tiles over the drywalls in a shower because these remain wet. In addition, the water splashes or the standing water on the floor make them humid.
In addition, these can absorb moisture from the surrounding areas, which are more humid than the other bathroom areas. Water enters inside these materials because of damaged caulking or sealing materials.
The caulking material of tiles can get damaged when it comes to exposure to water. Furthermore, these can also develop gaps when not installed correctly.
Caulking material can also crack when it becomes old and lose its strength. Water from these cracked ends enters inside and makes the paper products wet.
Molds come on these wet paper products for their foods because they feed on organic matter for survival. I feel the soft texture after applying slight pressure on them, representing the mold’s growth.
Furthermore, you can also see changing the caulking material’s color depending on the mold species’ types.
Tiles falling off
The adhesive material used for tile adhesions cannot stay on the wet material. I visited the restaurant last year, and the tiles from the shower area were missing.
These surely come off because of the drywalls as the blackening material. Moreover, these can also make noise and feels spongy when I slightly push them back.
The dry and clean space provides better sticking of the adhesive materials. In addition, the tiles that come off are difficult to install and need more effort.
These can also damage the floors when they fall on them. Furthermore, it can break the nearby fixtures and produce cracks in them.
These can come apart because of the sagging of the base material that no longer provides the support and stability for better adhesion.
It can also create a mess in the bathroom because of disintegrated gypsum and paper products.
Pests entry
Some pests search warm and dark places for their survival and multiply their colonies. In addition, some types of ants and termites can also live in these environments.
These are smaller species and can penetrate inside through the cracked caulking material. These can also enter inside from the small holes and spaces of the caulking material.
These can also find the way when tiles are not installed properly on drywalls.
The pests can travel to other regions of the home and affect the structural integrity. Some ants also eat cement and wires that can damage your home and the internal wirings.
Rotting of wood studs
These are located behind the drywalls and provide structural support. It supports the beam material and gives structural stability to your home.
These can damage the wood studs when you install them near the showers. In addition, the water from the paper products also penetrates the wood studs.
In addition, the high humidity can damage the wooden material and cause their rotting. Rotted wood studs lose their strength and cannot support the building properly.
How do you waterproof drywall in a shower area?
Many people cannot afford the heavyweight and high-quality backing material. They want to install the drywalls to save the installation cost.
You can make them waterproof and decrease the chances of disintegration. I used the waxing material and coated their surface because it reduced the water-absorbing capacity.
Water cannot penetrate the paper or gypsum material when the wax is present. In addition, several water-based paints are also available in the market, and you can coat the exterior surface with them.
Applying the thick paint coat is better to act as a strong barrier between moisture and paper products. Moreover, you can also try water-resistant primers while painting their surfaces to get additional benefits.
The primers prevent the soggy texture of these materials that comes from moisture penetration. I used the plastic sheet in my bathroom to make the drywalls waterproof.
It is a cheap method, and you can easily install sheets on these surfaces.
What backing material can you use to add tiles to a bathroom shower?
I use the drywalls in my bathroom but add the cement board as the backing material near the showers and bathtub areas because of high moisture.
Cement boards are highly resistant to water and last there for longer. In addition, water cannot affect their strong material and make them spongy.
These are slightly more costly than the other types and difficult to install. However, you can add the tiles over them without getting worried about moisture-related issues.
Water cannot penetrate the cemented layer; if it enters inside, it cannot create any damaging effect or mold growth. In addition, these have high drying properties and become dry when they soak moisture.
What happens if you add tiles over drywall?
Many people add waterproof drywalls in their shower areas, and their tiles come off the walls. In addition, you can also see a soggy texture when you slightly press the tiles.
In addition, you can see the caulking material starting to turn black. This is because the blackening of caulking material comes from mold growth and degradation of gypsum material.
I treat the black stain of caulking material with bleaching liquid, but stains come back after some time. The stains that come back represent an issue in the inner wall material.
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