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Can we talk about how skipping the cement board on my tub surround came back 4 years later
Everyone on here says just glue the surround panels straight to the drywall if the seams are tight, and I went along with that on my own upstairs bath in Garland back in 2020 to save a Sunday. Pulled the panel off last month because of a soft spot by the faucet, and the drywall behind it was crumbly and black across a 2 foot patch, all from water sneaking past the caulk line. Cost me around $340 in new board, screws and membrane, plus two weekends I could have spent on the deck. So what do you all do at the tub lip, because taping and mudding that corner is the part I hate most?
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joseph_green132m ago
Walk me through what you actually found when you pulled that panel, because a 2 foot black patch right at the faucet doesn't sound like it came from the caulk line alone. Was the soft spot coming from the tub side, or was water getting behind the panel up higher and running down, like from the escutcheon or a sloppy bead where the panel met the wall? I ask because if the leak was above the lip, no amount of flashing at the tub will save you and you'd be chasing the wrong joint. And to answer your question, what I do at the lip is skip the tape and mud fight and just run a strip of waterproof membrane or a glued-on flange backer behind the panel, then seal the bottom edge with a good bead of 100 percent silicone. Taping and mudding drywall in a wet corner is asking for the same crumbly mess in another four years.
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