American Houses

Wet areas of the home use water resistant green-board instead of wallboard. Green-board is resistant to water and helps assure the homeowner that there will be no leaking of water in those areas.

Kitchens typically do not use green-board because they aren't considered a problem area, but bathroom showers and tubs have the greatest potential for splashing water on walls and water eventually penetrating into the wallboard and saturating it.

Tile is put onto cement board rather than green-board because it is firm and doesn't bend. If you don't know about these things, it is best to leave it to the professionals. If you use faux marble,it is installed custom fit at the time of installation, again because of potential water leakage due to a shower and the potential water penetration.

The shower base for faux marble doesn't use cement board, but the base is lined with cement which is mixed and cast in place. The outside edge of the shower base is higher than the drain and it has to be shaped so there is proper drainage.

This marble look is wonderful to clean. With a window squeegee you can wipe down the walls after each shower, and it's a whiz to keep the shower clean.

Some people prefer tile in their showers and cement board is used in this case for the walls because it doesn't bend. In a combination tub-shower the tile extends up the wall as does the cement board.

In a soaking tub only, it only needs a foot or so above the tub with tile that is placed on cement board both above the tub and below it, not all the way up the wall.

The pre-molded shower-tub combination is installed over green-board since you don't have to worry about bending, nor does it need a cement base.

Having used all these types of showers, I give a hearty vote for faux marble because of the easy cleaning with each shower and a squeegee.

Knowing that the chance of the shower leaking is nill, it gives the homeowner confidence and less worry about possible repairs in the future.

In any case, green-board or cement board is always used in the bathroom,whether in the basement, main floor or upstairs. You can always rest assured that in the modern built home, there is less problem with water leakage due to the use of green-board or cement board around tubs and showers.

About the Author: Linda Baxter is a piano teacher, and stay at home mom of nine children, (22 grandchildren) who acted as General Contractor for building their retirement home. She hired and paid subcontractors, was overseer of all construction work (with the help of her husband, RL), and did most of this from her armchair and telephone. She freely shares her experiences on her website > www.home-built4u.com