I am remodeling my bathroom and use a shower surround on the walls surrounding my cast iron tub. I want the project to last and I have heard that greenboard will eventually fail. If this is true than I will use cement board, but the thing that troubles me is what do you put above the shower surround? Can you paint cement board? Or do you transition with greenboard? Can you tape their joints if they meet?
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Above the surround I would use greenboard. Cement board was designed as a substrate for tile, not as a finish surface, also cement board is not waterproof. Joints between cement board and greenboard can be taped and mudded with joint compound.
I try and put the joint roughly in the middle of where I'm guessing the top row of tile to be. If not sure....gues low! Then hope at least the bullnose edge will cover it.
I like to use mesh tape and thinset on that joint. Jeff "That's like hypnotizing chickens........."
Setting compound is better than premixed joint compound for this joint.
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Piffin,
I always use thinset with mesh tape on cement board, even when joining to green rock. Does the tile adhesive take to the setting compound safely?J. D. Reynolds
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Yes, thinset will stick to joint compound/setting-type compound, although it is preferable to have it stick to cement board instead.
Typically I also finish the top joint with thinset, however it depends on the size and type of tile I'm installing. If it's pretty small tile without bullnose, usually I will tape and mud the joint with setting-type drywall mud so that the transition to a painted surface is flat and smooth.