I’ve been a subscriber to FineHomebuilding for years now but this is my first time posting or looking around Breaktime. My wife and I are building a timberframe house in upstate NY. We’ve done most of the work ourselves but we are hiring someone to hang and mud the drywall. The exterior walls are SIPs with 1/2″ reg. drywall already applied. My question is should I use MR drywall on the interior bath walls eventhough some of the walls in the bath already have the reg. drywall (exterior walls). I’ve gotten 4 quotes for the work and two of the people say use MR the other two say use a good oil base primer over reg. drywall (and the same on the exterior walls).
Thoughts? Is it worthwhile to use MR?
Thanks,
Bob
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Replies
MR is only a few dollars more per sheet. Not sure what kind of pricing you got but it shouldn't add more than $100 unless you have some huge bathrooms. FYI I believe it is not supposed to be hung on the ceiling though. A better product that I have been seeing (and using) lately is MR and mold resistant drywall. It is maybe $.50 more than the MR and is kinda a light purple color.
Another product is paperless drywall which I think has a fiberglass product as an outer coating. I've never used it though.
None of this stuff is suitable for use behind tile though.
Regardless of what you do, you shouldn't have that much of an issue with moisture in the bathrooms (outside of the wet areas) as long as they are properly ventilated by right sized exhaust fans AND PEOPLE USE THE FANS. A timer helps insure that this will happen.
Edited 1/13/2009 8:23 am ET by Matt
I am not sure if anyone make MR anymore.And all of it's replacement is not purple either.USG makes Mold Tough which is green.http://www.getmoldfacts.com/index.jspBTW I tore out a 20 YO shower that had been done over DW.Only the section that was behind the tile had the greenboard. The stuff that butted up to it was plain DW..
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
you may not want to use the paperless because it all has to be scim coated .
MR will stand up to "occasional"/"incidental" wetting far better than regular drywall. Other than the problem that it's not recommended for ceilings (though in my experience it does OK), it's silly not to use it (or one of the "improved" drywalls) for any drywall within about 5 feet of a tub/shower and 2 feet of a sink or toilet.
Of course, there are far better products to be used behind tile (if the tile is apt to get wet).
You might wanna look around -- in my parts, MR board is scarce. Think I read somewhere that they stopped making it in favor of the paperless.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
MR is okay on ceilings if the framing is 12" oc. You can use furring strips run perpendicular to the ceiling joists to accomplish that.
I am pretty sure you are not allowed to have a vapor barrier under moisture resistant drywall. Check your building code.
I am of the feeling that mr rock is sort of becoming an old-fashioned dinosor. Lots better products out there.