A drywall contractor advises placing greenboard behind showers and tubs where a cement based tile base will be floated in for the tile. The tile guy says use only cement board as a base. I’m thinkin’ the drywall guy is loony. It is a VERY dry climate, but I’m thinking the cost of cement board is relatively cheap and provides a great base no matter what way the tile will be installed. Comments?
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Drywall can be used if a waterproof membrane (sheet or roll on) is applied between the wall mud and the tile. IMHO this a best practice no matter what is on the walls.
Ultimately, if you want the guy doing the shower to warranty his work it should be done his way.
YMMV
The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.
- Fyodor Dostoyevski