How to Install a Rot Resistant Underlayment in a Bathtub Surround
The surround that goes on the walls around your bathtub is meant to protect the walls from moisture. Whether you're tiling that wall, installing a one-piece surround or going with some other option, the walls themselves should be covered in cement board, which is moisture-resistant and won't rot out the way drywall can. If you have bare stud walls around the tub, you can hang the cement board directly to them as if it were drywall. Otherwise, go over the existing wall. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Stud finder
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- ½ inch thick cement board (5-by-4-foot sheets)
- Level
- Jigsaw
- Screw gun
- 1-3/4 inch drywall screws (galvanized)
- Mesh drywall tape
- Thinset mortar
- Drywall knife
Instructions
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1
Use your stud finder to locate and mark each stud in the walls around the tub. Draw vertical lines with your level and pencil to show their locations.
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2
Measure the width of one wall, from the end to the last stud within five feet of the end. Transfer that measurement to a piece of cement board. (If the wall is less than five feet wide, then using measurement for the whole wall.) Also mark on the pieces the locations of all plumbing fixtures and other obstructions.
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3
Cut the cement board piece at the measurement, using your jigsaw. Cut holes in the cement board, as needed, for the plumbing fixtures and any other obstructions.
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4
Install the cement board sheet to the wall, driving screws every six inches along each stud.
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5
Cover the rest of the wall in the same manner, hanging the cut sheets side by side, meeting at studs, then hanging the next course above it. Arrange the boards so there are no four-way intersections between them. Do all the walls around the tub.
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6
Lay drywall tape over all the seams between the sheets of cement board. Spread thinset mortar over the tape, using a drywall knife. Get it smooth and flat. Let it set for 12 hours. the wall is now ready for tile or other wall coverings.
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