Tile – Hanging vertical tile in powder room, cement board or drywall

bathroomtile

We are putting in a powder room, toilet and sink. Behind the toilet we plan on having tile up the wall. The tile is 8×8". We were planning on using 5/8ths drywall. Is this appropriate or do we need to use cement board? It is a a small wall, just about 35" across, should there be any consideration about stud spacing to hold the weight or do 16 on center studs work? Thanks for the advice!

Best Answer

I am generally apprehensive about fixing tile directly to gypsum wallboard, and recommend using cement board if you have the choice. It is imperative that you do not use wallboard in a wet location.

That being said, I have seen tile attached to wallboard work perfectly well in locations with low moisture and where any rough use (impact) is not likely.

As for the stud arrangement and attaching the wallboard, I would consider it mandatory that all the edges are supported with wood.