Water – can i paint the bathtub wall

bathroombathtubdrywallpaintwaterproofing

One of our bath walls is green Sheetrock with a white semi gloss paint finish.
As you can see on the pictures attached, the paint has started to bubble and strip.

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paint stripping @ sealer
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What can we do now?

  1. shall/can we tile?

  2. can we keep a painted wall (our aesthetic preference) but using another primer and an exterior type paint? in that case what shall we use?

  3. are there any cement layers that could be added to the wall and that would allow us to have a white finish?

Wall behind tile and paint.
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Found construction picture (shows what is behind the sheetrock).

We really cannot tell from photos if they used vapor barrier or not…

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Best Answer

Any Sheetrock, including green moisture resistant, is not intended for use in showers or any environment with repeated direct water contact. You can paint it , but the results will be the same, FAILURE ! Do not attempt to put tile on Drywall either. There are some new high tech backings or you can use good old fashion concrete board or hardi-backer for tiles. If you want a water proof glossy finish, you may have to consider a fiberglass surround kit, which can be installed over green sheetrock or preferably directly over studs with a vapor barrier.

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