My water heater is located in an alcove on the back corner of the house. Today I found water line leaking from the heater, replaced and it is good now. I have always just assumed the walls and ceiling of the alcove was stucco (it is a closet with a door on the outside of the house). But after replacing the line and looking at the damage, I found it was just drywall with a texture coat. The drywall is wet and will need to removed but I'm stuck with what to replace it with. Doing a stucco coat seams out of the question since the family will be out of hot water for a couple of days. So what should I put up in this 2' by 2' closet? It has a door but I don't consider this closet to be weather proof but only mostly weather proof. Is there another acceptable wall covering for this alcove that I can up in day or two.
Edit: I'm going to have to get insurance involved. I have water damage in the bathroom that is next to the water heater closet.
Best Answer
For exterior applications, fiberglass faced gypsum board is commonly used. Fiberglass, unlike paper, is resistant to mold growth and ordinarily does not deteriorate when exposed to moisture.
For protected locations such as an exterior shed, this is almost certainly adequate as is indicated by the service life of the current installation.
Fiberglass faced gypsum board is a commodity material available from major gypsum board manufacturer's such as National, USG, or Georgia-Pacific under a variety of trade names.
As with any building material, following manufacturer's instructions when cutting fiberglass faced gypsum board is recommended.