my wife wants to paint the bathroom. now i've patched all the holes, put fresh caulk around the tub. there were some large cracks in the wall around the window and running along the wall tile so i cut out the worst of it and put in about 1/2 sheet of fresh greenboard. i wanted to keep it all under 100$ so i left all the original wall tile and as much of the old drywall as possible

my question is where the tiled wall meets the regular drywall, the tiled wall sticks out a good 3/4" because of the extra sheet of cement sheetrock behind the tile. it sticks out far enough to create a little ledge that i worry might trap water and allow it to get into the sheetrock. the top edges of the old sheetrock were also very chipped and i had to dig out a lot of loose cement and old paint with a screwdriver and glue back some of the top tiles

my question is what would you guys recommend to fill it back up? i've been putting in tape and regular drywall putty away from the bathtub, and sanding it down just enough to leave a slope.

but i'm now sure how well the drywall filler will hold to the old sheetrock or stand up to the moisture right around the shower area. the space is at least 1/2" thick in spots. am i better using some of the leftover grout cement mixed with some sand or is there a specific product for doing this? it's really tempting to whip out the visa and fork out the money for all new wall tile but right now i have more time than money

 

Drywall compound will crack over time with that large of an opening. I would just cut a sliver of greenboard and put in the gap. That would at least take care of that. Now for the hieght differance you can do many things. I have seen quarter round used to make it look better and I have seen drwall compound built up to slope it up. I personally like the look of quarter round myself.

 

I don't know if I understand your dilemma. Where is this "ridge" you're describing? Is it at the top edge of the wall tile all around the tub? Is it the thickness difference between the tiled wall of the tub next to the plain sheetrock walls of the rest of the bathroom?

 

yes. there's a little ledge along the top of the tiled wall, where it meets the regular drywall.

 

OK, most tile underlayments are made in 1/2" and 1/4" thicknesses so they should be consistant with your 1/2" drywall when they meet up at the edge of the tub surround. Therefore, I'm assuming the ledge you have is the tile plus adhesive thickness that protrudes beyond the underlayment. I would grout the tile all the way up to the top and seal the top seam with 100% silicone to match the color as close as you can to the grout. Basically, you're sealing that horizontal gap between the tile and the wallboard at the top of the last coarse of tiles. Be sure to use silicone and not latex caulk. Caulk hardens over time and becomes very brittle making it difficult to repair or remove, while silicone stays flexible and maintains a better seal. Also, use the silicone to seal the corners and the seam around the bottom where it meets the tub.

 

^^^^^^^^ What he said. I assumed that you were talking about the edges not the top and that there was a large difference in the height. There will always be some sort of height difference in the tile and the wall so just grout it 100% and use a good silicone.

If there is a gap between the top of the tile and the bottom of the drywall I would try and fill it in with some hardi backer or green board. Just trim it so you can get a good secure fit with it.

 

They make a small tile with a curve or bull nose to finish off at the edges. They are different sizes depending on how thick the tile and backer are. Go to HD or Lowe's and look at what they have. If you are going to use just grout, buy the epoxy kind. It will hold up better.

 

trike. the top row of tile is curved like you say. even the old sheetrock had a routed edge to match the curve of the tile but it was pretty bad in places. i finally just used some more of the grout to patch up the edge of the sheetrock and topped it off with some putty that i sanded down

the grouting wasn't that hard so when i have some more money i will try my hand at putting up new tile. i think it will go a lot better to just tear it all out and start fresh. even the drywalling was a pain because one of the studs behind the shower head didn't line up with the others

anyway the primer's on now. i'll give it a good day to dry cuz i have another problem in my basement now

thanks guys