Skip to Content

Which Drywall Is Best For Bathrooms?

which drywall is best for bathrooms

Drywalls are normally installed in high water rooms, such as the kitchens, and bathrooms.

Different rooms in your house, therefore, have specific drywall requirements, for example, the drywall that you will hang in your bathroom must be able to resist moisture and water.

The most common type of drywall for bathrooms is green drywall because it is moisture resistant. However, you cannot install green board in areas that will have direct contact with a lot of water. In case of direct contact, it is best to use National Gypsum (XP) waterproof, M-Bloc Gypsum Board, or USG (mold tough).

Characteristics of the best drywalls for Bathrooms

The USG Sheet Rock mold tough is a high-performance interior panel, and usually adopted when conducting new constructions or when carrying out renovations.

Their manufacture has incorporated a non-combustible moisture and mold resistant core encased in moisture-resistant fiberglass mat, which is necessary for shading water.

The edges of the USG mold tough feature tapered long edges, to allow easy finishing.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links which will take you to online retailers that sell products and services. If you click on one and buy something, I may earn from qualifying purchases. See my Affiliate Disclosure for more details.

So, in case you decide to go with our first option then it might interest you to know that installing the USG Sheet Rock mold tough is very easy as you won’t need any special tools and even more interesting is that you wouldn’t even need to saw.

The drywall scores and snaps easily to enable quick installation.

And to prove its strength and durability, the drywall can be exposed to the weather for a period of 12 months without sustaining any manufacture defects; the manufacturers of the drywall have, therefore, given you a three-year guarantee.

The incorporated water-resistant feature in the USG Rock mold tough is the water-shedding glass mat that has been installed on both sides of the unit.

The National Gypsum (XP) waterproof is a mold and moisture resistant gypsum panel that can also be used as a water-resistant underlayment for different exterior materials.

The sheathing is made with effective moisture and mold resistant core and facer.

The facer features a coated fiberglass mat complete with a purple color that offers superior weather resistance qualities.

Installation of the drywall is pretty easy because exp sheathing is made of lightweight material that scores and cuts easily.

The applications of the National Gypsum (XP) are many but when used as drywall in bathrooms; the sheathing works well as an air and water-resistive barrier even in building wraps, or the liquid applied coatings and in the self-adhesive membranes.

The drywall’s best characteristic is the ability to resist the growth of mold, it also has superior water resistance qualities, and is non-combustible.

Our last best drywall for bathrooms is the M-Bloc gypsum board, which has mold and moisture resistance qualities, the panel is light in weight, and performs well when installed in limited wet areas, such as in the bathrooms, the laundry, and utility rooms or in the kitchen. 

Types of Drywall

From the above information we have come across some terms that might be hard to establish if they refer to dry walls, but make no mistake because they all refer to the dry walls, for example, the gyp board, sheetrock, and the gypsum board, others are such as the plasterboard, and the wallboard. 

  • Blue board drywall

Blue board drywall, also goes by the name plaster baseboard.

The surface paper used in the construction of the blue board has special absorption qualities and is highly resistant to water and mold.

The drywall is also effective when it comes to noise reduction, installation is easy because the drywall cuts easily with a knife and can be fastened on both wood and the steel wall studs with nails and screws.

  • Sound Proof drywall

Soundproof drywalls can be used in areas that experience high levels of moisture and can also be adopted for use in ceilings.

The anatomy of the soundproof drywall is quite different from the other types of drywalls because of the extra job of damping sound.

On the outer front side, the drywall features a mold and moisture resistant face paper, followed by a viscoelastic polymer and then finishes with an enhanced mold resistant core.

On the back outer side, the soundproof drywall features a heavy abrasion mold and a moisture-resistant back paper.

Installation and cutting through the drywall might therefore not be as easy when compared to other drywalls.

  • Purple drywall

Purple drywall can be used for both the walls and the ceiling as they have been made of specially treated gypsum core which works to resist moisture and fire.

The core has been sandwiched between recycled paper that features a purple color on the front and gray at the back.

For areas in your house that are exposed to heavy, mildew and moisture with the probability of developing molds then the Purple drywall is your option.

  • Type X drywall

Type X drywall has been made of a fire-resistive gypsum core, and unlike the other types of drywalls, this one is a bit hard to cut and install.

Type X drywall is mostly found in apartment buildings and garages.

And apart from its non-combustible characteristics, it is also soundproof, the X Gypsum core has been enclosed in ivory-colored face paper complete with a strong liner back paper.

  • The Green board drywall

The green board drywall has been constructed with a green covering that makes it even more resistant to high moisture levels than your regular drywall.

Important to note is that it is not waterproof but will still cost you a small fortune.

The above notwithstanding, the Green board can be adopted for use in kitchens, the basement walls and in the bathrooms.

  • Paperless drywall

This type of drywall is paperless because it uses fiberglass instead of paper, and which consequently protects the gypsum board from rot while offering resistance to both mildew and mold.

However, don’t be deceived into using the paperless drywall in areas that it will be directly exposed to water even if it has high moisture resistance.