more wall tiling questions

[Battis]

I had back surgery two weeks ago so I'm more useless than before. But Da Momma has taken it upon herself to get the job done. She did most of the ripping out of the top layer of sheetrock and she's willing to do the Wonderboard and the tiling. How long can you milk back surgery? It's supposed to be a snowy winter.
Her nephew is an electrician and he said he'd do the boxes and switches.

[Sweetpea]

I'll second on coating whatever you use with paint, be it redguard,red guard, which waterproofing is pretty pointless in this application, or just any paint or primer you have laying around the house.

Wonder board or other cement backer boards suck, literally. They are so dry and porous that they will suck the moisture out of the thinset very quickly. This leads to reduced working times, and higher probability of the tiles failing in the future.

Personally, I'd replace the old sheetrock with new sheetrock, and paint it, then tile away.

Yes, I do this for a living, and no, pros generally don't use cement backers, and not just because of the cost. Using a good BRAND thinset, of mid range cost, you will pull the backer off the wall with the tile, no matter what backer you use.

[NyFirefighter357]

Sheetrock is enough backer for wall tile. Use a good mastic and a 1/4" V-notch trowel. I wouldn't use cement board on a wall anyway. A much better and easier to use product is DensShield Glass Mat Tile Backer which is sheetrock based and denser than cement board but cuts easily. https://www.homedepot.com/p/ToughRoc...8590/100322694

[Battis]

I passed all the info on to the new project manager, which she added to her own research. I feel like June Cleaver, or any housewife from the 50s.
Thanks for all of the replies.

[jsizemore]

I hear that a supervisory role is very demanding. I'd ensure you have an adequate supply of coffee and donuts at the ready. Maybe a light pointer so you don't have to get to close when noting errors.