# Green board or regular in basement



## bashley83 (Nov 9, 2010)

I am finishing off a basement room that was previously paneled before I bought it. Prior to drywalling, I used a spray foam kit from foamitgreen and sealed the block walls with 1inch of foam then put fiberglass batts over top. This portion of the basement is not below grade. The other half our basement is, and that section is not finished. We have an industrial dehumidifier from april aire that keeps the basement dry. 

I would like to use mainly 4x12 foot sections to minimize seems (one wall is 24 ft long, and two walls are 12ft long) however neither the lowes or HD in my area carry 12' sections of greenboard, only 8. My question is, with the block sealed by spray foam and the lack of water, is it necessary to still use greenboard or could I go with regular drywall that I can get in 12' sections?

Obviously, I would still prefer to use green board for the safety of my family, but the job would go much quicker and easier with larger sections. 

Thanks!


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## wetech (Aug 4, 2012)

Call a proper drywall supplier, they should have the longer boards.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Standard drywall will be just fine---However, if you wish to use green board--wetech gave you the answer---call a drywall supply company.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

bashley83 said:


> I am finishing off a basement room that was previously paneled before I bought it. Prior to drywalling, I used a spray foam kit from foamitgreen and sealed the block walls with 1inch of foam then put fiberglass batts over top. This portion of the basement is not below grade. The other half our basement is, and that section is not finished. We have an industrial dehumidifier from april aire that keeps the basement dry.
> 
> I would like to use mainly 4x12 foot sections to minimize seems (one wall is 24 ft long, and two walls are 12ft long) however neither the lowes or HD in my area carry 12' sections of greenboard, only 8. My question is, with the block sealed by spray foam and the lack of water, is it necessary to still use greenboard or could I go with regular drywall that I can get in 12' sections?
> 
> ...


Green board is moisture resistant, Purple is mold resistant, Unless you have a moisture problem you really don't need either. But I would suggest going to a drywall supplier because all the box stores sell is that rotten lightweight.


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

It may be overkill, but on the uninsulated walls of your basement you might consider using a board made by the Georgia Pacific company called "Dens-Shield" instead. It's more expensive than drywall.

The reason I suggest it is because my sister's basement got flooded because her sewer line was partially clogged. So when there was a tremendous rain storm here, the water seeping into her weeping tiles leaked in faster than it could flow away through her partially clogged main drain line, and the result was her basement flooding with water.

I helped her cut away the bottom 12 inches of drywall, and we replaced that damaged drywall with 12 inch wide strips cut from 4X8 foot panels of Dens-Shield board. Now, if her basement ever gets flooded again, she's good up to 12 inches of water.

The exterior walls were insulated with fiberglass, and so we replaced the damaged drywall with new drywall there knowing that in a flood we'd have to tear out that drywall and insulation anyhow.

But, if floods are common in your area, you might consider using Dens-Shield for the bottom 4 feet of the basement walls, and then drywall above that, use Dens-Shield right to the ceiling in the basement.

Dens-Shield is rated for wet environments, and stands up very well even when submerged in water. And, you both cut it and install it just like drywall.


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

IMHO, regular drywall (30-50) perms is fine, MR board is 32 perms but still paper faced that can mold. Denshield has a moisture barrier facing- a Type 2 vapor barrier which you do not want on the inside walls in the basement. Any moisture in the cavity will keep the wood framing wet to rot, rather than dry by the house HVAC system. A 12" rip would work but full sheets would require an interior drainage system. If FG insulation has gotten wet, the mold spores remain in it until new moisture is present to reactivate and grow. Remove/replace it at each occurrence, after air-drying the framing wood.

Gary


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