Mudding over cement board in shower

Question

thanks in advance for help. I'm trying to finish a shower that was in progress from a crew until we had to send them packing with the job unfinished. They installed a shower stall, with tile up the walls until about 18" from the ceiling (and that was our design-- they did that part right). The tile is done, but the last 18" is still exposed cement board. On the way out, the tile setter said "just mud over that top part and paint it."

Is it really that simple? Just put a coat of mud over the top of the cement board and paint? Thanks!

Answer 1

Yes and no. You can certainly tape all the joints as you would with drywall and skim the rest of it to achieve a smooth finish, but you can't just skim coat it and call it a day. You have to reinforce the corners and any flat seams with paper or mesh tape.