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I'm finishing my home basement, and I made the mistake of installing the drywall before deciding to level the concrete floor.

So I'm trying to determine whether or not I really need to protect the drywall from the new cement as it dries. The internet is giving me mixed answers. Anyone know? (I'll be using Henry 555.)

Yes, protect the drywall!

Nah, don't worry about it!

Kind of ambiguous:

  • Home RenoVision DIY
  • In an email with Henry customer support, they said that have "no official recommendation" on the topic. I couldn't decide if that was code for "Yeah it works but don't quote me because we don't want the liability."

Notes

  • In most places the drywall is two sheets of 5/8" type X, with Green Glue in between the sheets, so I'm strongly against removing it prior to pouring the self-leveling cement.
  • I'm not worried about the possibility of the cement passing underneath the drywall and ending up in some other room. That wouldn't be a problem for this particular project.
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    It kind of depends, that’s why the answers are mixed. If your self leveling pour is wet it may soak into the Sheetrock a little, I don’t think it would really hurt it and it will dry and be fine there is not that much moisture to start with. So it depends on how picky you are, if you plan on putting some trim along the base of the wall then that would cover any possible discoloring that may happen.
    – Ed Beal
    May 22, 2019 at 13:56
  • Yeah, I figured it was a matter of degree: (a) how wet the cement is and (b) how much drywall is immersed in it, would determine (c) the amount of aesthetic damage and (d) the risk of mold problems. Unfortunately I have no good information about that tradeoff-space to make a rational decision, so I'll probably just play it safe.
    – Christian Convey
    May 22, 2019 at 14:33
  • The moisture is usually a very strong base (the opposite of acid) I haven’t seen mold problems in the past with Sheetrock glued to concrete if the wall was “dry” I have seen pours that were in contact with organic material that did not have mold problems (these being indoors). You probably won’t need much you could use some masking tape to protect the Sheetrock when the self leveling is dry peal the tape off, what is stuck below the compound won’t be noticeable.
    – Ed Beal
    May 22, 2019 at 18:13
  • @EdBeal Interesting idea about the masking tape. If I used it only to protect the drywall paper face, I'd be concerned about water being drawn up from the cut edge of the drywall that's near the floor. But perhaps if the masking tape extended all the way down to the existing floor, that would reduce the moisture uptake enough to avoid problems.
    – Christian Convey
    May 22, 2019 at 18:54
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    There is not a lot of moisture to start with that’s why I think tape would eliminate any problems.
    – Ed Beal
    May 23, 2019 at 14:12

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There is probably not a clear answer. If you want to be on the safe side cut off an inch or two (maybe more) of the drywall with the saw and use concrete expansion foam (comes in rolls) where the drywall was (glue it on). The kicker board will cover later everything.

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