Blue Board Drywall for the Whole Kitchen?

[Nathan Grubb]

I own a two flat where the upper apartment has a sloping ceiling in the kitchen. The person who owned the house previously (and apparently tried to flip it.....I think.....) used that very thin, plastic coated panel board for the ceiling. The heat and moisture that accumulate up there have already begun taking their toll on the paneling and I want to replace the whole ceiling with drywall.

Since the roof slopes over the sink and oven, I was planning to use blue board there for the moisture and fire resistance. I have heard multiple people on here talk about "remodeling up" to nicer quality items, and I was just wondering if it would be worth the investment to do the whole kitchen with the blue board.

Is it worth the extra expense, or should I just use regular 5/8 drywall for the other sections of the kitchen ceiling?

[Brian Ellis]

Originally posted by @Corby Goade:

You are spending a lot of time wondering if you should invest an extra $50 on higher quality materials. It will definitely not hurt to use the blue board, so go for it. Don't forget the value of your time; this is a small investment up front that could save you headaches and time in the future. Add the range vent and use blue board and go find yourself another deal with the time you saved!

I think you are all confused as to what blueboard is. It is used with plaster, it is a gypsum material. It will not only cost an extra $60. Youre talking having the entire kitchen plastered. Which, is the best possible defense and will last the longest. But, unless you know how to plaster it is going to cost you a lot more.

Greenboard on the other hand is a drywall that fights against moisture. It is not waterproof though, and if it gets wet it will just crumble away like any other drywall.

A range hood will help with the moisture for when they are boiling water, but I would advise that you look further into the problem rather than throwing up sheetrock and calling it a day. In the end you will end up spending more time and money, and that next deal might have to wait. 

Hopefully it was just poor craftsmanship by the previous builder, but if it is wood and its buckling like that, chances are there is a really bad moisture problem throughout the house. Just my two cents.