I tend to view this choice in terms of the overall project cost.
There's a difference in price of materials, but on the complete project scale, the cost difference is minor. With tile, it's a trivial choice, since the cost of tile (materials and labor) is far above the cost of the backer, and providing tile with inferior support is potentially a very costly decision in the long run.
With a surround, you still have some potential for water ingress, particularly if it's multi-part and depends on caulking to seal the seams; and backerboard is still far better at handling water exposure than "moisture-resistant" drywall, but there's very little labor cost in the surround, and it "should" be waterproof.
The small incremental cost on the whole project scale still favors using the better product by my math. Your math may be different.
Answer from Ecnerwal on Stack ExchangeVideos
I tend to view this choice in terms of the overall project cost.
There's a difference in price of materials, but on the complete project scale, the cost difference is minor. With tile, it's a trivial choice, since the cost of tile (materials and labor) is far above the cost of the backer, and providing tile with inferior support is potentially a very costly decision in the long run.
With a surround, you still have some potential for water ingress, particularly if it's multi-part and depends on caulking to seal the seams; and backerboard is still far better at handling water exposure than "moisture-resistant" drywall, but there's very little labor cost in the surround, and it "should" be waterproof.
The small incremental cost on the whole project scale still favors using the better product by my math. Your math may be different.
In a perfect world, using the purple drywall should be fine for a surround. The problem is you still have to cut the surround for your valves and shower head. You might want to install a grab bar at some point. These areas now have to be caulked and we all know that caulk fails over time. Even the seams of the surround have to be caulked. The cost differential is minor compared to a redo.
(I'm just a confused first-time DIY-er, be gentle)
I'm remodeling our bathroom (new construction) and we found these tiles that we want to use on our walls. Should I hang cement board or green drywall for the areas that we're going to use the tiles?
Total DIY noob here. What’s the most DIY friendly 1/2” cement board material to use. Options I’m looking at (in my budget)?: Hardiebacker (regular and with Hydrodefense), USG Durock, Wonderboard Lite. This will be screwed to plumb, square framing with Backer-on screws and joints covered with cement board d mesh tape and thinset (what type?). Waterproofing will be Redgard (2 coats).