Remodeled my bathroom with a new tub and tub wall surround. The wall surround is one of those Sterling Accord three-piece lock-together hard vinyl (Vikyrl they call it) material pre-fabricated sections, one back wall section with the two end wall sections that attach to it. Around the edges of the surround are flanges which attach directly to the open stud framing behind. These flanges are 1/8" thick and 1 1/4" wide. I am seeking advice/suggestions how to deal with finishing out (with drywall) the top edge of the back of the surround where the design is a sloped contour on the back corners where it is raised a good half inch than the level of the straight flat tops. And if I cover the 1/8" thick flanges up to the edge of the surround, the drywall wouldn't be flat there unless I did something like try to shave the back of it. Also, even if I can manage to get a decent edge where the drywall meets the surround, what do I do with about that seam or gap between the edge of the drywall and the surround? Just caulk it? Is it normal to caulk the rough-cut edge of drywall like that? Here's some pictures of the situation:
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Don't forget to put a backer board behind and screw your drop-ear "L" to it, for the shower head!

On that couple inch vertical wall section - you do not have to worry about the sheetrock being kocked (clever eh?) that 1/8th inch, since your corner bead will make up for it.

Most people do not worry about the technicality of that 1/8 inch. If you simply sheetrock over it just the way it is, you do not want to run sheetrock screws into the studs at the point where it can cause the sheetrock to belly in toward the stud. Either screw it just above the flange, or farther from the flange, to avoid that.

If you do not like the idea of cut sheetrock edge resting atop the surround, then use the factory edge there, where you can.
Again though, most rockers just quickly cut and install -not too get to techy about this.
Keep the sheetrock about 1/8-1/4 inch above the top of the surround and let caulk fill the void. Because it is best to keep the paper away from that edge.

Some pros like to paper tape along these areas. Don't do it. I have had to make repairs and cut out that paper tape when it blisters from water wicking into it. Mesh tape is okay though if you need to mud your boo-boos in cutting above the surround.

 

Okay thanks ecman51 for the helpful reply. Don't worry I'll be sure the shower head drop-ear elbow is secured a backer board. Following your advice I won't worry too much about the idea of the sheetrock edge next to the surround, and will use factory edge where I can, and simply use caulking to fill the gaps(s).
But you mention perhaps using mesh tape and mud to fill in the boo-boos in cutting above surround. Would I be doing that (tape and mud) instead of caulking that gap? Seems to me that mud would not adhere well to the surround material and just crack fairly soon if I were to use mud instead of caulk. Please clarify if you can about that.
You can see in the photos how the top back corners of the surround slope contoured like that instead of just level horizontal the whole length, and as well the uneven-ness where the top of the surround end walls meets the top of the surround back wall. Looks as if I'll have to try to attempt to basically replicate that contour with my drywall cuts if I want to stay within 1/4" maximum gap to have to fill. Further comments/suggestions about that would be appreciated too.

 

Where the drywall meets the surround should always be caulked. Most do a decent job of hanging and no finishing or tape is needed next to the surround but even if it's flat taped, it still needs to be caulked!

 

I'm mostly concerned now with how to deal with the sloped contour of the top of the back surround wall, do I need to replicate that contour with my drywall cut to make it fit right, and if so, how? thanks

 

If I understand you correctly, it's nothing that needs to be dealt with. The slope is slight and you are going to caulk the gap anyway.

 

No the slope isn't all that slight. If you were to put a straightedge (or a straight cut sheet of drywall) along the back wall between the two corners at the bottom of the flange, you'd find you have a half-inch gap along the length of the midsection between the slopes on each side. And filling this big long half-inch gap with caulk is not how I think it should be dealt with. Guess I could make some kind of template in advance out of heavy paper or something and then transfer the slope contour to the bottom cut edge of the drywall sheet, but seems like there must be better/different idea what others might do instead of that.

Also, it was mentioned that perhaps I might use mesh tape and mud to fill in the boo-boos (imprecise or uneven line) in cutting above surround. Would I be doing that (tape and mud) instead of caulking that gap? Seems to me that mud would not adhere well to the surround material and just crack fairly soon if I were to use mud instead of caulk. Wouldn't it? Or is there some trick or step involved with that I'm missing?

 

Are you sure it slopes that much? Remember the drywall is only 1/2" thick, so that is the only part of the slope that matters.

If the drywall is hung decent, there shouldn't be a need to flat tape along the suround's edge. Flat tape wouldn't work with the mesh tape, it would need to be paper tape. The mud adhere's to the drywall and the tape, not necessarily the surround. It doesn't negate the need for caulking.

 

Yes, marksr, I'm sure it slopes that much, I wish it didn't. If I want to avoid a huge gap to fill in the midsection length I'll have to match that contour somehow at each corner of my drywall piece for that back wall. And if the flat-taping suggestion could work out somehow, that's not something I feel confident in as a do-it-yourselfer. That would have be a do-it-somebody-elser

 

I'm not sure we are on the same page. If the slope is 1/2" over the 1/2" thickness of the drywall - that would be a 45 degree angle


Are you talking about the nailing flange where the surround attaches to the studs? if so, the drywall goes over that. Generally the amount that the drywall is shimmed out isn't overly noticable although I suppose you could shave a little off of the back of the drywall so it will lay perfectly flat.

 

You are my first post of the evening. I just got in from cutting out peeling-loose sheetrock paper-tape above the vinyl tub surround, on the long wall.

The reason they sheetrock taped along that edge is they did not go down over the flange with the sheetrock. They set the sheetrock onto the very top of the flange so the sheetrock does not 'kick out'. The thing you are concerned about.

It looks like they used hard-setting type Durobond to fill that void under the sheetrock, and on the flange. It stuck to the flange(a concern you had). I only had to cut out the sheetrock tape, vacuum up the mess, use spray adhesive on where the tape was(so the mesh tape sticks better), and then mesh taped it and Durobonded it.

So that is another option you have.

But I have a feeling some people that want it perfect will do as you said and flip over the sheetrock and sand a 1/8th inch or so recess into the back of the sheetrock.

And yes - it is obvious that you wil have to replicate the contour.

 

Instead of sanding off a recess like you describe, I opted to "fir out" the studs a 1/8th inch. I just used those wooden paint stirrer sticks you get for free at the paint store to use as the shimming material. Worked out good!

Replicating the contour was a rather time-consuming matter of measuring, approximating, then pre-fitting then relieving/shaving as necessary, several times, the three drywall pieces (above the back and both end walls of the surround) to finally get them to fit with an nice even gap to caulk. Even though it worked out, it wasn't a method I particulary would want to have to do again. Kind of a hit-and-miss way of doing it, I thought...

 

Yes, furring out is another option. Did the paint store wonder where all their paint stir sticks went?

Whenever you ever need to replicate a pattern, the way you had to do, take a piece of cardboard and set it across the top of that tub area so the top is parallel with your ceiling. Then trace it by following the contour of the top of the tub with a divider or that same effect. Then cut it for your template.

At my bosses house, someone had to cut sheetrock up next to his enormous stone hearth that has rocks jutting in and out. They did a beautiful job. I could tell they used the suggested method. It's just an old carpenter's trick......that's all.

I've had to do such work to boards or trim boards up against odd surfaces that go in and out, already.

 

Yeah, they're probably starting to wonder by now. I noticed too, that when I need to fur out 1/4 inch (for my other future projects that may require such furring), the paint stirrers they give away to stir five-gallon buckets will be just right for that.

Thanks for all your help and "old carpenters tricks" on this.