shower ceiling need help

[Colonel]

Hi all, first post so bare with me!

Im building a custom shower in my house and have reached a spot thats got me stuck. I built a arched soffit over the shower and am looking for some ideas on what to use to cover it. The face (mdf side) will be covered in mold resistant sheet-rock but what can I use for the underside of it? Was going to use the same 1/2 mold resistant sheet-rock and paint it with some water resistant paint but I cant get the sheet-rock to bend enough to fit the arch with out breaking. Any ideas?Thanks in advance.

(yes the 1st pic is taken in a mirror cause the bathroom is soooooooo small I cant get a good shot lol)

[HayZee518]

It looks kinda klutzie right now. It's not fitting the arched ceiling. It may be necessary to make score marks about every inch on the backside through the cardboard so the sheet will bend. Once secured use the mud to coat the sheet so the scored marks are smooth in a curve over the whole sheet. Once you are satisfied use an oil based primer on it.

[Colonel]

Thanks for the reply.Yes I am not happy with the sheetrock thats up in the pic and it has already been removed.I was looking on a second opinion if I would even be safe using the sheetrock or if I should use another material.Thanks again!

[pushkins]

Wet the reverse side of the drywall, use a damp sponge to moisten the entire back wait 10 minutes and repeat the process, you will find the drywall VERY easy to bend be very careful when installing it and use screws. Allow it to dry then coat the face side with mud as required (if required often if done right it will bend uniformly) then prime with an oil primer before finish paint.
I'm not a huge fan of arched ceilings above showers that are not tiled, however I've installed plenty of arched drywall, take your time in the wetting process and installation process best get another set of hands for the install.

[Colonel]

I actually flirted with the idea of tiling the ceiling. Two things that are keeping me form attempting 1. This is my first custom shower build 2. this is my first tile job.

Would I have to use backerboard on the ceiling to tile it? I can only imagine the nightmare of trying to fit it to the arch.

Since the exterior of the arch will be sheetrock, how would I hide the edge (transition from tile to sheetrock).

I may be in over my head already , but Ive been in the construction field for a while and it seems that a solution will usually present its self when I get to "that point".How ever Ive spent too much time planning and "putting this together on paper" and I need to get this shower functional asap. I could spend hours on here picking brains so be prepared lol!

[pushkins]

You would install the drywall as previously mentioned (wet down method) then install tiles. Start the tiles at the front and work toward the back, that way all cuts are inside and grouted. The front face would have a bead of caulk added once grouted to make a nice clean face edge.
When you install the drywall you will need to use a flexible corner bead to drywall mud in, they are available at the big box stores.
I will say tiling a concave arch is not the easiest thing in the world to do but with patience it is do-able for most DIYers you need to use small tiles so if your thinking 6x6 or lager this probably isn't a great idea.
The smaller the tile the more latitude and flexibility you have especially as the tiles reach the peak of the arch.

[Colonel]

thanks for the advice.I was planning on using a 12x12 mosaic tile so flexibility shouldnt be a problem.Could I use the same thinset I am using on the backerboard for the sheetrock?

[pushkins]

Yes, that should not be an problem.