Drywall for Washing Machine Drainage

Washing Machine Drainage

• When your washing machine finishes cleaning your clothes, all the water it used needs to go somewhere. When washing machines weren’t common, you could get away with hanging the drain hose over the side of the utility sink in your laundry room and sending the water down the sink drain. Now, most areas have building codes requiring that the washing machine drain into a standpipe, which in turn drains into the sink’s drain line.

Drywall

• When planning what drywall to use in your laundry room, keep in mind just how much water drains out of the washing machine and what a mess you could have on your hands if something leaks. Use moisture-resistant drywall in your laundry room, at least for the first 4 feet up from the floor. This ensures that if the washer drain line splits, the drywall most likely exposed to the draining water will be less likely to be heavily damaged and won’t permit water to reach other parts of the walls, like struts and other support structures.

Other Options

• If you plan on tiling your laundry room, use cement board instead of moisture-resistant drywall. Stronger and heavier than other types of drywall, cement board contains both Portland cement and fiberglass mesh. This gives it the strength to handle being tiled. It also causes it to be even more water resistant than moisture-resistant drywall.

Considerations

• If you need to install a new standpipe drain for your washer’s drainage in order to bring your laundry room up to code, you’ll end up cutting into the drywall in order to access plumbing lines. Even if you are cutting through moisture-resistant drywall, replace the entire piece with a new sheet. The fewer cuts and patches in a length of drywall, the better able to withstand leaks it will be.