Can you plaster over cement board? I had some water damage to my basement due to a failed sump pump and cut out a 2 foot section of the drywall all round the room. Can I replace it with Durock and then plaster and paint over it? I figure if it's possible, I can save myself some trouble if it ever happens again.

How many inches of water did you have John? If it was only a few inches patch in the drywall and leave it shy of the flor a few inches and cover the gap with the base board. That way if you get a few inches of water again it will not be able to crawl up the wall. All depends on whether you had 1-3 inches or if you had 6 or more inches?

yes

They do it all the time. Won't help if the insulation behind gets wet though.

How many inches of water did you have John? If it was only a few inches patch in the drywall and leave it shy of the flor a few inches and cover the gap with the base board. That way if you get a few inches of water again it will not be able to crawl up the wall. All depends on whether you had 1-3 inches or if you had 6 or more inches?

It was only about 2 inches of water, but I figure it's better to be safe than sorry. I spent the weekend ripping up carpet, subfloor and cuttting out drywall and it sucked. I don't feel like going through that again. I'm also thinking of putting down a tile floor instead of carpet this time.

They do it all the time. Won't help if the insulation behind gets wet though.

I've got foundation with polystyrene insulation, which is ok if it gets wet. Would it be difficult to match up the Durock with the drywall if I go that route?

Would it be difficult to match up the Durock with the drywall if I go that route?
As long as your studs are even and you use the same thickness it shouldn't be a problem. If there's some variability you might get a change in plane that can probably be fixed with plaster if it's not that bad.
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if you get 2" of water again you will still be screwed. the paint will peel off the cement board, the studs (if wood) will be wet and grow moldy. there are a couple of different types of backerboard out there- the grey cement looking stuff seems to absorb more water than the beige colored stuff. tile with a morter designed for wet applications will help with the floor though

I'm also thinking of putting down a tile floor instead of carpet this time.

FB: look at this stuff, recycled rubber interlocking tiles:

Freestyle Flooring - Eco-Friendly Commercial Interlocking Flooring (http://freestyleflooring.com/Commercial.php)

I put it down in my finished basement, DIY installation and goes right over anything (like my old 9x9 asphalt tarred shingles). If you want you can check out my basement some time. Not the least expensive option but the distributor is in the Avon Ind Park so if you pick up you can save ~15%, e.g. the shipping costs.

I'll agree with Niko,you'll still will be screwed.
The footer should be PT and when you hang the rock make a couple of half inch shims put these on the floor,then rest the rock on it you'll be half inch off the floor and give you a little bit of grace.
Owen Corning puts out this insulation called Mira flex it's soft to the touch and doesn't cause irritation,it's pricey this type might not make a difference if it gets wet,I dunno thou.you might want to ask around.

consider a drop ceiling there temporarily.... :huh:

with some added light fixtures so it can all be easily removed
and allowed to drip thru into containers on the new tile floor.

ceiling tiles are cheap ...easy to lift and show water stains fast.

Later, when all the drainage problems are solved then
make permanent repairs since MOLD is the biggest health issue.

How did the sump fail? I've got three now, one with battery backup and alarm. We have a terrible house for water.
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Thankis for all the advice. I knew asking the question here would get some good responses.

if you get 2" of water again you will still be screwed. the paint will peel off the cement board, the studs (if wood) will be wet and grow moldy. there are a couple of different types of backerboard out there- the grey cement looking stuff seems to absorb more water than the beige colored stuff. tile with a morter designed for wet applications will help with the floor though

Good point on that, Niko. I'm leaning toward just putting regular drywall back up and dealing with it. I've only had water once in the 6 years I've lived here (the seal around the water pipe entering the house cracked) and got nothing during the floods in March last year. I should be ok.

FB: look at this stuff, recycled rubber interlocking tiles:

Freestyle Flooring - Eco-Friendly Commercial Interlocking Flooring (http://freestyleflooring.com/Commercial.php)

I put it down in my finished basement, DIY installation and goes right over anything (like my old 9x9 asphalt tarred shingles). If you want you can check out my basement some time. Not the least expensive option but the distributor is in the Avon Ind Park so if you pick up you can save ~15%, e.g. the shipping costs.

That looks pretty interesting, Phil. Does it feel like vinyl flooring or more durable. The room is more of a family room with a bar, plasma tv, surround sound, etc... I'll talk to you on Sat. about it.

How did the sump fail? I've got three now, one with battery backup and alarm. We have a terrible house for water.
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The hose runs out into the woods behind my house and it was frozen/blocked with snow. The sump basin never gets any water in it during the winter, but with the thaw last week and the rain while we were away, the french drains were funneling water in. It couldn't empty out the hose, so it backed up into the basin and eventually the circuit in the pump tripped and it shut off. I'm looking into a battery back up next. The pump runs pretty often in the spring when it's wet, but we've never had any problems with it.