Does Cement Board At Ceramic Tile Require Backer Board

No thinset underneath the backer board.

Does cement board at ceramic tile require backer board.

Cement board commonly sold under trade names such as durock hardiebacker and wonderboard is now the standard underlayment used for ceramic porcelain or stone tile laid with thinset mortar adhesive cement board is used for most floor tile and has all but replaced plywood and drywall backer materials for wall tile applications in wet areas like showers and tub surrounds. Cement board seams require mesh tape and thinset 1. Whenever you re laying tile on a wood subfloor you need to first install cement backerboard to prevent leaks and water damage. Thick 3 x 5 ft.

Cement board is the most durable trouble free tile backer for tub surrounds showers floors and all other wet areas. Because cement backer board is porous thinset grout and mortar adhere well to it. Just the other day i saw a video featuring someone fastening hardibacker directly to the subfloor with nothing underneath it. Backer board is selected as a tile substrate because it is an excellent bonding surface for ceramic tile mortars to adhere to.

Today most professional tile setters back their tile with cement board instead because it offers almost the same durability with a lot less work. Backer boards can be nailed or screwed into studs or cinderblock brick mortar or concrete. Also called a cementitious backer unit or cbu. It is used on flooring installations as a means of creating a stable and easier to work with subfloor.

It s available in sheets of many sizes with 3 foot by 5 foot sheets being the most common. Backerboard or cement board comes in sheets much like drywall and is used in a couple of ways. Its made from cement and sand and is reinforced by fiberglass mats on both sides so it s impervious to water. Cement backerboard is a thin layer of concrete with fiberglass mesh on both sides.

Cement backer boards are designed and manufactured for use with ceramic tile and natural stone installations acting as an underlayment layer between the wooden substrate below the board and the tile installation on top. Troweling a perfectly flat bed required great skill but the reward was a tile job that lasted for decades. If tile has not been attached directly to the backer board and it has not been dented or punctured it can be reused. The traditional method of installing ceramic tile called for setting it in a solid mortar bed.

Cement backer board is commonly used to form a base for ceramic tile. It is also chosen because of its ability to withstand moisture as evidenced by its use in wet areas. It s typically available in 1 2 in.