The Back Board Below The Floor Tile

Hardibacker is the best known fiber cement board fiber cement board.

The back board below the floor tile. 5 steps to a sound ceramic floor. Cement board is the most durable trouble free tile backer for tub surrounds showers floors and all other wet areas. You ve probably heard of hardiebacker tile backer board. It is generically called cement board or backer board or it can also be referred to by one of the common brand names such as densshield hardiebacker and wonderboard.

It s typically available in 1 2 in. Its made from cement and sand and is reinforced by fiberglass mats on both sides so it s impervious to water. Do it yourselfers can use either 1 2 or 1 4 inch cement board in certain applications while other scenarios mandate 1 2 inch board. Find backer board at lowe s today.

Install a cement based backer board following the manufacturer s instructions. Use a polymer modified thin set a type of mortar to attach the backer board to the subfloor. Cement based backer board. This is a distinct advantage over plywood and drywall.

Thick 3 x 5 ft. Prepare a solid squeak free subfloor one of the keys to a long lasting tile installation is the underlying subfloor. Unlike wood or drywall sub surfaces cement backerboard will not rot warp or grow mold and mildew when exposed to water. It has to be rock solid before you lay the 1 2 in.

It s a sort of gray beige colored board and is available at any hardware box store. Fiber cement board and cement board are closely related. Fiberock is another popular product in this category. This provides a solid surface under the tile that prevents flexing that could lead to cracking.

The primary benefit of cement board is that it doesn t break down or expand or warp if it gets wet. Cement board also provides an additional layer over a plywood or particleboard subfloor adding stiffness to the tile. Cement board is an easily installed diy tile underlayment providing a stable dependable tile setting substrate while eliminating the complicated lath and mortar floating process. Whenever you re laying tile on a wood subfloor you need to first install cement backerboard to prevent leaks and water damage.