Shower Backer Board Cement Vs Concrete Wall

The wedi backer board hardibacker and wonderboard.

Shower backer board cement vs concrete wall.

The name backer board comes from its use as a subsurface for tile installation especially in showers and tub enclosures. Fiberglass mats irritate bare skin. Cement board is porous so grout and mortar adhere to it well. Can t support all types of floor tile see product specification sheet.

Kerdi board by schlüter is one brand name of polystyrene backerboard for tile. The core of these boards is made up of a combination of cement and concrete that will not absorb any water and therefore will undergo no damage even if exposed directly to water. I have been using various types of 1 2 cement board on tub and shower walls and 1 4 fiber cement boards on bathrroom floors with 1 8 inch gap. Cement board and plastic sheeting.

Easier to cut and fasten than cement board. All of these backerboard options have advantages and disadvantages. These materials bridge the gap between expense and effectiveness. It can be nailed or screwed into almost any material including cinderblock brick and concrete.

In most cases you can apply tile directly to the concrete. Will soften if water seeps through joints or gets behind the waterproof surface. Wonderboard is a type of cement board used for tiling in wet places especially bathrooms. I use 15 lb felt with 100 overlap over the studs on walls.

Then the cement board is installed on top of the plastic sheeting. In this highly convenient inexpensive and popular application a moisture barrier of 4 or 6 mil thick plastic is installed directly over the wall studs. Drywall panels fit between wall studs spaced 16 inches or 24 inches apart. When doing floors i use 1 4 x 14 notched trowel with thinset over the sub floor.

Screws secure the cement board to the wall studs. The smaller dimensions of cement board make the installation of it on large walls more difficult but cement board panels fit vertically in 3 foot wide showers or horizontally behind a standard 5 foot bathtub. Wonderboard is used specifically. Any of them can work well if properly detailed.

Cement backer board is often used as a tile base on plywood or osb subfloor. Installing cement backerboard is one of the more popular choices for a shower wall substrate. Cement board is easily cut with a hand saw or a power saw. Backer board cement board comparison review written by fred daues on january 4 2013 in wedi shower systems this review was done to test the performance of 3 different cement boards for ceramic tile installation.

When installed properly they will give you many many years of durable shower construction. There are other brand names of polystyrene backerboard as well as other materials to choose from including cement backerboard.