Shower Backer Board Cement Vs Concrete Wall

Will soften if water seeps through joints or gets behind the waterproof surface.

Shower backer board cement vs concrete wall.

Wonderboard is a type of cement board used for tiling in wet places especially bathrooms. Drywall panels fit between wall studs spaced 16 inches or 24 inches apart. In most cases you can apply tile directly to the concrete. Installing cement backerboard is one of the more popular choices for a shower wall substrate.

Cement backer board on concrete as a subfloor or underlayment is usually not recommended or needed. I use 15 lb felt with 100 overlap over the studs on walls. These materials bridge the gap between expense and effectiveness. 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.

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. Can t support all types of floor tile see product specification sheet. Lighter in weight than cement board. 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.

Then the cement board is installed on top of the plastic sheeting. It can be nailed or screwed into almost any material including cinderblock brick and concrete. Cement backerboards include hardiebacker durock fiberboard wonderboard and similar products. Kerdi board by schlüter is one brand name of polystyrene backerboard for tile.

Easier to cut and fasten than cement board. Cement board is porous so grout and mortar adhere to it well. Cement board is easily cut with a hand saw or a power saw. Cement backer board is often used as a tile base on plywood or osb subfloor.

When doing floors i use 1 4 x 14 notched trowel with thinset over the sub floor. The name backer board comes from its use as a subsurface for tile installation especially in showers and tub enclosures. When installed properly they will give you many many years of durable shower construction. 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.

Fiberglass mats irritate bare skin. The wedi backer board hardibacker and wonderboard. Screws secure the cement board to the wall studs. All of these backerboard options have advantages and disadvantages.

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. Cement board and plastic sheeting.