Help, the walls are coming off in the bathroom and ceramic tile WILL be used around the shower / tub … she said so!
which type of backing do I need ? I have seen greenboard,blueboard, & durock ……after installation, and have read about hardibacker.
I tried looking at the Hardie site, and, of course they have the “best” product. Is this the evolution of drywall or does one product outshine the others? I did look in the archives, and found some helpful hints, but not much to help me choose
I am sure this ox has been gored many times here , but any input would be hepful. Of course the need for expensive tools would be a plus.
maddog
Replies
DON'T use any kind of sheetrock product- it won't hold up .
I really don't find much difference in the various cement boards- I've used 2-3 various makes. They're all heavy, and dusty to cut. But I wouldn't use anything else on tub walls.
Oh, and be sure to put some kind of vaper barrier ( tar paper or plastic ) on the studs before hanging the cement board. Moisture won't damage it, but it could still migrate thru and damage your framing.
thanks Shep, I was going to insulate the walls ...again, do you think the paper faced as a barrier would be ok ? or should I use one of the two you mentioned?
I would still use either of the two as added insurance.
the last thing you want is mold or rot problems after you've got all that nice, new tile up.
Use Schluter Kerdi and you can use DW for backing.
I have yet to hear anyone say what the purpose of GB is. The best explanation I've heard is that it originally was supposed to be a tile backer, but was a disaster in shower areas, but they continue to flog it in moist environments for no discernible reason. Don't put a VB behind it or it'll degrade from moisture accumulation. It's less stiff than ordinary DW so don't put it on the ceiling. Don't put it in the shower area, it'll turn to mush. There isn't much left, is there?
what the purpose of GB is
It's for painted/papered finishes in damp environments (allegedly). So, it's for above the tile surround, or above the sink countertop.
It's less stiff than ordinary DW so don't put it on the ceiling
And the destructions with the GB clearly show the maximum span for 1/2" is 12" O.C. (yeah, took me years to actually look that up <g>).
With the modern backer boards available, about the only use GB has is for ceilings in commercial bathrooms, where they are textured and painted. The paint usually is enough VB to protect the GB.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Yeah, now I find this out, the "old" walls were 3/4, yep 3/4 greenboard, I figured a heavier base HAD to be better. All that the stuff was good for was pumpin up the arms. thanks for your thoughts maddog
thanks for your thoughts
No sweat <g> "Thoughts is cheap; Labor costs, though" is what an old boss of mine used to say.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Shep is on the right track.
Try this site also. It's full of friendly tile experts. johnbridge.com
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
Hi, how is it going I am a renovation contractor up in Canada and with ninety percent of my work being bathrooms hopefully I can help. I would reinsulate the wall cavity and use 6 mil poly with acoustical for the vapour barrier. Then cement backer board with a shower wall membrane all the way to the drain. Shluter makes a good product for the membrane. This method may be more costly but it works.
thanks Arty,
this is a tub /shower, so I just need something down to the tub? it sounds like the Schluter might be more than I need,or is it important ? we only want to do this once....maybe twice LOL
Here in Canada we have problems with heaving from the frost so your house will shift even if just a little the grout can crack leading to water trouble. With the membrane i have never had a problem to date. I am crossing my fingers because there is only one proper way to fix a leaky tile job $$$$. Oh yeay forget to tell you to use thin set not mastic(mold grows on mastic). Let me Know how it turns out.
the more I look into this , the more I think I should hire an "expert"
all I need is to screw this up ...again, as I said at the beginning, this is re-re-doing .....after three years
thinset?....refers to a type of Mortar? and I also learned there are 2 sides to Durock one for mastic and the other for thin-set. one of the sites I visited said that greenboard is perfectly suitable as along as a THIN coat of mastic was applied to the base FIRSTand allowed to dry #@$%^^%TY&^% thanks you for your advice, maddog
Edited 5/6/2005 4:33 pm ET by maddog