I’m about to start putting tile on the shower walls and floors in the master bath in my house. I have a decision to make. For the floors, I am using 1/4″ underlayment ply and Ditra. I think the ply and Ditra is better than thinsetting 1/2″ Durock and will allow the final tile thickness to better match the hardwood in the rest of the house.
However, I don’t know whether to use Hardibacker or Durock (Wonderboard) on the walls. They are just two totally different materials. It seems like the Hardi is easier to work with. Locally they are the same price for 1/2″ product. Apparently you can also paint the Hardiebacker if you don’t want to tile it. Anybody here used both and can tell me their experiences?
Replies
for no other reason than I believe the 1/2" hardie is stiffer and harder to knock a hole in... i go for the hardie... and i still add more horizonal blocking than most... just because it's easy while the wall is open...
no facts for this... just feeling...
good luck I'm sure either will be fine
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If you're using a waterproofing membrane system like Schlueter Ditra (which I highly recommend), you can even use drywall for your vertical underlayment.
I recently finished a couple of large showers in a high-end vacation home and used 1/4" Hardie for the underlay (I'm not yet comfortable with the drywall option)...and like another poster, I use a lot of blocking. I was putting up a mix of slate and natural stone. In my experience, 1/2" underlay on the walls is overkill. If you're concerned about stiffness, frame and block well, put up 1/4" plywood, waterproof and then put up 1/4" Hardie.
But I've also used wonderboard and Durock, though they're a bit more of a PITA.
And you can also use one of the Georgia Pacific wallboard products...I believe it's Denshield Gold, that is water-resistant and is good for floors and walls.
Visit http://www.johnbridge.com for further conformation.
If you're using a waterproofing membrane system like Schlueter Ditra (which I highly recommend), you can even use drywall for your vertical underlayment.
You meant Kerdi. Ditra is an underlayment for horizontal surfaces.[email protected]
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Kerdi is what I meant....can't you read my mind? :-)
They are both good choices. The biggest differenc I eperienced is that the Hrdie was cleaner to work with. I sensed that th durock was fragile, but tht's apparently not true. In this case, go with what makes you feel better.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
I'm not sure exactly what your floor consists of now, but instead of 1/4" ply + Ditra versus 1/2" CBU, you could just use 1/4" CBU thinset over the subfloor and preserve the elevation you want. That's what 1/4" designed for, it doesn't work on walls over open studs. I've used all of the flavors of 1/4" and 1/2" CBU and have never developed a preference, aside from whatever's in stock when I go to buy it.
I haven't decided whether or not I'll use Ditra, having heard reports of it not sticking and bubbling up. Most people seem to report easy success with it. Same goes for Kerdi... the idea of drywall in a shower stall just sounds wrong. CBU with rock screws is a bulletproof tile substrate.
Should have mentioned - this is a new house and the floor is Advantech over open web trusses at 16" o.c. It passes the L/720 test with flying colors. The tile will be meeting 3/4" thick strip maple floors, so 1/4" ply + 1/8" ditra + 1/8" (maybe) thinset + 1/4" tile = 3/4", give or take a sixteenth. Close enough for me.
I hate working with Durock, is why I asked. If the hardi is a good alternative (and it seems to be, judging from the responses), that's what I'll do. No way I'll use drywall in the shower - it's going to be 1/2" hardi + extra blocking for seams and possible seat/grab bars.