Under Tile Board

Screws secure the cement board to the wall studs.

Under tile board.

Tile is hard and will break or dislodge if the surface bends under the load and many wood surfaces can expand or contract negatively impacting their ability to stay level and support the weight. Only mix as much thin set as you can use in a half hour and be sure to have solid support under each tile. This is the industry standard most preferred by construction pros when installing ceramic or porcelain tile backer board comes in four foot by eight foot and three foot by five. If you must install over such surfaces it is best to install a backer board over the old surface and install the tile on the backer board.

Use a polymer modified thin set a type of mortar to attach the backer board to the subfloor. Tile is laid onto the cement board with thinset mortar or mastic. It is made of cement water silica limestone flour and fibers such as kevlar or fiberglass for increased strength. Cement board is a type of underlayment that is now standard for most tile installations but particularly for floor tile.

Whenever you re laying tile on a wood subfloor you need to first install cement backerboard to prevent leaks and water damage. If you follow all these steps you ll have a stiff monolithic crack free floor. 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. Lay the tile in thin set set the tiles using the same latex modified thin set and techniques used for the cement board.

Cement based backer board. Cement board also provides an additional layer over a plywood or particleboard subfloor adding stiffness to the tile. The polymer modified thin set provides additional strength and helps eliminate any movement between the backer board and the subfloor. Unlike wood or drywall sub surfaces cement backerboard will not rot warp or grow mold and mildew when exposed to water.

The tile look panels included in some shower and tub surround kits are sometimes referred to as tileboard but there is a critical difference between shower panels and true tileboard. The primary benefit of cement board is that it doesn t break down or expand or warp if it gets wet. This provides a solid surface under the tile that prevents flexing that could lead to cracking. Cement backer board is a mineral based pre fabricated wall unit usually 1 4 inch or 1 2 inch thick and 3 feet by 5 feet long.

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. Now largely regarded as the very best underlayment for ceramic tile in any application floors walls and countertops cement based backer board goes by many names.