Tiling Onto Hardboard

[John]

I am just about finished tiling my neighbours En-Suite. I am boxing in the waste pipes and have used 4" x 1" for the upright bits and I am looking for something for the top. It measures 1.25 m my 90mm and will not be taking any weight. Can I use hardboard (rough side up) to tile onto or will the adhesive cause swelling problems? I am asking because I have some hardboard in my garage and if is will be OK I do not need to make a trip to Been & Queued in the morning. Would it be better to use 'No Nails' to fix these few tiles or is that a no no?

Cheers

John

[Grunff]

Hardboard is really a little too flimsy to tile onto. You'd be much better off using 1/2" ply or MDF.

[John]

Thanks for the reply but in this situation ( 4 foot long x 3 1/2" wide strip) I think 1/2" ply or MDF would be overkill. I can go purchase 3 or

4mm ply but I have hardboard in the garage and was trying to save a trip out in the morning.

Cheers

John

[Andy Dingley]

I wouldn't in general as it's too bendy under load and it's too likely to warp into a curve. It's not the exposure to water from being in a bathroom, it's just the mechanical flimsiness. I'd use Viroc Versapanel (because my local shop has it) or one of the similar cement- based boards.

For something this size though, I can't see a problem with hardboard. After all, it's not plasterboard - which really would be too flimsy and damp-sensitive.

[Stuart Noble]

If your 4 x 1 uprights cover the whole 4ft length, you'll have 2 edges to stick the tiles to. You may not need anything across the top, but it's a nice little ledge for glass bottles and things, which will crack the tiles if dropped. Hardboard is really no good at all but I suppose you could glue 3 or 4 pieces together if it's quicker than going to B&Q

[The Natural Philosopher]

I would normally fake that up from scarp cip.pluyy, bits of old kitchen units and spare bits of MDF, or even plasterboard.

Hardboard never. No stiffness. The tiles will crack off.

[Housemartin]

Normaly I would never use hard board, but in this instance it is such a narrow strip and it sound like it will be quite stiff so I think you would get away with it and yes you could use a no nails glue.