OT: Backer board for tile

According to our tile guy, I need 1/2" backer board to tile our floor. Does it make any difference what kind? If so, what brand do you recommend?

Thanks,

Mike

Reply to
Michael
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Buy the kind that your tile guy uses and recommends ? .. rather than strangers on the internet - just a thought. John T.

Reply to
hubops

He said go to Home Depot, so I'm checking around first.

Reply to
Michael

Is the floor sound and rigid? If so I always use Schluter Ditra. If the floor is not absolutely solid then any concrete backer board your local big box store has in stock should work but make sure it is properly screwed down and taped. If an existing mud-bed floor is being demolished and replaced I find that building the floor up with layers of A-C exterior plywood, well glued and screwed, with Ditra over top is the easiest way to go since in allows fine adjustment of the final floor height (although a really good tile layer can get away with a bit more fudging than your typical amateur).

Reply to
John McGaw

Don't you have this backwards? I was told by the Schluter reps that Ditra is great for use on floors that might have a little sag in them because the waffle design allows some give in the floor without effecting/cracking the mortar bed for the tile. It is also, of course, a moisture barrier.

Concrete backer board is not and should not be used in an attempt to add rigidity to a weak subfoor. The purpose of concrete backer board is to provide a buffer zone for the moisture that will get under the tile. It won't expand/contract and/or rot with getting wet and drying out, like wood does.

Reply to
-MIKE-

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HTH

Reply to
Spalted Walt

No, I don't think that I got it backward although there may be a bit of shading in my interpretation. Ditra is a fantastic product and does the job of decoupling well but it still must be placed over a firm substrate. Use it with big tiles and a floppy floor and you will find the tiles actually cracking from the stress. Concrete board will definitely stiffen a subfloor but it obviously won't overcome a sagging rotted conditions . I still swear by Ditra for almost any installation in a bathroom because of its waterproof nature.

While I'm touting Schluter, their Kerdi membrane and foam shower beds are great products for the DIYer too. I still haven't used their Kerdi-Board yet but will definitely try it in the third bathroom when I get up enough energy to start the project.

Reply to
John McGaw

I would encourage you to check into the facts about cement board. I contend that it will *not* stiffen a subfloor, nor is it intended to. It is a brittle material and not meant for strength. Not arguing, here, just offering advice.

Yes, I'm totally sold on all Schluter products. They rock.

Reply to
-MIKE-

By "concrete board" are you talking about Harie-backer or the concrete-between-two-gauze-bandages stuff? Either way, after you mud it in, it gets pretty damned stiff. I was told to have at least

1-1/2" thick floors under tile - any combination of plywood and backer. I used 1/2" Hardie on 3/4" ply and 1/4" mud between, all screwed every 6". Worked great. I've also used the cement stuff but Hardie-backer is so much easier to use.
Reply to
krw

snip...

Well, what I am considering is the thick concrete-between-mesh stuff that is so difficult (for me anyway) to work with. The only time I've used the thin Hardiebacker was for a kitchen counter job when it was laid over a multi-layer plywood substrate and, in my inexperience, I over-engineered it by several hundred percent of needs. That counter top might well outlive cockroaches and kudzu.

Reply to
John McGaw

BTDT! For a mantle over our woodstove in a previous (Vermont) home, I built forms out of ply, then lined the inside with 1/4" Hardiebacker, then poured 2" of concrete in the forms. When set, I flipped them over and removed the forms, then tiled over the Hardiebacker. Each half weighed more than 100bs but they didn't go anywhere. ;-)

Reply to
krw

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