Floor Tile Backer Board Installation

This provides a solid surface under the tile that prevents flexing that could lead to cracking.

Floor tile backer board installation.

First changes in humidity make solid wood shrink swell and cup more than plywood. Some backer boards will have the fastener locations printed on the board. Don t skip this. This guide will teach you how to properly lay cement backerboard and use mortar to secure and level your subfloor before installing tile.

In this video i ll show you how to install hardie backer board to prepare a floor for tile. Unlike wood or drywall sub surfaces cement backerboard will not rot warp or grow mold and mildew when exposed to water. The backer board comes in different sizes and you will pick the right one depending on the type of floor you are installing. Never install new tiles over existing tiles or onto an unprotected wood or plywood floor.

Cutting fastening and taping and mudding. Not using mesh tape on the seams of your cement board installation. Install a cement based backer board following the manufacturer s instructions. According to backer board manufacturers and tile setters installing backer board directly over an old solid wood subfloor is risky for a couple of reasons.

Cement board commonly sold under trade names such as durock hardiebacker and wonderboard is now the standard underlayment used for ceramic porcelain or stone tile laid with thinset mortar adhesive cement board is used for most floor tile and has all but replaced plywood and drywall backer materials for wall tile applications in wet areas like showers and tub surrounds. Installations for floor tile and other horizontal surfaces like countertops require an extra step of applying thin set tile adhesive to the wood subfloor before laying down the cement board sheets. To achieve the ideal flat surface most contractors rely on the backer board cement backer board is a thin layer of concrete designed to be setting surface upon which tile can be installed. Installing backer board involves three main steps.

Floor tiles should be installed over smooth flat surfaces. I m using a 6 inch galvanized metal flashing screwed into the backer board and on the back into the densglass with drywall. Second the strength of wood boards isn t always consistent. This is more of a little known fact but most cement board manufacturers want fiberglass alkaline resistant mesh tape embedded in thinset mortar over the backer board seams.

Use a polymer modified thin set a type of mortar to attach the backer board to the subfloor. When installing floor tile or any tile for that matter the most important aspect of the installation is always the preparation.