Foam Tile Backer Board Vs Cement Board

Kerdi board by schlüter is one brand name of polystyrene backerboard for tile.

Foam tile backer board vs cement board.

You ve probably heard of hardiebacker tile backer board. A 1 2 inch thick 3 x 5 foot sheet weighs just 7 1 2 pounds compared with 45 pounds for a similar size sheet of cement board. Can t support all types of floor tile see product specification sheet. The synthetic foam will last longer than traditional concrete and produce significantly less dust when cutting and installing.

Fiberock is another popular product in this category. Some quick google ing turned up about 10 sheet for 5 x3 x1. Foam core tile backing board has two big advantages over other backer boards. Any of them can work well if properly detailed.

The biggest disadvantage will be the cost. Easier to cut and fasten than cement board. The wedi backer board hardibacker and wonderboard. Even the slightest amount of movement in a building structure can telegraph to the tile and crack it.

Dont know how you would put this thing to a vote maybe admin coould help out with that one. It s a sort of gray beige colored board and is available at any hardware box store. Just reading the definitions alone doesn t provide too much of a difference as both uncoupling mats and backer board are used to prep the subfloor to help prevent loss of bond. All of these backerboard options have advantages and disadvantages.

Hardibacker is the best known fiber cement board fiber cement board. Fiberglass mats irritate bare skin. There are other brand names of polystyrene backerboard as well as other materials to choose from including cement backerboard. First it s super lightweight compared with the rest.

Fiber cement board and cement board are closely related. In addition because showers. In showers the standard substrate is tile backer also called cement board or cement backer board. Lighter in weight than cement board.

Backer board cement board comparison review written by fred daues on january 4 2013 in wedi shower systems this review was done to test the performance of 3 different cement boards for ceramic tile installation. Will soften if water seeps through joints or gets behind the waterproof surface. And second since it s foam the board is super easy to cut with just a utility knife. Xps foam boards like jackoboard marmox weidi etc or cement boards lile hardie no more ply etc with tanking where applicable or plasterboard just to throw it in there tanking where needs be.