Ceramic Wall Tile Backer Board

It s hard flat and incredibly stable.

Ceramic wall tile backer board.

Ceramic tile backer board also called cement board or tile backer is a rigid panel material that installs over wood framing much like drywall. It s made primarily with cement and sand and it has no paper that can deteriorate or promote mold growth if it gets wet. Find backer board at lowe s today. Fiberock is another popular product in this category.

It s a sort of gray beige colored board and is available at any hardware box store. Hardibacker is the best known fiber cement board fiber cement board. Backer board is everything that drywall is not. You ve probably heard of hardiebacker tile backer board.

The traditional method of installing ceramic tile called for setting it in a solid mortar bed. Doesn t deteriorate when wet. Backer board is the best substrate for tile. Tile needs to be installed on a backer board to keep the assembly stiff otherwise the assembly will flex at the grout joints allowing water to seep behind the tile and rot the substructure.

Today most professional tile setters back their tile with cement board instead because it offers almost the same durability with a lot less work. But that s pretty much where the similarity ends. 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. Troweling a perfectly flat bed required great skill but the reward was a tile job that lasted for decades.

Never install new tiles over existing tiles or onto an unprotected wood or plywood floor. Plywood and osb substrates can warp and mold with water damage but tile backer board will do neither. Whether it s a wall floor or countertop tile installation using the right substrate is crucial for preventing cracks and breaks in the tile and grout. Fiber cement board and cement board are closely related.