There are other brand names of polystyrene backerboard as well as other materials to choose from including cement backerboard.
Shower backer board cement vs concrete wall.
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.
Cement board is easily cut with a hand saw or a power saw.
Kerdi board by schlüter is one brand name of polystyrene backerboard for tile.
Drywall panels fit between wall studs spaced 16 inches or 24 inches apart.
Cement board is porous so grout and mortar adhere to it well.
Then the cement board is installed on top of the plastic sheeting.
Any of them can work well if properly detailed.
Easier to cut and fasten than cement board.
When doing floors i use 1 4 x 14 notched trowel with thinset over the sub floor.
Cement backer board on concrete as a subfloor or underlayment is usually not recommended or needed.
It can be nailed or screwed into almost any material including cinderblock brick and concrete.
The wedi backer board hardibacker and wonderboard.
Wonderboard is a type of cement board used for tiling in wet places especially bathrooms.
Screws secure the cement board to the wall studs.
In this highly convenient inexpensive and popular application a moisture barrier of 4 or 6 mil thick plastic is installed directly over the wall studs.
I use 15 lb felt with 100 overlap over the studs on walls.
Cement backer board is often used as a tile base on plywood or osb subfloor.
When installed properly they will give you many many years of durable shower construction.
Fiberglass mats irritate bare skin.
Cement board and plastic sheeting.
Cement backerboards include hardiebacker durock fiberboard wonderboard and similar products.
In most cases you can apply tile directly to the concrete.
The name backer board comes from its use as a subsurface for tile installation especially in showers and tub enclosures.
Installing cement backerboard is one of the more popular choices for a shower wall substrate.
These materials bridge the gap between expense and effectiveness.
Lighter in weight than cement board.
Will soften if water seeps through joints or gets behind the waterproof surface.
Wonderboard is used specifically.
The smaller dimensions of cement board make the installation of it on large walls more difficult but cement board panels fit vertically in 3 foot wide showers or horizontally behind a standard 5 foot bathtub.
All of these backerboard options have advantages and disadvantages.