How to Lay a Cement Board for Shower Tile
Remodeling your bathroom can add resale value to your home. Replacing your original shower with a tiled shower, for instance, is a good way to enhance the overall appearance of your bathroom. Before tiling, however, you have to prepare your walls. Cement board should be installed before you start laying tile, giving the tile support. Cement board also does not retain water, so any minuscule gaps in the grout will not result in a moldy base. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Safety goggles
- 4-mil plastic sheeting
- Heavy duty stapler
- Staples
- Measuring tape
- Drill
- 1 1/4-inch cement board screws
- Straight edge
- Utility knife
- Hammer
- Jigsaw
- Bimetal jigsaw blade
- Fiberglass mesh tape
- Thin-set mortar
- Flex scraper
Instructions
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Hang 4-mil plastic on the wall and staple it to the wall studs. This will waterproof behind the shower wall should any water seep through.
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2
Hang your first 3-by-5-foot cement board on the wall, starting from the bottom and working up toward the ceiling. Leave a 1/4-inch gap between the tub or shower and the bottom of the cement board. Use a drill to attach the cement board to the wall studs with 1 1/4-inch cement board screws.
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3
Hang each additional cement board, leaving a 1/8-inch gap between each board on the wall.
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4
Measure each board for a proper fit to areas too small to accommodate a full-sized cement board, such as corners. Mark your measurements on the cement board with a pencil.
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5
Cut the cement board. Lay a straight edge along your measurement and mark for your cut. Using the straight edge and a utility knife, score the board along your line. Turn the wall board over, check your measurements and score the back side of the board. The cement board should break easily at your score line using your hands or a light hammer. For more complicated cuts such as curves and right angles, use a jigsaw with a blade designed to cut through cement board (known as a bimetal blade).
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Finish hanging your boards on the shower wall, cutting openings for any shower hardware such as faucets and showerheads. Remember to leave a 1/8-inch gap between boards.
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Tape each 1/8 inch seam on the wall board with fiberglass mesh tape. Do not forget to tape the corners.
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Mix thin-set mortar according to the manufacturer's directions. Use a flex scraper to spread thin-set over the fiberglass mesh tape, pushing the thin-set into gaps, joints and seams.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear safety goggles, especially when cutting the cement board.
References
- Photo Credit shower image by Dragan Trifunovic from Fotolia.com
