Tile Backer Board Essentials
The introduction of Schluter-DITRA “universal underlayment for ceramic and stone tile” has raised a lot of questions:
- What exactly is the purpose of floor-mount backer board?
- How does the new product compare?
Additionally, there was already a wide variation in what was considered acceptable backer material and thickness.
Therefore, I propose to tackle the following subjects:
- What was the structural purpose of traditional (durock, fiberock, etc.) cement backer board?
- What is the goal/purpose of the new Schluter material?
- Analysis/comparison of the two different approaches (point load seems like a big strike against Schluter)
- Best practice and recommendations going forward
- Relevant pointers for wall-mount backer
August 27th, 2008 at 1:29 am
i would also like to know what the purpose is for any backerboard in a flooring application. i can see why it would be necessary in a wall application but not floor. i have a 3/8 plyboard on top of my subfloor and i plan on laying tile directly on it. do u see any downside to this?
thx
August 30th, 2008 at 6:10 am
Grady, backerboard has several advantages over an additional layer of plywood. It’s more rigid, doesn’t expand and contract under various (air) moisture and age conditions, and like tile it’s not affected by the occasional soaking.