Durock or Hardibacker cement backerboard?
Question:I am renovating a small (4' x 10') bathroom with a stall shower. I have gutted the room down to the studs. I have found some water damage to the floor: Joists are 22" O.C.; 1x4x3/4" T&G with 1/4" plywood subfloor. My plan was to completely replace the subfloor and cut out the damaged T&G and replace it with 3/4" plywood. I planned on using 1/2" Durock around the shower stall (and under the preformed basin) and on the rest of the floor - to keep everything smooth and level. The salesman at the lumberyard insisted that Hardibacker was FAR superior and that I could even go with the 1/4" to avoid raising the floor too much. Most of what I have read says to go with the 1/2" Durock.
I am confused.
Please include your experience level with your answer. Thanks!
Answers:
They're both good. I guess most of the time I've used Du rock on floor only jobs and Hardback on wall only jobs, but one or the other on combos. I don't think it matters to be honest.
That 1/4" plywood isn't helping if you are putting Durock down on top.
If you're going to just patch the old t&g boards (and you should) and leave most of them, I'd recommend 1/2" Durock or Hardibacker.
The best would be to tear up the entire floor, replace with 3/4 plywood (use glue), and then the 1/4" Hardibacker would make a very solid floor without raising the floor too much.
On the walls half in. green rock or moisture resistant drywall is usually plenty sufficient for most any application. You failed to mention what you plan as a finished floor but I am assuming you are installing ceramic tile. If this is the case then 1/4 tile backer by any name will work if as you say the structural integrity of the sub-floor is repaired and sound, just be sure to use plenty of liquid nails or a similar product to adhere it to the substructure. the thing to keep in mind is to minimize any flex or movement or the tile will crack or the grout will crumble and fall out. If the shower stall is a single unit then there should not be any problem with moisture beneath it and if there is a breach in the sealed system there is nothing you can do to assure no damage caused by the breach outside of a rubber membrane or a secondary pan system. hope this helps with you confidence and happy remodeling
As a tile installer from what I've seen the hardi backer is better for the shower walls On the floor I wouldn't use either.If your just using a shower pan then you set it on plaster level and attach it to the walls.If your not using a shower pan then I would use a liner and drain with weep holes and dry pack the drain angle.For extra moisture protection you can redguard over the backerboard.
I don't do tile but I do commercial drywall. Every commercial building we have done has called for durock in their specifications wheverer tile or sanitary cove base is used.
Leads me to believe architects, and builders find durock to be superior to Hardibacker.
The hardi is easier to cut, nail and screw. Durock is cement rock and screen, it's hard to cut and can crack and break while trying to cut it(old school tile installers used concrete and chicken wire for shower walls and shower pans durock is just the faster way,yet harder to handle in sheets). go with what you are going to do as far as the patch in the floor. If you are going to tile the floor and the shower stall then yes go with the hardibacker, if you are going to put vinyl on the floor then you can go with a piece of particle board, glue it and screw or nail it into your joists float the floor off with armstrong floor patch let dry then glue the vinyl down.
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