I have had to build a reasonably large boxing around some pipework running vertically up one wall of my bathroom. About 400mm wide and projecting from wall by 130mm. I have some large hardboard sheets leftover from another project that I was wondering whether or not I can use to tile to, I had planned on building the boxing out of something pretty heavy duty like 3 x 2 with plenty of support noggins if necessary and then using SBR to seal..am I mad? Obviously I know hardboard isn’t the best material, Previously I’ve used hardiebacker but just trying to save the pennies and use up materials. Any thoughts?
I would say that hardboard is an unusual choice for this situation as it’s thin and flexi Plasterboard or ply would be the usual choice, or cement board as uv mentioned But, as you have the hardboard, and you realise that you need extra support from timber battens/noggins, then as long as it’s firmed up well with no flex, then yes can see this working As you say, SBR / Acrylic Primer to seal is a must (not PVA) But if you have to buy the extra timber for battens and time taken to construct, you may be better off keeping the hardboard for another project and using PB/ply You say bathroom but is this going to be in a wet area ?
Thanks for the replies guys yes it’s in the bathroom but not in a particularly wet area several feet away from any running water or splash. As an alternative perhaps I could use the hardboard and then cover with some foam style backer board I have lying around also!
The finish is gonna be tiled yes ? Then you want the whole structure solid, any flex will ‘kill’ the tiling ‘Foam backer board’ - no ideas what that is but don’t sound right for this job
If it's what I saw for the first time this week Dave, it's a lightweight but rigid board made of what looked like two thin sheets of plastic (with a small square grid moulded into the face) sandwiching a foam core. I guess it was about 9mm thick and looked pretty handy. More research required. Edit: I think it's this Dave (so cement not plastic and 10mm not 9mm thick) - https://www.wickes.co.uk/STS-Profes...x-600mm-x-1-2m/p/101131#ProductDetailsMenuTab
Thanks Jord. I had just assumed that it was another generic name for the likes of hardibacker. Have you used it? It looked quite good in the very quick glance I had the other day.
Yeah it's top stuff in fairness, apparently supports something like 100kg a m2, which you'd never think possible as you can cut it with a Stanley knife easily. Expensive though, you fix it with screws and special aluminium washers that sink into the board and hold it tight to the substrate. Bloody washers are expensive too, but then you get what you pay for I suppose.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/201517673906 This is the stuff I have chaps it’s mainly used for waterproofing over a solid substrate in wet zones I suppose, but I originally was hoping to use this for the boxing, I thought it would be rigid like hardybacker but it’s far too flexible, on reflection though perhaps I’ll just go and put my hand in my pocket and get plywood, as per my original post, just trying to save the pennies basically
So just to clarify do you think this would be suitable for boxing then tiling onto without being backed by something more rigid?