Wall Tiles - Hardi Backer


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Old 07-16-18, 01:39 PM
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Wall Tiles - Hardi Backer

Hi,

Hoping to get some answers/thoughts on my recent install. I recently tiled a wall 8' X 16' with a porcelain tile, fairly heavy. It is 3/8 inch thick and dimensions are 6" x36". I talked to the guy at Lowes and he sounded like he knew what he was doing as he did the same to his home and had prior experience. I installed 1/4" hardi backer over 1/2 inch drywall to hang the tile. Used the hardi backer 1 5/8 inch screws at least every 6 inches and got the studs on all of them. I then had a professional come in and tape the seams and install using a MAPEI thinset. It came out really nice and straight. However....

After install I was talking to some other contractors who had some concerns that I should have used 1/2" hardi backer and was worried about the screw depth of the 1 5/8 screw. Using that screw I at least have 3/4 (actually .87") of an inch into the stud, which is quite a bit in my opinion but I wanted to hear what others thought about this install, between both the thickness of the hardie backer and the screw length. Is this dangerous? This is not a bathroom. Just an interior wall for a feature.

If I could do it over, I would tear the drywall down and install 1/2" hardi backer, then tile.

What is odd is that they recommend only 1 1/4 in screws over the half inch hardibacker, which is exactly 3/4 of inch into the stud, which is what I currently have??
 

Last edited by Skidooman34; 07-16-18 at 01:54 PM. Reason: Add detail
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Old 07-16-18, 02:09 PM
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I talked to the guy at Lowes and he sounded like he knew what he was doing
OK, this was the first mistake, in my opinion, 95% of the folks working there are part timers and dont know a screw from a nail. Sorry, most of them are simply clueless!

I would have gone with the 1/2", the 1/4" material is not real structural but If you used thinset between the CB and drywall that would be ok

Another question:
I then had a professional come in and tape the seams and install using a MAPEI thinset.
Why? all you need to do is tape seams with fiberglass tape and coat with a thin layer of thinset, certainly way below the requirements of hiring somebody to do that simple step!
 
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Old 07-16-18, 03:30 PM
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Yeah, should not have relied on the Lowes tech. As I have had similar experiences where they didn't know squat. I did not put thinset behind the hardibacker. Do you think this needs to be torn down and redone? Could the whole thing collapse or slowly just fall apart?

Also, I used a guy to install the tiles because I thought the majority of any concern here was with the bond of the tile to the wall. Making sure one does not fall, so I didn't want to take that risk. But now realize I may have a bigger problem.
 
 

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