CEMENT BOARDS

Cement board technically called cementitious backer unit (CBU) or 'backer board' is a mineral based wall unit made from cement and reinforcing fibres. Boards are usually 1/2 inch thick measuring 2400mm x 1200mm (8'x 4') and can be used in numerous building applications such as base for ceramic tile, sheathing board or many other surface finishes, like paint or brick slips. Because cement backer board is porous, grout, and mortar adhere well to it. Also cement board provides a stronger bond and support with tiles than typical gypsum board. Moreover, the unique cement formulation board offers great strength, stability and excellent acoustic properties. It has better long-term performance than paper-faced gypsum core products because it will not mildew or physically break down in the continued presence of moisture or leaks. It does not rot, warp, grow mold, or deteriorate when subjected to water. Can be nailed or screwed to wood or steel studs to create a substrate for vertical tile and attached horizontally to plywood for tile floors, kitchen counters and backsplashes. Cement boards are far heavier than gypsum boards and have one smooth face and one textured face, the smooth face should be fixed outermost. Boards can be found in a numerous of other thicknesses such as 6mm, 9mm, 12mm and 15mm. Major brands of cement boards are: Hardie backer, STS, Fassa, Cembrit, Siniat, Fermacell, Parex, Knauf and RCM.

CEMENT BOARDS INSTALLATION

Cement board is heavier than drywall and can require two people to lift and install. Cutting of cement board must also be done with carbide-tipped tools and saw blades. Due to its hardness, pre-drilling of fasteners is often recommended. Cutting is harder since it's made primarily from cement. The installation process requires a few simple manual operations.

Drill cement board screws through the board sheets every 6 to 8 inches. Position the screws at least 1/2-inch, but no more than 2 inches, from the edge of the sheet. Drive the screws in so that the heads are slightly below the surface of the board sheet. Use the flat side of your notched trowel to fill the joints between the board sheets. Smooth the mortar so it extends about 35mm on each side of the joint. The extra mortar will make it easier to embed the fiberglass tape. Cut the fiberglass seam tape to length with the thin side of your trowel. Push the tape into the joint mortar. Once the tape is embedded, scrape off any excess mortar. Spread a thin layer of mortar over the fiberglass tape with the flat side of your trowel or paint scraper. Feather the edges of the mortar across each board so the surface is as smooth as possible.  

CEMENT BOARDS PRODUCTS ǀ MANUFACTURERS

RCM Multipurpose Class A1 Fire Rated Cement Building Board

RCM RenderFlex Render Carrier Board Class A2 

RCM Y-wall Class A1 Fire Rated Calcium Silicate Sheathing Board

RCM Cemboard Cement Bonded Particle Building Board

Knauf AQUAPANEL® Cement Board 

STS Construction Board

Parex Render Boards

Siniat BluClad Board

Fassa Externalight Render Board

Fermacell Powerpanel H2O

Cembrit Permabase Render Board 

HardieBacker Backerboard

Video credit:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMcbVX2gJzo