There are other brand names of polystyrene backerboard as well as other materials to choose from including cement backerboard.
Shower backer board cement vs concrete wall.
Lighter in weight than cement board.
The wedi backer board hardibacker and wonderboard.
Any of them can work well if properly detailed.
Fiberglass mats irritate bare skin.
I have been using various types of 1 2 cement board on tub and shower walls and 1 4 fiber cement boards on bathrroom floors with 1 8 inch gap.
Drywall panels fit between wall studs spaced 16 inches or 24 inches apart.
Wonderboard is used specifically.
These materials bridge the gap between expense and effectiveness.
In most cases you can apply tile directly to the concrete.
Then the cement board is installed on top of the plastic sheeting.
The name backer board comes from its use as a subsurface for tile installation especially in showers and tub enclosures.
Will soften if water seeps through joints or gets behind the waterproof surface.
Wonderboard is a type of cement board used for tiling in wet places especially bathrooms.
All of these backerboard options have advantages and disadvantages.
Easier to cut and fasten than cement board.
Cement backerboards include hardiebacker durock fiberboard wonderboard and similar products.
I use 15 lb felt with 100 overlap over the studs on walls.
The core of these boards is made up of a combination of cement and concrete that will not absorb any water and therefore will undergo no damage even if exposed directly to water.
Cement board and plastic sheeting.
Screws secure the cement board to the wall studs.
In this highly convenient inexpensive and popular application a moisture barrier of 4 or 6 mil thick plastic is installed directly over the wall studs.
Can t support all types of floor tile see product specification sheet.
The smaller dimensions of cement board make the installation of it on large walls more difficult but cement board panels fit vertically in 3 foot wide showers or horizontally behind a standard 5 foot bathtub.
Kerdi board by schlüter is one brand name of polystyrene backerboard for tile.
Cement board is porous so grout and mortar adhere to it well.
Installing cement backerboard is one of the more popular choices for a shower wall substrate.
It can be nailed or screwed into almost any material including cinderblock brick and concrete.
When installed properly they will give you many many years of durable shower construction.
Cement backer board on concrete as a subfloor or underlayment is usually not recommended or needed.
Cement backer board is often used as a tile base on plywood or osb subfloor.