Best Types of Tile Backer Board for the Shower

By
Lee Wallender
Updated on 06/29/21

Whenever installing tile in any area of your house, you need a special substrate, or base layer. In showers, the
standard substrate is tile backer, also called cement board or cement backer board.

What Cement Tile Backer Board Is

Cement tile backer board is a mineral-based board, usually 30 inches by 60 inches, used as a lower,
dimensionally stable surface for ceramic tile.

Ceramic and porcelain tile, more than almost any other surface material, needs a stable, flat, flex-free
substrate. Even the slightest amount of movement in a building structure can telegraph to the tile and crack it.

CBUs

Technically called a cementitious backer unit (CBU), well-known brand names of tile backer board include
Durock, Denshield, HardieBacker, and Wonderboard.

In addition, because showers and bathtubs are wet areas, they need a substrate that will not be damaged by
moisture, just in case a crack in the tile or grout lets water through to the backer.

All tile backer boards are made of 100-percent inorganic materials that will not rot, shrink, delaminate, or
decompose when exposed to moisture.

4 Best Cement Tile Board Applications

There are several acceptable applications of cement board in the shower. All applications pair up the tile board
with some kind of waterproofing material, whether a liquid membrane, plastic sheeting, an uncoupling
membrane like Schluter Kerdi, or a board that is already faced with waterproofing.

Cement Board and Plastic Sheeting

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. Then, the cement board is installed on top of the plastic sheeting. Screws
secure the cement board to the wall studs. Tile is laid onto the cement board with thinset mortar or mastic.

Cement Board and a Liquid Membrane

In this application, cement board is installed directly onto the studs. No plastic sheeting goes behind the cement
board.

A liquid waterproofing membrane, such as RedGard or Hydro Ban, is rolled onto the cement board and allowed
to cure. Then, tile is installed over the membrane.
Cement Board and a Sheet Membrane

In this popular application, a cement board is installed directly on the studs with no plastic sheeting behind
it. Waterproof sheet membrane, also called uncoupling membrane, is applied to the cement board with thinset
adhesive. One such brand is Schluter Kerdi.

After the thinset has dried, tile is applied to the sheet membrane with thinset. Kerdi can also be installed directly
over standard drywall in a shower because, when installed correctly, it creates a continuous waterproof barrier.

Membrane-Faced Board Only

One type of tile backer board is made with a water-resistant facing on both sides of the board. Georgia-Pacific's
DensShield is one such product.

The facing serves as an integrated waterproofing membrane, so you don't need to install a separate layer of
plastic behind the tile backer or a sheet membrane over the backer.

As with the other applications, thinset mortar is then applied to the board's surface, followed by tile and grout.

Unacceptable Shower Backer Boards

Several traditional tile installation methods used materials that are no longer considered acceptable for shower
applications.

Drywall: Prone to Water Damage

It takes just a little moisture for drywall's paper facing to disintegrate and turn moldy. Even a tiny amount of
water introduced through a crack or hole in the tile will expand once it hits the moisture-hungry paper facing
and gypsum core of the drywall. Because paper is an organic product, it will quickly become moldy.

Greenboard: Not Code and Difficult to Find

Greenboard's acceptability as a shower backer board is debatable. Greenboard is only slightly more water-
resistant than plain drywall. Greenboard has drywall's same gypsum core and paper facing. However, the facing
is impregnated with waxes that shed water better than conventional drywall's paper. 

While some local building codes do allow for greenboard as a tile substrate in showers, many other
communities do not allow greenboard. But with many non-organic shower backer boards available as
alternatives, there is little reason to use greenboard.

On top of it, greenboard is more difficult to find than ever since there are better, competing products available.

Plywood: Water-Prone, Not Code

Plywood on its own cannot be used as a substrate under tile in showers. Some homeowners believe that painting
or priming plywood will render it suitable to use as shower/tub backer board. This is not true.

Since plywood is often used as an underlayment for floor tile, some do-it-yourselfers may believe that it can
also be used in shower wall applications.