That is why cement board is mainly used as a substrate for tiling. Here is our complete guide on how to ​cut ​cement ​board for your next kitchen or bathroom remodel. ​Again, you should always wear a respirator and goggles when cutting cement board. out beyond the stud plane. To the untrained eye, they can be easy to confuse. However, the angle grinder makes a lot of dust, and is a little more difficult to control than a circular saw. Begin by laying your cement board out on a flat surface and mark the line where you’d like to score the board. Hardiebacker offers a premium cement board product, with a lifetime warranty and technology that includes MoldBlock TM. Measure the width and length of the crawl space itself (not the walls). The crawl space stays dryer, which discourages the growth of dangerous mold and rot. She enjoys "green" or innovative solutions and unusual construction. ​It’s a good idea to make your cuts outdoors, clear of open doors and windows. Protect prefinished fiber cement board. Work slowly through the cut, ensuring that the straight edge doesn’t slip or move while you’re sawing. It is also free of gypsum, asbestos, and formaldehyde. Unlike drywall, ​cement board has no gypsum, asbestos, or formaldehyde. For simple straight cuts, you can fit your circular saw with a carbide-tipped wood blade, and use slow, even pressure when you make the cut. Fiber cement board panels give a space an urban loft look. Plastic sheeting typically comes in rolls 100 feet long and a variety of widths, generally at least 8 feet wide. Cement board,​usually comes in one of two sizes: 3’x5′ and 4’x8′. Install tile. As mentioned earlier, it will not rot, warp, mold, or deteriorate when wet. The cement board should snap cleanly along your score line. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Only the blue (Dow) or pink (Owens-Corning) rigid foam insulation are fire-rated. We’ll go through each of the most common ways ​for cutting ​cement board below. For starters, lets make sure we’re all taking about the same product. This lightweight backer is easy to install and can finish smoothly and cleanly. In contrast with more traditional materials like drywall, cement board won’t soak in moisture from the mortar under the veneer stone like drywall will. Nocom is a structural cement board for fire-rated construction of floor, walls and roofs. The only drawback to insulating the space is you have to crawl around underneath a house. ​Once you learn how to cut cement board, you will be able to update and add walling and tilework to your home. Use on walls in moisture prone areas, as a tile backerboard and as an underlayment for all tile, vinyl and wood flooring applications. It is 100% Portland cement and finely ground sand. Pros will need special tools to work with the material. Gypsum Backer Board 1/2 in. Use this to determine the proper amount of vapor barrier -- 6-mil polyethylene (plastic) sheeting works well -- you will need. To protect the paint from getting scratched during installation, leave the plastic on and make your cuts right through it. Then do the build up on top of the cured membrane. The boards should be installed onto a clean and smooth surface and all remained dry lining removed prior to installation. After growing up in construction and with more than 30 years in the field, she believes a girl can swing a hammer with the best of them. This method probably produces the least amount of dust out of all of the ones listed. Cement Board is a cement backerboard designed for use with walls, floors and countertops. You can do this with a carpenter’s pencil or use a chalk line. ​Don’t forget about a cord free jigsaw option either. Browse for fiber cement boards. In fact, a “true” board and batten wall involves adding boards directly to the wall for a smooth backing. Pipes running through the area are protected from busting in freezing temperatures. Home » How to Cut » How to Cut Cement Board and Hardie Backer. Immediately position the matching piece of plastic sheeting over the wall, ensuring it is higher than the wall, trailing over the floor, and extending on to the walls on either end. Measure and cut plastic for each wall similarly. That means the dust has sharp edges and will irritate eyes and lungs. Similar to cutting circles in wood, there are a few tricks available for those who need to do this. Hardiebacker ensures mold will never be an issue on your cement board by not using any paper in their product. Types and Sizes There are two basic types of cement board : one is hard and heavy like concrete, and the other is softer and lighter. You’ll use the thinner boards in areas like countertops​. ​When you are considering ​the best way to cut ​cement board, first evaluate and ensure you are using the proper substrate. Determine the square footage and add 10-percent. Or, you could trace a pipe fitting or other circular object of the proper size. Cement board is interchangeably referred to by quite a few names, and it is worth listing those out. Now, it is time to apply the tape. Glass The DensShield 5 ft. x 32 in. If you have a wet saw for cutting tile, you could use this for cutting your hardie board, as the abrasive blade is constantly bathed in water, resulting in a clean cut with no dust. x 1/2 in. Add 10-percent to allow for errors. Lay your cement board out on a work table or between two saw horses. This installation can be completed in one day and is fairly easy. Re: Best way to attach hardi board to cement block wall. ​There are two basic types of ​cement board​: one is hard and heavy like concrete, and the other is softer and lighter. It is a very hard, very flat surface. ​It’s relatively inexpensive for most DIY jobs around the house. Never use anything that can mold. x 2.7 ft. x 5 ft. Tile Backer The DensShield 5 ft. x 32 in. Many of the board and batten tutorials out there show trim pieces added directly to the wall, which is definitely a very inexpensive way to install board and batten! But, it will wear down the blade and take some effort. It is made of cement, water, silica, limestone flour, and fibers such as Kevlar or fiberglass for increased strength. Especially if you’ve never done it! Holding the tool against the straightedge, you can use it as a guide to ensure a perfectly straight score line. Taking the time to do this and ensure overlapping joints will ensure an air- and moisture-tight installation. Spread the remaining plastic vapor barrier across the crawl space floor. When you hear the term “hardie board”, it is referring to a specific brand of cement board. With that being said, cutting circles by hand can be tough, especially when precision is required. Stone, stucco, brick, or plain gray will make a statement. Peel away the plastic after the board has been fastened to the wall. And, remember to follow all safety instructions! Now that you know the differences between cement ​board vs hardiebacker, drywall, and greenboard​, lets talk about where is best to use this product. Install each sheet similarly, pushing each tight to the last. The simplest way to cut concrete wallboard or cement backer board is not to use power tools at all. Cement backer board is a mineral-based pre-fabricated wall unit, usually 1/4-inch or 1/2-inch thick and 3 feet by 5 feet long. Completely redone from the inside out, and restored to its original form, the home is a featured design by renowned Southern California Architect Cliff May, considered to be the father of the California Ranch Home. But, when cutting cement board, more teeth in the blade isn’t necessary, and will just make more dust. Unlike score and snap, you’ll need to use a surface that allows for a saw blade to go through the board. Interior uses. This method of insulating is suited for closed crawl spaces -- those that are not vented. And, there are a variety of different ways to cut ​this type of board, ranging from very easy to very precise. While perfect for tile, professional builders often use cement board for other kinds of floors, countertops, backsplashes, and even walls. Neither is drywall. For the sake of this article, cement board is the same product as: ​At the end of the day, all of these are a brand or variation of cement board, so we’ll be referring to them all the same in this guide. This material is a mixture of sand, cement and wood-cellulose. It's strong, durable and easy to maintain, but heavy and difficult to install. Copyright 2021 by SawsHub.com - Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Contact. ​We’ll review several power saws that you can use, starting with the circular saw. Using a rasp, you can easily smooth the rough snapped edge. Both 6mm and 12mm HardieBacker cement boards can be used on masonry walls whenever you are dealing with a confined space. First, draw the outline of your hole on your cement backer board with a compass. Space fasteners 8" o.c. This method is specifically focused on how to cut a hole out of the cement backer. Because foam compresses, before installing the siding, we used a string line to ensure the furring strips were in plane [2]. This means that you don't have to cover it with a fire-retardant material such as drywall. You can think of it as sort of a cousin to it. Cement board has fiber inside it for structural strength, so you can use a utility knife to cut through this mesh to separate your two pieces. Depending on the product, you may have to trowel the mastic in long, broad strokes across the wall, or use a caulk-like product and apply squiggly streaks every 8 to 10 inches. Cement board​ is one of the most useful home improvement inventions of the 20th century. When it’s time to make the cut, set a straightedge across your sheet. Press with your knee and pull. Use these numbers to order the proper amount of the rigid foam insulation product of your choice. When you’re cutting wood, you typically want more teeth in your blade so to make for a cleaner cut. ​Note: If you’re researching how to cut durock, you can follow the same process. Cement board installation can be daunting. Hold an end of the plastic sheeting against the far end of the first crawl space wall. If the hole is small enough, the simplest solution to cutting a hole into cement board is to use a carbide-tipped hole saw and a highly reviewed and rated drill. UL Listed Floor Assemblies available. Glue and adhere to create a strong bond. This method will be slow to cut, and produces a little dust. Add colorful accents in furniture and accessories. Glue and install the insulation. SawsHub.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. ​. ​​Hardiebacker or board is the top brand selling cement board. So if it were me, I would install it directly on the block to intergate it with the existing VB. Follow with a measure of expanding foam insulation, which will seal any small gaps as well as help hold the insulation in place. ​. It provides builders with the easy-install equivalent of a concrete subfloor. ​Make sure to use a blade with the fewest teeth you can find. While perfect for tile, professional builders often use cement board for other kinds of floors, countertops, backsplashes, and even walls. In typical situations, you can use two 3' x 5 boards horizontally for the tub backwall, and one 3' x 5' board vertically at each endwall. ​Scoring and snapping can be tricky, especially with thicker cement boards. Still, if you need to cut a smooth curve, the jigsaw is probably the best way to cut hardibacker board for you. From here, you can finish the cut with a utility knife and smooth out the rough edges with nippers. SawsHub is a collection of DIY enthusiasts and woodworking experts. Measure the width and height of each wall in the crawl space. Learn about the team! Our previous tutorial shared how to choose the right bathroom backer boards in order to avoid a moldy bathroom.. Cement board is a huge part of a bathroom renovation because it doesn’t contain any … However, check your local building code to determine the specific requirements for your area. While power saws make it a lot easier, it is possible to cut ​cement board by hand. Cement board offers considerably more strength when compared to drywall. We used our new plywood base to enable us to install shiplap over a concrete wall. ​Often easily confused with drywall, cement board is actually quite different, and used for very different purposes. A carbide-tipped blade with as few as six teeth will cut cement backer board smoothly and quickly. This also means cement board will never mold, rot, shrink, or decompose due to the presence of organic materials. Overlap rows as needed, extending the plastic a foot or two over the previous piece. Note: Because cement board fasteners may protrude through the plywood base when 1/4" cement board is used, 1/2" or 5/8" cement board is preferred in this application. Spread the plastic the length of the wall, pulling it 2 or 3 feet past the wall end, to measure the length needed. An expert at home repair, remodel, and DIY projects for nearly 40 years. Since I had a hip fracture 2 years ago, doing floor work was extremely difficult and expensive especially thin-setting multiple times between layers of … Adding rigid foam insulation to your crawl space is one of the smartest things you can do to your house. Cut each sheet of rigid foam insulation to fit the crawl space wall height. Cutting cement board depends greatly on what tools you have, how accurate you need to be, and how fast you want to go. Since tile is widely used in bathrooms, kitchens, and other places where there is constant moisture, it has become the go-to solution when tiling. Experience how Eldorado Stone can transform your interior space with this “How to Install” video workshop. Cutting curves is much easier with a jigsaw, and the preferred option in this case to a circular saw. Adhere the plastic to the next, and each remaining wall, following the same procedures. Layout the cement backer board at right angles to the plywood subfloor so the joints in the backer board are staggered and don’t fall on joints in the plywood. Like the score and snap method, set a straightedge across your sheet. Either way, follow the steps we’ve outlined in this guide for how to cut fiber cement board and hardie board. Providing a vapor barrier was never an issue when I had this situation, but Mike needs one. Plywood subfloor won't bond as surely with thinset as cement board will; neither will it provide as even and stable of a surface for the tile. Now Dennis spends his time on fine woodworking projects and tool comparisons. Wait for the saw blade to warm up and come to full RPM before starting your cut. How to Install Rigid Foam Board on the Walls of a Crawl Space. Repeat the movement three or four times to get a nice, deep score cut into your cement board. Press the plastic in place, running a hand over it to bond it completely. Prefinished fiberglass cement siding boards come with a protective plastic coating. Add this result -- which is the size of the crawl space floor -- to the crawl space wall footage. This is dangerous​, so make sure to read the safety instructions for your circular saw and follow them to a tee. The Schluter Kerdi drain pan will work with the cement board walls. A better option is to pick up a carbide-tipped score knife. How to Cut Cement Board and Hardie Backer, ​Method Four: Cut with an Angle Grinder​ or Tile Saw, ​How to Cut Circular Holes in Cement Board, mold will never be an issue on your cement board by, make sure to read our article on sheetrock vs drywall, for use in showers and other places where there is constant water usage, Tile and other materials can easily be laid on it, relatively inexpensive for most DIY jobs around the house, depend on the tools you have at your disposal, review several power saws that you can use, Cutting curves is much easier with a jigsaw, angle grinder which has been fit with a diamond cutting wheel, How to Cut Stainless Steel Sheets and Tubes, Bandsaw vs Table Saw: Which is Best and When to Use Each, How Much Torque Do I Need in an Impact Wrench. For these purposes, cement backer board is perfect. Installation practices vary. A word of caution: cutting hardibacker board ​with a saw produces a fine silica dust that is crystalline in structure. If you buy something through a link in our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Glass Mat Tile Backer features glass mat facings and an acrylic coating that helps block moisture from entering the wall cavity. The advantages are multiple: Floors running atop will feel warmer to bare feet in the winter. ​​. 5. So long as you’re making a straight cut, the circular saw makes for a great method to cut ​cement backer. It is possible to use a drywall knife to score cement board sometimes. Cement board looks and feels somewhat like drywall. If your crawl space is vented, you must close it and allow it to dry before using insulation on the walls. ​. You really only want to use this method for fast cuts, as your lines won’t be as straight as with other methods. x 1/2 in. The best way for cutting ​depend on the tools you have at your disposal, how much time you have, and how precise you need to be. Durock is simply a brand of ​cement board. Install panels on a wall of your bedroom, and let it double as a headboard. Not only is it difficult to hold a straight line for the entire cut, but cutting by hand takes a long time if you’re cutting a lot of cement boards. If your project actually requires drywall (and not cement board), make sure to read our article on sheetrock vs drywall. Typically you would need to use 1/4″ furring strips to make the studs flush with the tile flange on the tub. This method is different than cutting a circular pattern in your cement board. Use a straightedge and a utility knife to slice through the insulation, then snap the board along the cut line to get a precise break. Tile and other materials can easily be laid on it with no concern for the presence of moisture on the substrate. Follow the steps outlined below. Fiber Cement (Hardie Board) Fiber cement materials cost $0.75 to $5 per square foot. Each sheet is generally 8 feet long by 4 feet wide, or 32 square feet. After a few taps, the cement board should snap along your dotted line. Cut PermaBase Cement Board to size (followin the cutting procedure covered previously in this brochure), attach it to wall studs or ceilin Install PermaBase with printed side visible. This means that unlike materials like drywall, plywood, or green board, there is no organic matter in cement board. It is also possible to cut hardibacker board with an angle grinder which has been fit with a diamond cutting wheel. Cement board has the great advantage of being totally inorganic. Spread a water-based mastic or other adhesive approved for use with foam insulation across the area where the first sheet of insulation belongs. One perk of hardie board is that it comes standard with perforated groves on standard lines, making it a lot easier to cut. Composed with a proprietary chloride-free magnesium oxide cement with high-strength fiberglass mesh, Nocom offers premium performance and value in a fire-rated panel. Once you have a sufficient score groove, stand up the cement board. On most walls, we attached the siding to furring strips, which also served to hold in place the 4 inches of rigid foam we added to the outside of the walls. Install cement board first if you're dealing with just a subfloor. Cut small pieces of rigid foam to fit in between the joists around the perimeter of the wall. James Hardie HardieBacker .42 in. Masonry Walls Installation. ​If you’re not cutting a straight line, ​use a jigsaw with a carbide-grit or a metal-cutting blade installed. How to Paint Over a Cake Frosting Ceiling, How to Fasten Plastic to a Wooden Greenhouse, Department of Energy: Where to Insulate in a Home, Discount Visquine: Frequently Asked Questions, How to Drywall Over Concrete With a Vapor Barrier. Not to mention your pocketbook will thank you as your heating and cooling bills lower. Kneel on one end to ensure the straightedge does not move, and firmly draw the scoring tool along the line. ​Cement board is used as a tile backing board in areas of moisture, such as your kitchen or bathroom. Disregard the excess hanging down on the bottom -- as long as it overlaps the crawl space floor at least 1 foot, it's adequate. Similar to the way drywall is cut, it is possible to score the cement board and snap it along that scoreline. Once this is done, using a hammer, lightly tap on the center of your circle. Installing wall wood paneling over a cement wall is a great way to improve the appearance of the walls. If you are using cement boards for floor backing, leave a one-fourth inch gap between the sheets of cement board and the wall. When installing cement board around a toilet, faucet, or other pipe fitting, you may find you need to cut a circular hole in your cement board. Yes, you absolutely can install board and batten on textured walls. Cement board is best used water could be present. Explore the latest recommended installation techniques on how to install manufactured stone; including a detailed “Step by Step” process utilizing a cement board substrate and a polymer-fortified installation system. Even greenboard, which is more durable and hardy than drywall, is not recommended for use in showers and other places where there is constant water usage. ​After several cuts, you’ll probably need to replace your blade. Obviously, wood is not an ideal material to use in places where there is moisture. Cement board is also used as a substrate for manufactured veneer stone, at times. Adding rigid foam insulation to your crawl space is one of the smartest things you can … We mentioned it above, but a jigsaw is also the perfect power saw to use for cutting a circle in cement board. Multiply the results for each wall to determine the square footage. His first experience came in completely restoring an antique home. If you have one that is powerful enough, this can make the project go a little faster, and make it a lot more convenient. The cement board should be installed over the tile flange of the tub leaving a 1/16″ gap between the rim of the tub and the cement board. Cement backer board comes in several thicknesses much like drywall​, and is generally made in thicknesses of 1/4”, 7/16”, 1/2”, and 5/8”. for ceilings. For example, a 3’x5′ sheet of 1/4” backer board runs around $10, and the same size in the 1/2” thickness runs around $14. HardieBacker® cement board is made better to install better and perform better. Karie Fay earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology with a minor in law from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Repeat steps three through four of the installation process until all cement boards are laid, and your work area is complete. You might not find it worthwhile to get out your tile saw for this, but if you have a lot of cuts to make it might be worthwhile. After that I wanted to install Hardibacker 1/2″ cement board and Schluter DITRA on top of it to waterproof before I install tiles. Create an accent wall in any room. Leave a 1/4″ gap between the backer board and walls and 1/16” gap between the sheets of backer board. Installing additional supports to your home may also be necessary. If you are working with a concrete wall that you want to be able to nail into, that has imperfections, needs to be level, or you need to cover odd things like gaps, holes, openings or maybe even old wood windows — this fix might work for you! I was told by the Schluter dealer to create the water tight shower enclosure, and you're good to go: Install the cement board on the walls, down to the flooring, seal the joints with thinset and fiberglass mesh tape, waterproof with Red Guard (or your choice). That’s why it was named the most preferred brand of backer board by tile installers and contractors, according to the 2019 Tile and Stone Report conducted by ClearSeas research in partnership with the National Tile Contractors Association and TILE Magazine. Cut the plastic with a pair of sheers. Immediately press the insulation in place, following the manufacturer's instructions if it specifies to pull the insulation away again before repressing it to the wall to set it. Wall & Ceiling Installation 1/2" & 5/8" only FASTENING Fasten to studs spaced 16" o.c. Tape the Seams. These tools have a very durable scoring tip which can be used to easily score cement board. X Research source While it's possible to lay tile directly on plywood subfloor, it's certainly not recommended. Run generous beads of construction adhesive down each crawl space wall, working one at a time, spacing the squiggly-shaped beads every 8 to 10 inches. Smooth out the excess material at the ends before layering the next wall's material over top. Run the plastic up the exterior walls about a foot. When scoring and snapping aren’t ideal, it is possible to use power tools to cut your fiber cement backer board. You’ll use the thicker boards behind shower and kitchen walls. ​Cement board is water proof, which means that it will resist water, making it the perfect substrate to sit behind tile. ​No matter what, whenever you install cement board, you’re going to have a variety of cuts to make.