How to Install Hardiboard for Tile on Walls

Preparation

• 1

  Tap across the wall with a hammer to locate the studs behind the drywall. Studs are usually 2-by-4 boards installed vertically as part of the wall framework. When the taps produce a soft thud sound, there is hollow space behind the wall. A hard sound usually indicates a wall stud.

• 2

  Mark the location of each stud on the wall with a pencil within the proposed tile area.

• 3

  Measure between stud marks. If there is more than 16 inches of space, additional structural support inside the wall is necessary before installing HardieBacker. Fortunately, many studs are spaced 16 inches apart or less.

• 4

  Measure up from the floor one-quarter inch, and mark the wall with a pencil. Hold a 4-foot level against the wall with its bottom edge aligned with the mark, and center the bubble. Trace the bottom edge of the level on the wall with a pencil across the entire area where you will instal tile. If your tile will cover a smaller section higher on the wall, measure up from the floor and make the level line across the area at that height.

Cutting

• 5

  Measure the vertical and horizontal space that you will cover with HardieBacker, using the one-quarter-inch-high pencil line as the bottom edge. Apply those measurements to the HardieBacker, marking the sheets with pencil where cuts are required. Trace the edge of a yardstick or straightedge to make long, straight cutting lines, if necessary.

• 6

  Press the tip of a utility knife into the material. Drag it along the pencil lines, making a shallow cut through the surface.

• 7

  Lay a 2-by-4 on the material at a scored line. Raise the edge of the sheets to snap them off along the edge of the board. The manufacturer specifically warns against using any power tool to cut HardieBacker, as this can send silica particles into the air.

• 8

  Make curved or circular cuts in the material by scoring the surface as deeply as possible with a utility knife, and breaking off the excess with a hammer.

Hanging

• 9

  Begin installing HardieBacker sheets at a corner or a far end of the wall, or at the far left or right edge of the tile installation. Align the first sheet with the corner or end and the level pencil line.

• 10

  Hammer nails or insert screws with a power drill through the sheets and into the wall at the factory-marked spots on the sheets. If few of the marks align with studs, add more nails or screws to fasten the sheets to the studs.

• 11

  Continue across the wall with the same method, butting each sheet against the edge of the last.

• 12

  Mix thinset mortar in a bucket, following the manufacturer’s instructions for consistency and wait time.

• 13

  Spread the mortar over every seam between HardieBacker panels with a 3-inch putty knife.

• 14

  Press fiberglass mesh tape into the mortar along the seams, and cut off the excess tape with a utility knife. Apply another coat of thinset over the tape, and remove the excess with the edge of the knife.