divorcingjack Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 We're at boarding out stage for the bathrooms, tiles not yet chosen, so not sure of weight. Bathrooms will not be full wetroooms, but a fall laid in the shower area in the concrete floor - no former. I've been reading that Aquapanel is not the thing to use, unless fully tanked. I've heard tell of Wedi board and Fermacell was also mentioned as moisture resistant. We are planning on fermacell in the rest of the house, so anyone got any thoughts about using it as a backer board? Tiles will be full height. What is best practice here? I know, not PB sealed with PVA! I have learned that much .... Cheers, dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Used it and it’s fine but I’m moving towards using MR plasterboard and shower panels rather than tile as I don’t need to use any board behind them. Fermacell is ok but it does swell when wet so not fully like an Aquapanel. They do a H2O board though that is water resistant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divorcingjack Posted February 13, 2018 Author Share Posted February 13, 2018 So, I would prob need to tank the fermacell as well then. Probably MR (moisture resistant?) PB would be cheaper, regular fermacell is not that easy to source, I can;t imagine the H20 version is easy to come by. I take it the weight is potentially a problem with the MR plasterboard? Does it still need tanking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Tanked Fermacell or MR Board would be fine. Fermacell is available nationwide through TP as it comes via their partner company CCF. Cheapest way is full pallets too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 What's the deal with Aquapanel being a problem? That's what I've got sitting here waiting to go on. Do plan on fully tanking it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divorcingjack Posted February 13, 2018 Author Share Posted February 13, 2018 Not a problem (as far as I understand) if it's fully tanked - people were using it untanked, thinking that it was waterproof - not an unreasonable assumption, given the name... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 27 minutes ago, divorcingjack said: Not a problem (as far as I understand) if it's fully tanked - people were using it untanked, thinking that it was waterproof - not an unreasonable assumption, given the name... Good to know. More tanking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divorcingjack Posted February 13, 2018 Author Share Posted February 13, 2018 looks like MR plasterboard coming out much cheaper than aquapanel though - if they both have to be tanked, what is the difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Aquapanel is much stronger I'd say from the different areas I've done in each here. Don't forget it needs special Knauf screws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Aquapanel will take heavier tiles and more impact resistant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divorcingjack Posted February 13, 2018 Author Share Posted February 13, 2018 2 minutes ago, Onoff said: Aquapanel is much stronger I'd say from the different areas I've done in each here. Don't forget it needs special Knauf screws. Stronger, as in the weight of tiles that it will take? Of course, it needs special screws! Nothing would ever be less expensive than I was expecting.... *sob* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miek Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 What's special about the screws? Would stainless screws be suitable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 (edited) 42 minutes ago, Miek said: What's special about the screws? Would stainless screws be suitable? They really are special screws. They sort of drill & clear the abrasive panel material and have ribs under the head to self countersink. I tried self drill screws but they just ripped the Aquapanel to shreds around the screw hole. I wanted to go thru the Aquapanel into the blue Geberit steel frame. In the end just copious amounts of Sikaflex. The 9mm ply was ordinary Gold and self drill screwed first: Then the panel put on with the special ones: Used these: https://www.wickes.co.uk/Knauf-Aquapanel-Gold-Screws-39mm/p/224585 Edited February 14, 2018 by Onoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 Don't use Fermacell as it is gypsum based and has a tenancy to go mouldy. It is also fairly expensive and difficult to cut. I recently used HardieBacker which is cement based but also difficult to cut. I cannot believe how neatly @Onoff has cut out the holes for the Geberit. Our tackers left gaps of up to 30mm on the basis that "the tiles will cover it"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 1 hour ago, Mr Punter said: Don't use Fermacell as it is gypsum based and has a tenancy to go mouldy. That’s odd as I’ve never had it go mouldy..? Even where we dug out parts from a ceiling where there had been a slow leak and it had gone to mush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 1 hour ago, Mr Punter said: Don't use Fermacell as it is gypsum based and has a tenancy to go mouldy. It is also fairly expensive and difficult to cut. I recently used HardieBacker which is cement based but also difficult to cut. I cannot believe how neatly @Onoff has cut out the holes for the Geberit. Our tackers left gaps of up to 30mm on the basis that "the tiles will cover it"! Riding on the shoulders of giants me! I was inpired by advice from @Nickfromwales and then @PeterStarck's bathroom build. Tbh Peter's whole place screams attention to detail. I like to know that even what lies beneath is clean and tidy. Mind, I could never make a living doing it! ...but then it's not why "we" do it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 1 hour ago, PeterW said: That’s odd as I’ve never had it go mouldy..? Even where we dug out parts from a ceiling where there had been a slow leak and it had gone to mush. We have had some for timber frame racking / sheathing and it got surface mould where OSB did not. Nothing like as bad as plasterboard though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan52 Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 I will be redoing my upstairs shower in a few months and was looking at using hardieback board. What's it like compared to MR plasterboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 Got normal PB, skim then tiled for our over bath shower. 3 years and not fallen off yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeGrahamT21 Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 (edited) My vote is for Marmox boards, they also provide a little insulation, but work very well as tile backerboards for both floors and walls, and are impervious to water and also have a high resistance to water vapour permeability. They come in a variety of thicknesses, and there are other brands too, but basically, its XPS inner, with a cement polymer and fibreglass coating on either side. The cement backer boards, such as no more ply are horrible things, really heavy, hard to cut too (you'll go through plenty of blades for both circ saw and jigsaw). Edited February 14, 2018 by MikeGrahamT21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 8 minutes ago, daiking said: Got normal PB, skim then tiled for our over bath shower. 3 years and not fallen off yet Got Aquapanel behind the wc then for the complete wet room corner. MR pb and marine ply all around the bath. MR pb behind the basin. Will all be tanked and then some. 3 years and not fallen off yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daiking Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 1 hour ago, Onoff said: Got Aquapanel behind the wc then for the complete wet room corner. MR pb and marine ply all around the bath. MR pb behind the basin. Will all be tanked and then some. 3 years and not fallen off yet And it never will if you don’t finish it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 4 hours ago, Declan52 said: I will be redoing my upstairs shower in a few months and was looking at using hardieback board. What's it like compared to MR plasterboard. Compared to MR plasterboard it's hard work to cut and drill but I used it in the wetroom, bathroom and en-suite and I think it's worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan52 Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 10 minutes ago, PeterStarck said: Compared to MR plasterboard it's hard work to cut and drill but I used it in the wetroom, bathroom and en-suite and I think it's worth it. What did you use to cut it?? Would a diamond tipped blade in a grinder do the job. Do you have to use special screws with it that cut into it?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 1 minute ago, Declan52 said: What did you use to cut it?? Would a diamond tipped blade in a grinder do the job. Do you have to use special screws with it that cut into it?? I used this to cut my moisture resistant render board for the exterior of our house and it made the job very easy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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