jtraggie99 said:
Raptor said:
YellAg2004 said:
jtraggie99 said:
Did they actually do any water proofing? It looks like they just attached tile directly to the wall board, with nothing in between.
THIS X 1000. You might as well go ahead and rip it all out now. It will fail again. Grout is not water proof nor is cement backerboard. You have to install either a sheet (e.g. Kerdi) or fluid-applied (e.g. RedGard) membrane before you install the tile.
Some items you posted are not huge concerns, while others definitely are. Overall it just screams of a guy who does tile for people that generally don't care (landlords) or don't know that they should care (majority of the population). The guy is one step above unskilled labor and is the reason 99.9% of residential contractors SUCK.
One of the guys told my wife that the cement board is already water-proofed. I'm meeting with the owner of the company and the project manager/supervisor tomorrow. We halted all construction yesterday. They were all sent the same pics on the same text thread, and they have agreed to redo all the tile.
Cement board is not water proof. Here's kind of a nice summary:
https://www.diytileguy.com/durock-cement-board-waterproof/
From the above link:
Quote:
What do cement board manufacturers say?
This seems quite clear. Yet, it seems like where the confusion comes in is when you look at the different backer board manufacturer's instructions. Hence the question "Is cement board waterproof?" Well, here's what some manufacturers have to say about waterproofing:
- PermaBase (National Gypsum): PermaBase PLus is not a water barrier. Consult local building code for moisture barrier requirements
- Wonderboard (Custom Building Products): See update below
WonderBoard Lite is not a waterproof barrier. If the area behind the backerboard must be kept dry, use RedGard Waterproofing and Crack Prevention Membrane or Custom 9240 Waterproofing and Anti-Fracture Membrane - Durock (USG): If waterproofing is desired, use USG Durock Tile Membrane or USG Durock Brand Waterproofing Membrane
- Hardiebacker (James Hardie): the use of a waterproof membrane, vapor barrier or vapor
- ******ing membrane is optional unless the local building code requires it
Update: Custom Building Products has changed its stand on this since I originally wrote it. Here is the latest:
- A moisture barrier must be installed to protect the wall cavity for wet area installations. Nail or staple 15 lb roofing felt or 4 mil polyethylene sheeting to the studs… Any shelf, ledge or horizontal surface subjected to water exposure must have a slight downward slope for water runoff. These areas also require proper waterproofing. ~WonderBoard Lite Backerboard / TDS266 3/29/2018
Basically, waterprooofing is always required. I believe there is a new Hardie product that has a membrane integrated into the panel.
HardieBacker w/ HydroDefense TechnologyI don't know anything about this product, so no idea how you have to seal the seams to make a continuous water barrier, how you address holes created by fasteners, etc. Just offering the only product that I'm aware that is both cement board and waterproof.
There are also other backboards that aren't cement board that are waterproof (e.g. Kerdiboard), but those have their own specialized installation instructions. Given what is seen in the pics, these guys don't have a clue those types of products exist, so I wouldn't go down that rabbit hole.
I believe the easiest solution for an unskilled contractor is RedGard (or some other fluid-applied membrane). Install the cement board, roll on a few coats (follow the instructions for number of coats, cure times, etc.), and then install tile like normal (but hopefully better than their first try).