I'm tiling the bath walls and am placing 1/2" cement board on the studs. But my drywall is 5/8". What do I use to level the surfaces? I need some sort of spacer or shim. What to do? Also what brand of cement board do you recommend?

Thanks,
Snay

hardibacker

[www.jameshardie.com]

I use strips of roofing felt(tar paper) for furring out the studs. You can vary the number of strips to compensate for bowed studs.

You only have to install backer board where the tile will be installed. It does not have to meet with the drywall. When the tile is installed it will still stick out further than the drywall. GOOD LUCK

It won't look right if the cement board and drywall aren't level. There is no good way to transition from one to another if they are not level. I don't really understand your suggestion.

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Author: HytechPlumber

You only have to install backer board where the tile will be installed. It does not have to meet with the drywall. When the tile is installed it will still stick out further than the drywall. GOOD LUCK

Return the 1/2 cement board and buy 5/8... this way they will meet up evenly.

(I don't get the question either). Anything you do to try and make up the 1/8 is going to be a mess... I suppose you could do it -- but why bother?

Go to HD and get a large handful of paint stirrers from the paint department. They are exactly 1/8" thick and are free. Liquid Nail them to the studs before you install the cementboard. I would use Wonderboard or Durock because they are exactly 1/2" thick whereas Hardibacker is only 7/16" thick (1/16 th shy of 1/2" and I hate it when my tile has to change plains to accommodate the difference. Good luck, and remember to use 100% silicone caulk to seal the corners, the bottom, and around to tops of soap dishes, corner shelves, and towel bars etc. as well as where tub or shower base meets the floor.

He is assuming you are using thinset to mount the tile and can just "butter" the tiles with extra cement to make up for the 1/8" difference. Why are you using 5/8" sheetrock?

>>>>>>>>Return the 1/2 cement board and buy 5/8<<<<<<<<
I can't find any 5/8" cement board.

>>>>>>>>Why are you using 5/8" sheetrock?<<<<<<
The existing sheet rock is 5/8" and is in good condition.
No point of replacing it.

>>>>>>>>just "butter" the tiles with extra cement to make up for the 1/8" difference.<<<<<<<<
That's a lot of extra buttering.

Around here they run the backer board or float the walls 1/2 past the sheet rock and use a 1/4 round tile (I'm not sure what there called)to give the tile more depth so it ends up approx. 3/4 off the wall.

If done that in another bathroom before. But the tile I'm using doesn't have any matching 1/4 rounds. I'm using bull nose tile to finish off the edge.


>>>>>>>Around here they run the backer board or float the walls 1/2 past the sheet rock and use a 1/4 round tile (I'm not sure what there called)to give the tile more depth so it ends up approx. 3/4 off the wall.

Look, you need 1/8" strips of wood placed against the studs or whole 2 x 4's sistered to the existing studs but bumped out and 1/8". That's it, done.

Hey Jerco,
I got it. I was just responding to the other replies.

>>>>>>>>>>>Look, you need 1/8" strips of wood placed against the studs or whole 2 x 4's sistered to the existing studs but bumped out and 1/8". That's it, done.

I didn't say it would be easy, and I never suggested it in the first place.

As a last resort, you could use two layers of 3/8" and then use the bullnose trim that is normally used with a mudset application to cover the extra 1/8". Or even 3/8" over the 1/2" depending on the depth of the bullnose recess.



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I've never seen 3/8" cementboard before, or even 3/8" greenboard for that matter. As far as I know, cementboard only comes in 1/4" and 1/2".

I'm not sure how it wouldn't matter if it wasn't even with the drywall myself. I'm faced with the same issue right now and it's likely to be my biggest obstacle on this particular job.

Did you ever find a solution, I ran into same problem,5/8 green board, 1/2 in cement board thanks