With a regular tub surround with a five foot back wall it is usually easier to use two horizontal sheets along the back wall and one vertical on each of the sides. They can go up vertically or horizontally, it makes no difference. Lay out your backerboards for the best fit on the walls. Overlap the lip of the tub or base and silicone the back of the barrier to keep it in place. That is you want it so that any water that runs down the plastic sheeting will roll off into the tub rather than behind the tub.

You want it covering the framing enough that if you were to spray the walls with a hose the wall studs and framing would not get wet.Īt the bottom of the barrier you will want it to overlap on the shower side of the tub or shower base. Just hang it all up there like you’re hanging wallpaper. You can also use silicone instead of staples to adhere it to the studs. Starting with your bare wall studs on your shower walls simply take your plastic sheeting and staple it to the wall studs completely covering the entire surface which will be inside your shower. Although I personally do not use that, it is an acceptable barrier. You can also use tar paper or roofing paper, the thick black paper used under shingles. The preferred material for a vapor barrier would be 4 mil or thicker plastic sheeting which can be purchased at places like Home Depot or any hardware store. You must prevent any moisture from reaching them. While the backerboard will not swell when wet, your wall studs will. To install the backerboard you must have a vapor barrier between it and the wooden wall studs. It will lead to cracking grout, tile, and all sorts of bad things.

That just means that when they get wet they do not swell up. The advantage of cement backerboards is that, while not waterproof, they are dimensionally stable when wet. When installed properly they will give you many, many years of durable shower construction. These materials bridge the gap between expense and effectiveness. Cement backerboards include Hardiebacker, Durock, Fiberboard, wonderboard, and similar products. Installing cement backerboard is one of the more popular choices for a shower wall substrate.

What side of hardibacker faces out