When you tear out and rebuild your shower walls you are left with a transition between the old, existing drywall and the new stuff – cement backerboard or drywall (if you’re using kerdi). Whaddya do with it? And how do you do it? And why am I the one asking questions – that seems backwards.
If at all possible, when you remove the old stuff you want to cut a straight line down the drywall to make for a clean transition. If it isn’t straight or was simply torn out without any regards to actually rebuilding it, then find a spot where you can cut a straight line from top to bottom. You want to have a level line for your transition.
So before you begin you want something similar to that horrible graphic right there I just created with a bottle of scotch and my toes. The left side is looking into the wall cavity with one stud, that big brown looking thing? Yeah, it’s supposed to be a wall stud. You are not allowed to give me crap about my lack of Photoshop skills!
What we need is a way to shore out the new substrate (backerboard) to be solid and on an even plane with the existing stuff. We have a very, very specialized item for this. Listen carefully, because it’s a deeply guarded secret. Ready?
It’s a 2×4.
Take a 2×4 and cut it to the length of either the entire wall or simply from about six inches from the top to six inches below the bottom. The latter is often the only way to do it – you still need to be able to get it into the wall cavity over the tub and around the other studs. It needs to fit in there.
Just take the 2×4 and get it into the wall. Turn it so that the width (3 1/2″) is split between the open space and the existing drywall. There will be 1 3/4″ behind the existing drywall and 1 3/4″ to screw the backerboard to. Once it’s in there it will look nothing like that second horrible graphic – but it will give you the gist of it.
You can see 1/2 of the 2×4 and the dotted line on the drywall outlines the other half. Just screw right through the drywall into the stud to hold it in place.
Now you can take your cement backerboard (or whatever your substrate is going to be) and place it up to the edge – leave about a 1/16″ gap between the backerboard and drywall. Then just screw through the edge of your substrate into the other half of the 2×4.
Make sure you measure whatever product you’re using for your substrate. Your existing drywall is likely 1/2″ thick – your substrate likely is not – it is probably a touch smaller. To get them even and on the same plane you can use regular drywall shims behind it.
1/2″ backerboard is rarely 1/2″! It is often smaller – make sure you measure it and shim it out as necessary. Once you get it installed you still need to tape and mud the seam. Just use the same alkali-resistant mesh tape and thinset that you’re using for the rest of the backerboard seams. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Read Installing backerboards on walls for shower tile.
Once that’s all finished you can install the tile as normal, just like the photo below. The transition is directly under the bullnose tile on the edges of the shower. And yes – you can paint right over the thinset if you need to.
Roger, Great Blog!
I’m so glad I found it- I’m about to take the next step in my bathroom remodel and I need advice!
Jessica touched on this earlier in the comments, but I am not sure she explained it enough to make it clear. I too was given a suggestion that I should put 1/4″ Hardie in the shower area so that once I installed my thinset/kerdi/thinset/tile, the bottom edge of the tile would be flush with the surrounding 1/2″ drywall. It made total sense to me, but now I am second guessing my decision. I made a little graphic so you can see what I mean. Is this just a bad bad idea?
Take a look and let me know:
http://i44.tinypic.com/15i4t1v.jpg
Thank you!!
Hi Roger,
We’re in the midst of renovating our bathroom in a 100+ old home. We are at the stage of tiling the tub surround and are coming across an issue. At the back wall of the tub (opposite the faucet) we had to put cement board on top of drywall to make the wall flush/in line with the tub. But now that makes that wall no longer flush. We’ve seen lots of “finishers” to place along the finished edge of the tile but that would only cover the thickness of the tile and not the thickness of the tile and cement board. Any suggestions/recommendations? Know of any products out there?
Thanks
Kristina
Hey Kristina,
The easiest, and most readily available, is simply a ceramic ‘mud cap’ which is an end piece made to cover the thickness of mudded walls with tile, or just a ceramic or stone pencil rail which normally will cover that edge just fine and doesn’t look goofy when you place it at the ends on the flush wall either. You can also order schluter trims in different thicknesses but you’d be waiting for the shipping and they’re fairly spendy.
I am tiling my tub surround and on the end of the tub opposite the faucet (foot of the tub?…head of the tub?) I have a problem.
I shimmed out the backer board and it comes perfectly just over the tub flange, but where the backer board meets the outside wall, the wall has a bulge in it, so the seam is not flush with the backer board. Part of it is, but then the wall bulges. The wall bulges out 3/8″ for about 6 inches.
Any idea on how to deal with this? I tried drinking and that did help for a while…
Hey Bill,
Drinking does help for a while.
Is there any way you can see what is causing the wall to bulge out? I imagine it’s the stud behind it, that’s not what I mean, I mean is there any way you can check to see if it can be easily fixed? Probably not a possibility, but always the best course of action.
You can either shim the backer out to meet it (not the better option as you would still have a hump in your wall – in this case wall humping is bad…) or you can use thinset to feather that out on the backerboard side so it isn’t simply ramped up to the hump, but gradually floats out to the depth of the hump so both walls meet. Keep in mind that if you are installing tile all the way up to that you’ll want to go two or three feet out with the float so your tile installation still looks normal and is fully supported.
Hi Roger. What to do if the tile was installed in the tub surround without having a bullnose at the edge? This flat edge extends all the way around the bathroom on the tile baseboard. Would it be ok to cap it with wood trim?
Also, what do you use as a door stop when you have tile baseboards?
BTW, have you watched the “You Suck at Photoshop” video tutorials? Very funny! Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD19BCF9D57320E03
Hey Sadie, how’ve you been?
You can cap the tile with wood around the baseboards – not in the shower. The moisture from the shower will swell the wood and create problems. The best thing along the edge of the tub would be something like a pencil rail made out of natural stone.
You suck at photoshop? Whaddya tryin’ to say???
Thanks.
Hi Roger,
You’ve actually answered many questions I have had and I have a couple more. I’ve finally finished tiling and about to begin grouting and sealing. I put in a shower niche and shelve. Do I grout or use silicone to fill in the seams of the niche? I had planned on using the color match silicone on the seams of the shower and between the tile and lip of marble shower pan. 2) What should I use for the bullnose tile all around the shower? It matches up to the drywall and you can see some of the thinset. I saw you recommended paint, but wonder if I should use a bead of caulk or silicone. Thanks ahead of time
Janice
Merry Christmas!
Hi Janice,
Use silicone for the inside seams as well as where the bullnose meets the drywall.
I was told not to tile my tub tub surround right up to the top of my dry walled ceiling . But to use a boarder where the two meet. My plan was to attach a composite molding right to the the backer board where it meets the ceiling on all three sides and tile to this boarder then calk where the tile and board meet. There should not be any water getting up that high. However should I be concerned about moisture from normal shower use. What is the best option?
Hey Bill,
Not too sure who told you that, I do it all the time. Yes, you should be concerned with water vapor – it will get up there and penetrate any porous product. The best solution is to tile all the way up to within 1/16″ of the ceiling and use caulk or silicone in that joint between the tile and ceiling.
Hi Roger,
You have been helpful in the past so I came back for more help… I am close to getting done with the tiling. I am installing bullnose tile along the floor and in the sides of the tub wall ends. The bullnose will extend from floor to ceiling on both sides of the tub. The question is what kind of joint will look best with the bull nose, in the corners where the floor edge meets the tile edge on the same wall? How do you finish that detail?
I was thinking of a horizontal piece that buts up to the tile (with the grout line the same width as the rest of the field) and the vertical piece butting up against the top of the bullnose and either just grout it in or sand caulk the joint. This way there is no 45 degree cut.
As you do this for a living I am wondering what you do, that looks classy. Thanks. Chris
Hey Chris,
Not exactly sure what you’re describing, I usually don’t have any bullnose on the floor, but I do have it on the curbs. When I have a horizontal piece meeting a vertical piece I will normally just set the vertical on top of the horizontal with about 1/16″ gap between them and fill that with silicone.
If you mean you’re using bullnose as base and the floor piece will meet the vertical wall piece (I think that’s what you’re talking about) I’ll always miter those. The rounded part of the bullnose makes it look kind of funny when you butt it together, even with a gap. You can butt it together if you want and form the grout a little at that junction to help it blend in.
If that’s what you’re describing.
Installers installed 1/4″ cement board over 1/2″ to build the wall out to match what used to have a 1 inch quarter round. The new quarter round is only 3/4″. They left the edge of the 1/4″ cement board protruding out about a 1/2″past the quarter round into the drywall field. They just said “oh you can just float your drywall mud to match up the difference. Doesn’t sound like that would look good. The wall would look curved up to the quarter round rather than a clean sq edge. Can they cut that edge of the cement board off at this finished stage of the game..intricate cut cause would be flush with the quarter round..then fill edge in behind the quarter round?
Hi Cynthia,
I don’t know how good cutting that out and sloping the 1/4 round to cover it would look. A better option would probably be to have them get a properly sized finished piece for it – as it should be. Anything can be done, it’s a question of whether it will look better or worse afterward. A lot of that depends on the skill of your contractor.
Roger, is it true that you have to wait 30 days for the grout to fully dry before you apply the sealer? Is it true also that you cannot use the shower for those 30 days?
Hi Doug,
Nope, not at all. With most sealers the amount of time varies but I’ve never seen one longer than seven days. The instructions on the specific sealer should say what the time period is. It won’t be 30 days, though.
Hi
This is my first attempt at tiling above my bath tub. I had a guy come and hang the backer board and he did not shim out the studs he brought the backer board over the flange of the tub. It looks really bad and swoops out over the flange, The question is can I take the backer board off, put the packing material on the studs and just put the backer board back in the same spot and use the same holes for the screws. The other thought was to just cut the backer board at the flange and hang another layer of backer board on top. I am really confused at what to do. I just want to do it right so that I have no water damage and a leaking rotting bathroom.
Thank you for any help and advise you can give me. Everyone seems to have a different idea of what to do. Help
Hi Norma,
Yes, you can remove the backerboard, shim out the studs, and reinstall it. You can NOT use the same holes for the screws – you’ll need to make new ones. Your waterproofing is completely different than your backerboard – is should be behind your backerboard or over the top of it depending on which method is being used. If you go to the library tab up at the top of the page you can download my water showerproofing manual for free which will explain the different choices and how they should be installed.
Hello Roger,
I am in the middle of remodeling my entire bathroom. It was a comeplete gut down to the studs. I am ready to do the shower walls and noticed that they ran drywall all the way down to the floor on the back end of the tub leaving me a gap between the tub and the studs. My question is, do I shim the backer board with lath so that it goes over the lip on the tub or do I green board it first to compensate so the backer board is over the lip?
Thank you in advance!!
Hey Tony,
You can simply shim the backer out so it goes over the tub lip. Use regular drywall shims or rip some wood to place over the studs. You know what else works really well – yardsticks. They are the perfect thickness for that scenario. Only the face of the backer really needs to overhang the tub lip, you don’t need the entire 1/2 sheet to go out and over it.
Roger
When using metal edging to trim out the edge of the tile on a floor or shower wall, do you leave a gap for grout (or caulking) between the edging and the edge tile?
Thanks!
Hi Larry,
If you look closely at the metal trims they actually have a built-in spacer which leaves a gap between the tile and the outside edge of the trim for grout. Place a piece of tile against the trim and you’ll see what I mean.
I am looking to redo my bathroom which includes new tile. A problem I am having is regarding the fact that I have lath & plaster walls. I am wondering the correct way to remove the tile and then have a smooth transition to the backerboard. Is this even possible? What do you think?
Hey Danny,
You’ll need to shim out the backerboard so it is as close to the surface of the walls as you can get it. Then use some fiberglass mesh-tape and tape over that and mud it with thinset. The thinset won’t be affected by moisture and you can paint right over it. Behind that tile you likely have mud walls which incorporate steel mesh. It’s a bitch, be careful because it will cut you.
Hi Roger,
I am getting ready to tile the wall in a bathroom over the tub. The house is older. Do I have to remove the sheetrock before setting the backerboard or can I set the vapor barrier, then the 1/4″ backerboard and then tile?
Myranda
Hi Myranda,
The sheetrock needs to be removed. The barrier and backerboard is installed directly to the studs. If you are meeting the walls at the outside edges flush with sheetrock you’ll need 1/2″ backerboard rather than 1/4″.
CRAP!!!!! I was getting ready to tile a shower stall (1/2″ HBB for walls and a porcelin shower pan), I figured I would consult the master site and go over what I’ ve already done to be sure I don’t make the flawed section. After bouncing around your informative site, I think I confused myself. Will you please clearify the install of HBB to the shower pan lip (i.e. the very top lip of the pan). Do I run the HBB down flush on top of the pan, or do I leave a small gap (1/4″ or so)? I thought I read that there is supposed to be a slight gap to fill with silicone. I do have the 6mil membrane behind the HBB and there is about 1″ overflow into the pan I haven’t cut off yet. I was planning on filling the gap with silicone, trimming the membrane and tiling over the “gap” down to the pan (of course, I’ll leave an 1/8″ gap for silicone between pan and tile). Those are the plans, did I totally screw that up or am I ok? (not to say that I’m ok). Thanks for any help
Hey Jason,
You want to silicone the BACK of the barrier to the vertical flange. You do not silicone between the hardi and the base. Run the hardi down to within 1/4″ or so of the horizontal arm of the base, install your tile, then silicone the bottom of the tile. You’re just fine.
We installed a new tub and shower in our bathroom and want to tile around it. We cut the existing sheetrock and have installed Hardi Backer. Several problems…
First, when we installed the Hardi Backer over the lip of the shower and tub the cemenet board did not sit flush on the wall. Reading through other Q&A on your website we now think we need to take it down and shim it so it sits level. Is this the right solution?
Second, the guy at the store sold us 1/4″ Hardi Backer saying that was what we needed to match up to our existing sheetrock. If we put tile on the 1/4″ Hardi Backer it will match up perfectly to our sheetrock, but what to do at that junction? Silicone? Use wood trim to hide the seam? Start over with 1/2″ Hardi Backer so we can hide the seam with tile?
Third, if we manage to get the sheetrock and the tile to be on the same plane do we need to protect the edge of the sheetrock with some kind of corner or something?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
Hi Jessica,
Yes, the backerboard needs to be shimmed out to be on a flat plane over the tub lip.
1/2″ backerboard is what you need for the substrate to be flush with the drywall. I have honestly never seen an installation where the face of the tile was flush with the drywall ??? Not sure why that would be suggested by someone who should know better. The seam should be bridged with tile as I’ve described above. As long as the seam is outside the wet area of the shower (outside the door or curtain) then nothing needs to be done with the transition short of the tile bridging it.
Sorry, I’ve just caused you more work – I’m good at that lately.
So, since I have already cut and installed I don’t care to count how square feet of 1/4″ hardi board can I cut up my left overs to use as shims or to liquid nail together to make 1/2″ and proceed?
My husband always says 1 time slow is better than 2 times fast, but this is turning into 2 times slow and I am ready for a drink!
Thanks,
Jessica
Have a drink! The shower will still be there, no?
You can use the 1/4″ as shims. You cannot liquid nail two sheets together to make 1/2″. (Won’t last) The quickest and easiest option would likely be to cut the bottom 1/2″ off of the currently installed walls (or however far up your flange goes) so they are above the flange, and install another layer of 1/4″ over the current layer. This will get you to 1/2″ – even with the drywall – and will also eliminate the problem over the flange.
Brilliant!
Now that I have had at least one drink and basically redone everything I’m back to thank you. I made the cuts as suggested and added additional 1/4″. Now my Hardi Board is flush with the sheetrock and I am getting ready to tile.
I guess the take home message is use 1/2″ backer to match 1/2″ sheetrock! Maybe this fun little exchange will save someone else from making the same mistake.
Thank you so much!
You are very welcome Jessica. All I did was give you the instructions – you did all the hard work. I need to get a job like that, eh? I always enjoy those ‘at least one drink’ nights.
And I’m sure it will help others – thank you.
Roger,
I have a question regarding shower tile to dry wall transition which I didn’t think through all the way . When I installed my tub I had a gap between the framing and tub (walls on 3 sides of tub). I added 1/4″ shims to the studs for a tight fit (per tub installation manual). I brought the shims all the way to the ceiling which I applied backerboard too (so the backerboard would still fit over the lip of the tub). Now, my backerboard is sticking out 1/4″ farther then my drywall. What would be the best way to transition my bullnose tile to the drywall that with a 1/4″ gap in between? Could I cut 1/4″ strip of tile and thinset to the side of backerboard??? any other suggestions???
Hey Shannon,
Oops.
I hate it when that happens. You can cut small slivers of tile for the side if you want. I think I would be more inclined to find a transition strip such as Schluter made for tile and thick enough to cover the backerboard. You can also get it thick enough to cover both the backer and tile and forego the bullnose. Some ceramic manufacturers also make what is called a ‘mud-cap’ which is used when we float a mud wall. The mud will usually stick out 1/4 – 1/2″ past the drywall. They are shaped like an ‘L’ and can be cut to whatever size you need. You can also get a pencil-rod insert. These are ceramic tiles shaped like ropes or smooth rods intended for use as inserts in the tile installation. You can install them to the edge of the backer though. Any big-box store should have a few different types. Ask them for a ceramic ‘rope’, they should be able to help.
Hi Roger,
Me again. I started with the niche like I posted earlier. Got all the surround tile up and grouted. I then used siliconized acrylic tub and tile caulk the same color and brand of the grout where the planes changed. Then when I went to caulk the gap between the bottom tiles and top of the tub i noticed I had a bigger gap than I first thought. It’s probably at least a 1/4″ high and as deep as a tile plus thinset. When I first started to caulk it, it looked like crap so I wiped it all out. Should I go ahead and caulk it like I planned or should I do something else, like just run a bead of caulk, let it dry, and add another bead of caulk, let it dry, etc.? Wife is wanting to take a shower! Thanks for all your help. I can send a picture if you wish.
Another question on the subject of the 1/4″ gap between my bottom row of tiles and top of tub. I saw some stuff on the internet about using 1/4″ backer rod to fill the gap, then caulk over this. Then others mentioned using a small ceramic quarter round tile. What’s your opinion on this? Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!
Thanks again, Rusty
Hey Rusty,
(I combined your two questions to help people understand the answer).
I don’t like the idea of 1/4 round around the base of a tile installation – it looks exactly like what it is, an afterthought. It would be better to get some backer rod and stuff that in there and caulk over it. It will never look ideal with a gap that large, but the backer rod will prevent the caulk from shrinking excessively and really look bad.
Hi Roger,
Really great info! A couple of quick questions:
1. In hanging my HBB (around tub walls), I left a 1/4″ gap for change of planes (corner, tub to HBB, and HBB to ceiling drywall). All gaps get filled with thinset and taped, correct? Does this also include the HBB to ceiling portion, too? Or do I caulk that?
2. I purchased the HBB screws from HD, but I wasn’t able to get a few flush (maybe not enough torque on the old drill). Should I be concerned?
3. For installing 1/4″ HBB to the floor, do I need to lay down a leveling compound AND thinset? Or can I just add a little extra thinset to do the job?
Thanks in advance!
Greg
Hey Greg,
1. Correct, all gaps get filled, taped and skimmed with thinset. The ceiling is not necessary unless you are tiling the ceiling – if you are that needs taped and filled as well.
2. Depends on how ‘not’ flush they are. If it is 1/16″ or so I wouldn’t worry about it. If it’s 1/8″ or more remove them and try another. You don’t want the heads interfering with your tile or waterproofing over them.
3. You can just use a little extra thinset if it’s about 3/8″ or less out of flat. If more use slc or medium bed thinset. It’s also easier to put down your thinset, get your backers flat without screwing them, then screwing them down after the thinset cures if your floor is pretty wavy. This way you don’t force the low areas down with the screws while your thinset is wet. After it cures it won’t move.
Hi Roger,
I hired a “professional” to install a cast iron tub and backerboard around the tub. Then I was going to do the tile myself. Friends down the road had their’s done by him and it looks great. He did the entire project on their’s. As for mine, he tore out the one-piece fiberglass tub and surround, did some plumbing, set the tub, installed plastic vapor barrier and installed the hardie backerboard. I noticed a considerable hump where the “1/2 inch” backerboard meets the “1/2 inch” sheetrock. I need to tile over the hump or right next to it. I asked him about it and he put drywall mud on it to try to smooth it out to the tune of about 12 to 24 inches wide all down the transition. He said just to use more or less thinset when setting the tiles and it would look fine. I’m not so sure. Will his idea work? Do I need to put more mud on the transition to try to even it up? Is there anything else that would work outside of taking the backboard down and shimming it with a 2×4 like you suggest on your site? I thought if they make a 3/8 inch drywall maybe taking the 1/2 inch drywall down and installing the 3/8 inch drywall. This would be 6 feet of wall on each side of the room. Thanks for your help.
Rusty
Hey Rusty,
You need to take out that piece of durock and scrape the wall mud off of it! That stuff doesn’t last on a wall under tile – water eventually compromises the bond. While you have it off you may as well grab a 2×4 and shim it up correctly.
What he suggested likely will work. Here’s the question, though: Why are you using thinset (or talking about 3/8 drywall and 6 feet of wall) to attempt to compensate for something that was just built? If it were built correctly you would not need to ‘fix’ anything – right?
Roger,
I forgot to mention, I told him I was going to cut out for a niche the size of one tile (12×12, which apparently is 11 3/4 x 11 3/4) after I started tiling. He said he could do it as he installed the backerboard. He said it was a no-brainer if you knew the size of the tile. Anyway it looks like it will probably work out ok, but I was wondering if I could tile the niche and work out from there? My project is the standard 30×60 with 6′ from tub to ceiling. I can do two full tiles below the niche with a space left above the tub for caulk, and one full tile to the right of the niche. Then three tiles to the left of the niche with having to cut about an inch off the tiles going up the wall at the front of the tub. I just wasn’t sure about doing the niche first and then working from there. Thanks again.
Rusty
My flawed page is full of no-brainers.
Yes, you can start with the niche – no reason at all not to.
After attaching the 2×4 to continue the “solid wall of sheet rock”, I will be left with a new piece of sheet rock next to an existing painted sheet of rock. Was wondering if a modified thinset (or should I use un-modified) will adhere to the existing painted sheet rock to continue on across the wall w/ tile? I also want to tile an existing painted ceiling over a shower w/ 16×16 ceramic tiles. Should there be some kind of prep work or anything done to the painted wall board prior to setting the tile (again, 16×16 ceramics)? By the way, no Kerdie on the existing ceiling or or the existing painted wall. You have answered a couple of my questions before and as always, thank you – I really appreciate your time!
Hey John,
Modified or unmodified, either one, will adhere to the finished drywall just fine as long as you rough up the paint with sandpaper. The thinset needs a surface to grab – shiny paint isn’t one of them.
Just rough it up a little bit so it isn’t so smooth and shiny.
Same thing with the ceiling – only be a bit more adamant about roughing up the paint. Believe me tiles landing on your head aren’t any fun at all.
As long as you rough it up thinset will grab onto it just fine.
We are ready to tape the seams in our tub surround. YIPPEE! We installed a good moisture barrier and used a good concrete board. Question: I know I should use thinset to set the alkali-resistant fiberglass tape. Do I then need to redguard over the tape/seams? I know I do not want to redguard the entire concrete board because I already have a moisture barrier behind. It seems to me that I should redguard the tape because it is not waterproof.
P.S. Your help has been a life-saver.
Hey Lorie,
There is no need to redgard the seam at all. The tape and thinset is not waterproof – but neither is your concrete board.
Water will get behind your tile and saturate the entire substrate – totally normal. As long as you have a proper moisture barrier behind it you’ll be just fine. You do need to skim over the tape with thinset and the flat side of your trowel, this embeds it into the wall once the thinset cures and you have one large monolithic wall. Tile loves that. 
Thanks for the info! Do you recommend the same technique for the horizontal cut around the tub? There is no support for where the existing drywall and new backerboard will meet horizontally around the tub. Is it needed?
Hey Tamra,
Blocking between that transition horizontally is always best but it’s not really necessary. On the vertical there is usually and unsupported span from the floor which is normally eight feet, the horizontal is usually supported every 16 inches or so with the normal wall framing.
Makes perfect sense! You also just saved us from cutting back more dry wall to meet the next 2X4 (vertically). Thanks again. Good info!!
Thanks for your blog. Its been a great resource. I’m curious if the 2×4 that is installed need to be attached to any other wood framing (i.e. another nearby stud or the floor or ceiling horizontal framing). I’m concerned if the 2×4 is just left floating, how is it aiding in supporting the weight of the cement board?
Hey Quinn,
If you can attach it to a permanent stud that would be ideal but it’s rarely possible. You are not really trying to support the cement board – what you are doing is tying it into the existing wall which is supported normally every 16 inches. As long as that 2 x 4 is screwed to both the existing wall and the cement board you have essentially created one continuous wall which is supported with the regular wall framing.
I must say thank you so much for all of the help you provide. You have been such a wealth of knowledge during our bath remodel. From your information, we have built a custom shower niche, learned about proper insulation behind the backerboard and use of Redguard. I hadn’t been to your site in awhile as our remodel had been on hold, but we are back on the project! A question came up yesterday as we get ready to prep for tile about the transition at the edges of the tub surround cement board to the regular surface of the walls. My reply to my husband was, “Hang on, I know where I am most likely to find the correct answer!” Sure enough, you had the answer her all along.
I would again like to extend our sincere thanks for making us feel very comfortable tackling this project. I am sure I’ll be back in the future as we have two more baths in our 1959 ranch that are in need of serious updating.
With much respect and gratitude,
Paula
Thank you very much for the kind words, Paula. You can always send pictures if you want to when you’re finished.
I’ll be putting up a page with all my reader’s projects here soon, I’d love to have your projects on it as well.
Have fun!