JM GoBoard as floor tile backer?
Hello,
I‘m not a pro, but a pretty decent DIYer. Getting ready to redo our master bath. Wondering if anyone had any experience or thoughts on JM GoBoard when used as a floor tile backer board. It would be placed, as instructed by JM, over wood subfloor.
I obviously sly like the thought of ease of transport, carrying/weight, and workability (easier to cut, no dust, etc) over cement board. But concerns about it not being as supportive or over time “squishing” and causing issues in tile moving.
Thoughts? Advice? Experiences?
Thanks in advance.
Here is product I was looking at...
Comments (15)
Nick Abernathy
Original Author4 years agoUnderstood. Wasn’t so much concerned about structural support. But should I be concerned over long run of the foam board itself getting “compacted” due to years of walking on it and my 1/2” foam board today becomes 1/4” foam board 10 years from now and then the tile is obviously going to move? That’s my larger concern.
Creative Tile Eastern CT
4 years agoI would not have a concern unless you are installing mosaics. If that's the case refer to manufacturers limitations. These boards require being set in mortar the same as cement board. Seeing you need to spread setting mortar anyway and fasten with screws I prefer to get the uncoupling benefits of a mat. IMO
Mint tile Minneapolis
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoAgree wCTEC ask yourself what the pros and cons are. A deflection rated plywood subfloor and a waterproof/uncoupler likely wins. You arent going to have long term compression issues but you are going to indent it as you walk and work on it which makes install more difficult. Other than an elevation gain, or a miniscule Rfactor i dont see the point.
Lea Kawabe
3 years agoHi Nick, Did you end up using the goboard on the floor? I'm having the same thought as you.. easy to cut and slice and place. And it's a very small area. Wondering what you ended up doing. I'm planning to use a schluter membrane over it then tile. The Schluter shower pan which I'm using is styrofoam, and I wondered the same thing about that, but they're being used, so maybe the squish factor isn't a problem like we're thinking. Thank you.
Nick Abernathy
Original Author3 years agoI ended up just going with Hardi Board for the floor. I did use the JM GoBoard for the shower walls... they claim it's already waterproof if you tape/seal properly... which I did. But I also used Redgard as an extra layer of protection.
Madison Tile Carpet One
2 years agoWe love goboard for walls and have not used it on the floor, but CTECT's reply includes recommending meeting deflection requirements, but also that foam & CBU adds no load capacity, BUT the uncoupling membranes he recommends add absolutely no load capacity (structural integrity) either. They're very good at dealing with movement, but only plywood (needs membrane treatment for a sufficient bond) and permat add real strength to a floor.
Jeff Meeks
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoFoam boards and CBU are not going to add any structure to a floor and I would worry about crushing the foam boards. I have an older home and when I did my bathroom we had 1" true dimension planks for the sub floor that we re-screwed down, then half inch plywood went down with construction adhesive and screws and Nobleseal TS went down as an isolation layer for the 1" hex tile. Five years on and not a single crack.
Creative Tile Eastern CT
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoGo board has also been improved since this thread appeared over two years ago. Due to many technological advances older threads may not receive the same response today. We seem to see a new life changing grout every 6 months:) Homeowners should take note of this and consider starting a new thread when looking for information.
I agree with Per Mat and Noble Seal as solid choices. There are TCNA approved methods for bonding to an appropriate plywood substrate as well as a wide variety of setting mortars. Many foamboards have a compressive strength in the area of 70PSI. They are tested and backed by the manufacturers. I've seen them go through the Robinson floor test firsthand to get a classification. Deflection is based on joist size, species, span and spacing. You could have 2"x8" / 16o.c. spanning 18l/f. Add 3 layers of plywood, uncoupler and a membrane and it will still bounce like a trampoline.
I'm not recommending the above methods or products over others. Just stating they can be done successfully.
Welcome to Houzz Madison Tile Carpet One
Michelle Solie
2 years agoI just read in goboard instillation instructions that your tile has to be at least 6" - so no mosaics...
Mint tile Minneapolis
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agohas to do with density, point and dead loads.
Im a fan of foam have used goboard quite a bit.
NOT on floors.
Creative Tile Eastern CT