Foam boad vs cement board - TilersForums.com

[J Sid]

It's smaller than Hardie, 600x1200, deffinately more user friendly, can't fault it really.

But meets latest BS, surprisingly

 

[MAK_Tiling]

@Plan Tec Tiling any particular reason for xps on floor? im.sure i had read in the marmox step by step guide it said the multiboards also act lile a decoupling membrane. Not sure on this and anyone who has used them could enlighten me.
@Localtiler do you still have to tank them bal boards like cememnt boards then?

 

[Qwerty]

It is lighter, easier & quicker to cut, has thermal retention qualities, is waterproof and IMO is a more versatile product as I can use the same product on walls & floors. And yes, it does have a certain amount of decoupling capability.

 

[Old Mod]

As I understand it, Bal board is similar to multi-pro board which has two layers of mesh in it.
It’s big brother is the multi-pro board XS which has 4 layers and is a construction fire board.
The XS is amazing stuff, I’ve just built two pocket door walls out of it supported on only 3 sides and fitted 2.4 x 1.2’s to it, very solid and stable.
The man to ask tho is @LEE MAC, he has a lot of experience with the multi-pro board.

Any material placed between the substrate and finished floor is technically a decoupler by definition.
But they all work with varying degrees, some are specifically designed for this and allow a lot more lateral movement than others.
The whole subject of using decouplers is quite complicated, there are lots of products and all suited better to some techniques than others.

 

[MAK_Tiling]

Is this the multi pro board you mean @3_fall

 

[Old Mod]

Is this the multi pro board you mean @3_fall

View attachment 108287

Doesn’t look like it tbh, that looks like an XPS board, multipro board resembles a cement board.




That’s not to say I’m right tho.
But what I’ve used, doesn’t look like that.
Lee will know for sure.

 

[LM]

For me XPS boards are an online order and that’s not always ideal. I can get Kerdi boards within two days or a long drive on the same day.
BAL aren’t exactly pioneers with a few of their products for example the ‘new’ Flexbone variants have been out for years under a different original brand and the same with BAL board. BAL will only put their name to certain products after they’ve been on the market for years under a different guise with thousands of installations and feedback that then qualify the product for them. BAL board is a product I’ve been using under a different name for a long time, it’s excellent material, it does what it says on the tin but like anything BAL you pay for their stamp so I use multipro instead.
It’s my goto overlay for small bathroom floors, larger floors I use rolls of membrane. It’s fire resistant but if there’s eufh involved your better with an xps board etc for the insulation.
On walls I’d go for 12.5mm every time. It needs tanked which is no big deal and if you have to make a repair it’s still there when you’ve dug off the tile.
This market has a huge choice of very good materials and tbh imo they’re all job specific as to which product meets the needs and which are over kill and in some cases only a specific product can meet a specific demand, such are the advantages of Multipro Xs or Wedi etc.
Tech support won’t always support our innovations and adaptions because they haven’t tested our solutions that we’ve had to come up with as we’ve had to think on our feet to overcome immediate problems that could bring a whole site to standstill and in some ways that defines us as pioneers at times.
That’s the beauty of this place, it’s the place you can come and ask and I’d be surprised if you don’t get the answer you need.

Is this the multi pro board you mean @3_fall

View attachment 108287

Multipro is identical to BAL board in every way except the dimensions and name stamped on it, it comes from under the same roof.

 

[MAK_Tiling]

@LEE MAC just compard both boards and both say the same thing magnesium.boards,100kgpsm holds etc. Defietley got a tiling theory lesson today
Have you ever used the bal rapid mat they do and is it realy 1mm thick

 

[Old Mod]

Yeah it is 1mm, there are quite a few on the market, some are far better than others.
They’re more commonly know as
‘Antifracture mats’ rather than decouplers.
I’d concentrate on the board subject first, let it sink in.
Matting is typically used less often, and has a more specific roll.
It’s not an out and out fix for floors with deflection or lateral movement.
IT IS FAR BETTER to concentrate on substrate prep.
The more prep you do, the easier the tiling is, the more confidence you’ll have when you walk away, also that you’ve completed a project that has longevity, and won’t fail by the time you get to the garden gate.