Cement board provides a waterproof base for tile showers.
The best backing around the walls of a shower in preparation for tiling is cement board. It looks like sheets of drywall but is much harder and is waterproof. Cement board provides stability and strength to prevent the tile from moving. Its moisture-resistant structure also ensures that water won't soften the backing if it gets through the tiles, which otherwise would soften the wall and cause cracking. Start with a finished shower base, and have the plumbing installed, but not the fixture.
Instructions
1. Locate all the studs in the walls around the shower, using an electronic stud finder. Mark each stud. Use your level to extend vertical lines indicating the studs over the whole wall.
2. Measure across the width of one wall, near the bottom. Mark out the measurements on a piece of cement board. Cut the cement board with your jigsaw. Also measure and cut out any hole needed to accommodate the shower fixtures.
3. Measure the positions of the stud lines on the walls, measuring from the sides. Draw those lines on the front of the cement board in the same positions.
4. Use your mortar trowel to spread thin-set mortar on the wall. Set the cement board in place in the mortar. Secure it by sinking galvanized screws every foot along the studs, as indicated by the marks you made, using your screw gun.
5. Hang the next piece of cement board above the first, in the same fashion. Repeat for each wall.
6. Press drywall mesh tape over the seams where the cement boards meet. Use your drywall knife to spread mortar over the tape. Smooth it out as much as possible.
7. Let the mortar set for a day. Sand it lightly, by hand, with medium sandpaper, just enough to ensure there are no high spots. Tile the wall.
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