hardiback or durarock for basement floor

vote4Pedro

trying to gauge what to use for a cement basement foundation to lay down some tiles. I've read some threads here about the silliness of having a underlayer on top of cement for tiles but i figured it'll avoid having to do some leveling work (overall it's pretty smooth). Anyhow, any advice for basement with durarock or hadiback? i've used hardiback before for a kitchen tile build and have found it extremely easy to cut. never used durarock before but it looks like it could be a pain. thoughts welcomed thanks

1910NE

i just used durarock in my bathroom. it was easy enough to cut. don't bother with one of the special scoring knives...just use a utility knife, and replace the blade a little more frequently than you would with dry wall.

as far as a basement floor goes, it would be a lot cheaper to use a leveling compound over the existing cement. and the cement board is not going to "level" out the floor, although it will provide a more uniform/smooth surface. but the combination of a leveling compound and thinset should be enough to overcome any uneven cement in your basement,....i would think.

vote4Pedro

well.. i'm putting durarock or hardiback there just so in case i have a change of heart and go wood. I already have the basement measured with the recent round of rain to determine that it holds up pretty well against moisture. what's the major diff between durarock and hardiback anyhow.