i used ditra the first time when i did our kitchen and again on the half bath. to me it was easier then cutting (ditra cuts with scissors or a razor knife) and screwing down hardiboard. and since it is 1/8 thick my tile ended up within 1/16 of an inch level with my hardwood flooring in the adjoining rooms. i plan on using in the bathrooms upstairs also. the ditra XL is just thicker for height adjustment. just like hardieboard you can tile right over it. installing hardieboard for me was more labor intensive than the ditra. with ditra you need to flatten the floor before installation, the hardieboard is flattened after installation