[JRA773]

Listen to the guy at the flooring store!

JAYP, the guy at the flooring store knows more than most of the people given you bad advice here! YOU DON'T NEED A VAPOR BARRIER WITH HARDIBACKER. It is not traditional cement board! Many of these people that replied to you here are saying they have the same characteristics and they don't! Hardibacker doesn't need a vapor barrier or waterproofing except you do need to tape and thinset the joints. Go right to the video from Hardibacker on Youtube and they'll show you how to do it properly. I only use Hardibacker on my jobs and it's been great. Less fuss and better performance. There are a lot of opinions out there, but remember most of them are coming from people that don't know what they're talking about.

 

[JRA773]

Jaz man, I’m not trying get personal and it seems you are, and I’m certainly not trying to hide behind a username. I was just trying to help a beginner who seemed confused since he’s been told 2 different things.

My code doesn’t require a vapor barrier and my point is you don’t need one with Hardibacker by the nature of it’s composition. Your plain wrong on them requiring a barrier - their directions say “check your local code” and doesn’t say you absolutely need it. Why would they leave that out of their installation videos if you really needed it?

They specifically say not to use a Redguard or similar waterproofing on the face as it will not allow thinset to bond as well. I’ve had a number of pro tilers tell me they never install a vapor barrier behind or waterproof the front of Hardi-backer. It's already waterproof. To say you must have a vapor barrier with Hardi is just not true. Now again, I'm talking about tub surrounds, not pans.

To say an installation may fail w/no barrier is nuts. We've all seen 30-40 year old homes with tile that was just stuck to regular old drywall with mastic
in a tub surround and no leaks or mold. Of course, I don’t condone this, but my point is it’s still on the walls and in decent shape.