Cement backer board -- How and why did they do this?
 

I've just started remodeling a tiled shower. According to a video I saw
on line, once the tiles have been removed the screws holding the backer
board to the studs should be visible and can be removed, thus allowing
the backer board to be removed.

I've removed the tiles from one section, but there is no sign of any
screws. I was able to get a pry bar under an edge and pry it off,
revealing nails whose heads were tight up against the mesh and driven
into the wood, but with no hole on the surface and no evidence of a hole
having been filled after the nails were driven in..

Further, either the backer board was somehow wrapped around an outside
corner -- and with good clean straight edges -- or someone had managed
to cut a clean straight edge in the cement part, leaving the mesh to be
wrapped around the corner and nailed under the backer board on the
adjacent surface. I don't know which, as I haven't yet removed the
backer board from that second surface.

Perce

Cement backer board -- How and why did they do this?
 

On Jun 17, 12:05*am, "Percival P. Cassidy"
wrote:

I've just started remodeling a tiled shower. According to a video I saw
on line, once the tiles have been removed the screws holding the backer
board to the studs should be visible and can be removed, thus allowing
the backer board to be removed.

I've removed the tiles from one section, but there is no sign of any
screws. I was able to get a pry bar under an edge and pry it off,
revealing nails whose heads were tight up against the mesh and driven
into the wood, but with no hole on the surface and no evidence of a hole
having been filled after the nails were driven in..

Further, either the backer board was somehow wrapped around an outside
corner -- and with good clean straight edges -- or someone had managed
to cut a clean straight edge in the cement part, leaving the mesh to be
wrapped around the corner and nailed under the backer board on the
adjacent surface. I don't know which, as I haven't yet removed the
backer board from that second surface.

It's unclear from your description what type of backer board you have
and exactly what is going on.
Post some pictures on a free hosting site and post the links back
here.

R

Cement backer board -- How and why did they do this?
 

On Jun 17, 12:05*am, "Percival P. Cassidy"
wrote:
I've just started remodeling a tiled shower. According to a video I saw
on line, once the tiles have been removed the screws holding the backer
board to the studs should be visible and can be removed, thus allowing
the backer board to be removed.

I've removed the tiles from one section, but there is no sign of any
screws. I was able to get a pry bar under an edge and pry it off,
revealing nails whose heads were tight up against the mesh and driven
into the wood, but with no hole on the surface and no evidence of a hole
having been filled after the nails were driven in..

Further, either the backer board was somehow wrapped around an outside
corner -- and with good clean straight edges -- or someone had managed
to cut a clean straight edge in the cement part, leaving the mesh to be
wrapped around the corner and nailed under the backer board on the
adjacent surface. I don't know which, as I haven't yet removed the
backer board from that second surface.

Perce

You can buy that mesh. I have a roll I use on seams.

Cement backer board -- How and why did they do this?
 

On Jun 17, 11:05*am, jamesgangnc wrote:
On Jun 17, 12:05*am, "Percival P. Cassidy"
wrote:





I've just started remodeling a tiled shower. According to a video I saw
on line, once the tiles have been removed the screws holding the backer
board to the studs should be visible and can be removed, thus allowing
the backer board to be removed.

I've removed the tiles from one section, but there is no sign of any
screws. I was able to get a pry bar under an edge and pry it off,
revealing nails whose heads were tight up against the mesh and driven
into the wood, but with no hole on the surface and no evidence of a hole
having been filled after the nails were driven in..

Further, either the backer board was somehow wrapped around an outside
corner -- and with good clean straight edges -- or someone had managed
to cut a clean straight edge in the cement part, leaving the mesh to be
wrapped around the corner and nailed under the backer board on the
adjacent surface. I don't know which, as I haven't yet removed the
backer board from that second surface.

Perce

You can buy that mesh. *I have a roll I use on seams.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I think the OP meant the metal mesh that gets nailed to the studs as
lath for troweled on cement underlayment. I have that in my bathroom.

A real pain if you're trying to just remove the walls and not the
ceiling since you have to cut the metal lath along the junction. Not
easy to do neatly.

I ended up using 1/4" drywall over the existing plaster ceiling to
clean up the junction and start with a fresh surface for painting.

Cement backer board -- How and why did they do this?
 

On 06/17/11 11:45 am, DerbyDad03 wrote:

I've just started remodeling a tiled shower. According to a video I saw
on line, once the tiles have been removed the screws holding the backer
board to the studs should be visible and can be removed, thus allowing
the backer board to be removed.

I've removed the tiles from one section, but there is no sign of any
screws. I was able to get a pry bar under an edge and pry it off,
revealing nails whose heads were tight up against the mesh and driven
into the wood, but with no hole on the surface and no evidence of a hole
having been filled after the nails were driven in..

Further, either the backer board was somehow wrapped around an outside
corner -- and with good clean straight edges -- or someone had managed
to cut a clean straight edge in the cement part, leaving the mesh to be
wrapped around the corner and nailed under the backer board on the
adjacent surface. I don't know which, as I haven't yet removed the
backer board from that second surface.

I think the OP meant the metal mesh that gets nailed to the studs as
lath for troweled on cement underlayment. I have that in my bathroom.

A real pain if you're trying to just remove the walls and not the
ceiling since you have to cut the metal lath along the junction. Not
easy to do neatly.

I ended up using 1/4" drywall over the existing plaster ceiling to
clean up the junction and start with a fresh surface for painting.

I think you and gfretwell are correct about the mesh having been nailed
in place first as a support for troweled-on cement. I guess that would
also explain why there's sheetrock underneath what I thought was backer
board.

The ceiling tiles are glued to plywood, and I was going to remove them
anyway.

Perce

Cement backer board -- How and why did they do this?
 

On Jun 17, 1:03*pm, "Percival P. Cassidy" wrote:
On 06/17/11 11:45 am, DerbyDad03 wrote:









I've just started remodeling a tiled shower. According to a video I saw
on line, once the tiles have been removed the screws holding the backer
board to the studs should be visible and can be removed, thus allowing
the backer board to be removed.

I've removed the tiles from one section, but there is no sign of any
screws. I was able to get a pry bar under an edge and pry it off,
revealing nails whose heads were tight up against the mesh and driven
into the wood, but with no hole on the surface and no evidence of a hole
having been filled after the nails were driven in..

Further, either the backer board was somehow wrapped around an outside
corner -- and with good clean straight edges -- or someone had managed
to cut a clean straight edge in the cement part, leaving the mesh to be
wrapped around the corner and nailed under the backer board on the
adjacent surface. I don't know which, as I haven't yet removed the
backer board from that second surface.
I think the OP meant the metal mesh that gets nailed to the studs as
lath for troweled on cement underlayment. I have that in my bathroom.

A real pain if you're trying to just remove the walls and not the
ceiling since you have to cut the metal lath along the junction. Not
easy to do neatly.

I ended up using 1/4" drywall over the existing plaster ceiling to
clean up the junction and start with a fresh surface for painting.

I think you and gfretwell are correct about the mesh having been nailed
in place first as a support for troweled-on cement. I guess that would
also explain why there's sheetrock underneath what I thought was backer
board.

The ceiling tiles are glued to plywood, and I was going to remove them
anyway.

The whole think sounds a fright. Yank it out and start anew.

R

Cement backer board -- How and why did they do this?
 

On Jun 17, 11:45*am, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Jun 17, 11:05*am, jamesgangnc wrote:









On Jun 17, 12:05*am, "Percival P. Cassidy"
wrote:

I've just started remodeling a tiled shower. According to a video I saw
on line, once the tiles have been removed the screws holding the backer
board to the studs should be visible and can be removed, thus allowing
the backer board to be removed.

I've removed the tiles from one section, but there is no sign of any
screws. I was able to get a pry bar under an edge and pry it off,
revealing nails whose heads were tight up against the mesh and driven
into the wood, but with no hole on the surface and no evidence of a hole
having been filled after the nails were driven in..

Further, either the backer board was somehow wrapped around an outside
corner -- and with good clean straight edges -- or someone had managed
to cut a clean straight edge in the cement part, leaving the mesh to be
wrapped around the corner and nailed under the backer board on the
adjacent surface. I don't know which, as I haven't yet removed the
backer board from that second surface.

Perce

You can buy that mesh. *I have a roll I use on seams.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I think the OP meant the metal mesh that gets nailed to the studs as
lath for troweled on cement underlayment. I have that in my bathroom.

A real pain if you're trying to just remove the walls and not the
ceiling since you have to cut the metal lath along the junction. Not
easy to do neatly.

I ended up using 1/4" drywall over the existing plaster ceiling to
clean up the junction and start with a fresh surface for painting.

I ran into that remodeling a bathroom in my dad's home. The bedroom
adjacent to the bath had a second tiny closet that we wanted to
incorporate into the bath and add a door between the bedroom and bath.
Seemed to be an easy job until we discovered how everything was tied
together. The whole bathroom had to be gutted down to the joist and
studs.

Jimmie