Hardibacker

[oogabooga]

Yep, most of the UK construction is a bit different to down under or the US, where timber framing in the norm. Had to beef up many a floor in my area to deal with deflection. Just pointing it out is all:smilewinkgrin:

 

[Rob Z]

We've had to add a lot of plywood and scab on joists, as well.:mad2: Oh well, it's money.

Rob, are most houses in NZ and Australia stick-framed the way they are here?

 

[oogabooga]

Rob Z, yep similar construction techniques from what I can tell, although I notice in residential dwellings you guys don't have any nogs/dwangs (horizontal members) in your wall framing.

It's funny but when we get visitors from the UK or Europe, they tend to remark about the construction being similar to the US and that our television programming is full of US shows. I'm never sure whether they're meaning that as a putdown or simply an observation, as most Europeans I've met are really, really square! (not brits:smilewinkgrin

 

[Rob Z]

Hi Rob,

The horizontal members in the stud cavities are called fire blocking here, and generally (in some markets) they are not installed as long as the holes in the plates are filled with rock wool or some other material to act as a draftstopper (as per the fire code). The fireblocking was standard in almost all houses I have worked in up through the 80's....sometime after that time it seems that the practice dropped off.

I hear and read all the comments about how things are built in the US, and my observation is that there is so much variety over the 50 states and for 300+ million people that it is impossible to generalize about anything. Some standard practices are very good, others are so-so, and some are mass-market driven crap. It is the latter stuff that ensures that we have good remodeling work to do.

Most of the TV shows that I have seen are insipid, and don't really reflect reality (I know that you know this). Some of the stuff I see on them makes me :mad2: .

 

[oogabooga]

Yep, pretty much figured (from years of the JB forum) that there's a great deal of variety in construction techniques in the US. Even in a tiny country like NZ it's funny how various regions will have there own way of doing things, or different interpretation of codes and regulations.

 

[Consett John]

just had 1st day of 2-week PTS Harlow training course. We covered floor substrates and only ply was mentioned. I asked if backerboard could be used in place of ply to keep height down and was told no, ntg better than ply.
I appreciate backerboard does not add strength/rigidity to a wooden suspended floor, in what circumstances would you use it and is it widely used?

I have just used hardi backer in an en suite due to the fact that any water ingress would not result in the tiles lifting also can be used on kitchen floors as a failsafe against washing machine leaks

 

[JamesHardie]

View attachment Installation-Single Pages LOW RES.pdf

At the end of the day, the floor is only as strong as the joists + subfloor. HardieBacker is not a structural board, but it provides a proper base for tiling on. Here are the installation instructions for download. It is a great replacement for plywood in a wet area as it doesn't expand and contract with exposure to moisture. The 6mm was originally designed to help minizme the transition between floors.

 

[kctiling]

Have been advised to use 6mm hardiebacker board on a masonary wall (bath taken out shower put in) has any done this and did it work ok