Thanks! Open cell backer rod is backer rod that is porous on the inside and outside, and very soft. Cement backer board is used as a sub-surface for tiling, usually for showers or bathtubs. No mesh tape or kerdi-band. Fill the joint with backer rod then caulk with 100% silicone. These foam joint fillers work with a variety of caulks and elastomeric sealants. The backer rods are inserted as filling inside the grooves before builders apply mortar and any other types of sealant on the existing cracks present in between … Use an open-cell backer rod for gaps of more than 1/2 inch wide. You should use an open-cell backer only for indoor applications. The proper way is to leave a 1/8 inch gap between tile & tub. To make it easier to clean up when applying these types of sealants, first put down blue masking tape along the edges of the tile. They are often used as a filling in joints and fissures that are found mostly on tiles as well as other crevices resulting in the construction of structures. Open cell backer rod is also used for smaller joints because it is much more compressible than other backer rods. It is used in a wide range of applications including tiling, flooring, window paneling and stoneware among others. Backer Rod is an easy to compress rope-like celled foam. Sika 3/4 In. Not all sealants used for caulking require a primer, so read their instructions and data sheets to make sure you follow their directions. Cement backer board comes in two standard thicknesses, 1/2 inch and 1/4 inch. Flange on the tub is behind the wallboard, the wallboard has liquid waterproofing on it, and there’s foam backer rod at the back of the gap to avoid a 3-sided bond. This is called an expansion joint and allows for some movement between the tub and the wall. This material is compatible with most known cold applied sealants such as latex, polysulfide, acrylic, urethane, and silicone.". With 20/20 hindsight, I had picked up a tube of DAP "Fast Dry Acrylic Latex Caulk Plus Silicone". It can be installed just by pressing it into place with a finger or an appropriately sized tool. It’s basically just a long tube of gray foam. At its greatest width, it's between 3/8 and 1/2 inch. Only time will tell. Also - On a joint like that, I'd mask off the areas to either side of the joint. Use an open-cell backer rod for gaps of more than 1/2 inch wide. Peel off when caulk is still wet. After you have pushed the backer rod into place, apply caulk on both sides of the rod to secure it in place. Mar 4, 2017 - How to Seal Large Gaps Between the Tub and the Wall. The type of backer rod used is governed by the type of sealant used, plus environmental, seismic and … The Backer Rod is a long cylinder of foam rubber or plastic material. Compliances - ASTM C 1330, Type C Sizes - Ø 5 to 50mm; Benefits - Low moisture absorption Open cell backer rod is mostly only used on the inside of the cabin where it is dry. The vertical portion of the flange will point towards your ceiling, while the horizontal part will attach to your tub’s edge. Reduce caulk consumption by controlling sealant depth— this prevents excessive use of caulking or sealant. In all these applications, it is used for three major purposes. Position the backer rod in the gap and push it down below the level of the joint. I am about to redo the seal between our 30-year-old tub and the tiles. Actually, caulk manufacturers list the product's uses right on the label, so it is easy to pick the right one. A backer rod is a cylindrical type of foam used to fill cracks and gaps between building materials. Litigation and Insurance Claims Investigation Services. In some cases, you may need an L-shaped tub flange to fill in a gap between the wall and your bathtub. Reply I don't like to do caulking, and especially, I don't like to RE-DO caulking. Your email address will not be published. Your email address will not be published. Visit us today to shop online. Sealant/caulking for tile near woodstove withstand high temperatures. Shim out the backer board to make it square with the tub. above the tub. Backer Rod’s four main benefits: Increase elasticity in the joint sealant. That’s the by-the-book way of treating that joint. Then install a backer rod foam and install an ASTM C920 sealant over that per the manufacturer’s directions. 2 registered members (2 invisible), Donato is the founder of CTaSC. It provides some insulation and also acts as a baking for the bead of caulk you’re about to put on. I've read that using a back rod allows the caulk to create a more flexible and longer lasting joint than just caulk alone. Ideal for both interior and exterior substrate applications. So it depends on what the depth is of your joint. It is inserted into a clean joint at the required depth before caulking/sealing. So you should have a 1/2″ depth above the backer rod. spiders. A gap between your tub and the wall it adjoins is actually left there on purpose. right after applying the sealant and tooling it to the correct finish, immediately pull up the tape. The silicone joint is supposed to be twice as wide as it is deep. Reading the instructions, it seems as though the silicon sealant I bought was good for just about anything, as long as it didn't involve caulking the tile line on the edge of the tub. Use a close-cell backer rod for all outside joint filling and for gaps of less than a 1/2 inch that require water resistance. Everbuild Foam Sealant Joint Backer Rod 25mm x 10 Metre Everbuild Joint Backer Rod 13mm dia (10m length) UniBond Anti-Mould White, Waterproof Mould Protection Kitchen & Bathroom Sealant, Long-lasting White Silicone Sealant, Powerful Bath Sealant, 1 x 274g Cartridge Position the backer rod slightly behind the surface of the tiles. Sign up to our newsletter and get exclusive deals you wont find anywhere else straight to your inbox! ITP Standard Backer Rod is compatible with butyl, polysulfide, acrylic polyurethane, silicone and most other cold applied sealants. Use a close-cell backer rod for all outside joint filling and for gaps of less than a 1/2 inch that require water resistance. You cut a piece to size and then squeeze it into the gap. The tub, itself, a little over 6 feet in length. the sealant manufacturers normally say never apply the sealant less than 1/4″ thick. The ideal underlayment for ceramic tile is cement backerboard, which comes in 1/4- and 1/2-inch-thick panels measuring 3 x 5 feet and 4 x 8 feet. See our inventory of caulk backer rods. Composition and Materials ITP Standard Backer Rod is an extruded round, closed cell, low density polyethylene foam material with a skin-like outer texture. 27 I have a 1 and 3/4 inch gap between my ceramic tile and the tub. my ceramic tile overhangs the shower floor by about .5 inches. Never thought twice about compatibility with backer rod. It helps prevent 3-sided adhesion Read the instructions, and pursuant to said instructions, scraped out the old sealant--even used a razor-blade scraper to make sure I got off all the silicon remnants along the tiled walls. Continue around the tub until the gap is filled on all three sides. Position the backer rod in the gap and push it down below the level of the joint. There are many places around your house where energy is wasted. A backer rod is easily installed in joints by simply pressing the material into the recess to a depth that will allow the thickness of the sealant to be approximately 1/2 that of the width of the joint. The backer rod helps cushion and insulate and helps prevent 3-point bonding. That is a very wide gap for sealant. They can be made of several different materials; make sure to buy one that … Can I use a backer rod, and then use a silicon caulk over it? Donato Pompo, CTC CMR CSI CDT MBA, is the leading tile and stone forensic expert and consultant in North America, and he is a National Tile Contractors Association Recognized Consultant. Do you want free tile and stone installation guides? What is Backer Board? The biggest unknown for me, at this time, is how to use the backer rod. It is designed to compress and regain its original shape. So, went out and bought a couple of tubes of silicone sealant. Backer rods are small rods that are made of foam material. It gets packed into a crack or crevasse in the wall and is intended to be caulked over to help create a watertight seal. What is the Maximum Cantilever Overhang of a Natural Stone over the…, How do I find a new Tile Installer to Fix or Complete…, What is the Stone Industry Standard for the Allowable amount of Marble…, Should Stone Countertop Backsplashes be Thinner than the Countertop, Why you need to learn how to install gauged porcelain tile slabs/panels, Natural Stone Unlimited Potential Applications, Free Tile and Stone Installation Guidelines, Curbless shower design: requirements and options. What I have now--as a replacement/recovery from my previous mis-step with the acrylic is GE 100% waterproof 100% Silicone. Simply fill the spaces with the appropriate backer rod as needed. Do you suggest that I squeeze a backer rod behind the caulking? The industry standard is to use 1/2-inch-thick backer board on wall tile installations, such as a tub … Fill the gap between the tile and the tub with caulk. Tub Caulk will bond with it because the surface is not smooth. Especially with silicone, makes life MUCH easier! However as far as backer-rod is concerned you can use back-rod in a shower. The tub was never square with the wall (vertically or horizontally), thus I have an irregular space to fill. For caulking a tub or shower, silicone-based caulks or those that are 100 percent silicone are best. Normally the sealant manufacturers require a 2:1 ration of width to depth. As for what type, I'd go with closed-cell for less possibility of water absorption. Shop Sika 0.75-in x 20-ft Backer Rod in the Backer Rods department at Lowe's.com. You would use the primer that the manufacturer of the sealant requires. The product was shipped quickly and it was the right size for my project. guests, and 3 Required fields are marked *. UNIPRO Closed-Cell Backer-Rod is a closed-cell, polyethylene foam joint filler and backing for elastomeric sealants. Doors and windows are not the only places where heat and conditioned air leakage occurs. I gently pressed the foam backer into the gap between the tub and tile, then I caulked a thin layer on top of it to seal the tub. With pretty big gaps, they recommend that you use this backer rod before you put the caulk in. Because the backer board tends to bow out when 'lipped' over the tub flange, you should: Install the tub Install shims on the studs to 'pad out' the backer so that it just clears the tub flange and overhangs it a bit (but doesn't 'land' on the rim of the tub) but leaves a 1/4 to 3/8 inch gap to the tub. Sometimes your gap is larger on one side of the tub than the other due to the imprecise square of a wall, ceiling, or floor. Backer rods are flexible foam tubes of different densities. Builders use these sorts of foam rods for a number of different construction projects, but almost always in the context of filling gaps where materials join together. Then I would install 1/4″ Hardibacker over that. There are building sealants that are that wide, but the depth of the joint might not be deep enough. Gray finish. Only registered users may post in our forums. Apply it to the wall with the bottom edge about 1/4 in. They can provide a watertight seal, and they will remain pliable for years. Most contain additives that fight mold and mildew. Be sure to use a sealant that meets ASTM C920, which is normally a silicone or urethane type of sealant. Force adhesive into contact with the sides of the joint creating an hour-glass shape for a … Twist multiple strands together to fill large cracks, gaps. ANSWER - The polyethylene backer rod is not likely the cause of your cracking at the tub to shower wall transition, but if there is room for it in that joint, then you should use it to fill the excess space and to gauge the thickness of the sealant you are using. And Yes to the kitchen and bath silicone caulk which has mildew protection. You mention priming the backer rod before applying the caulk. I use colored "kitchen and bath" silicone caulk. WonderBoard Lite 5 ft. x 3 ft. x 7/16 in. The main idea is to use the foam to fill most of the void in a joint so that caulking … The way you install it is fairly simple. For backer rod size you generally want 1/8" larger than the joint size, so 3/4" backer rod in this case. Market Research for Exporting to the U.S. Catalina Ceramic Tile and Stone Reports Special Discount Offer, Kitchen and Bath Cabinets Countertops Reports. Backer Rod offers five distinct products for use in construction joints: Denver Foam®, Titan Foam, Mile High Foam®, Mile High Foam XL™ and Ultra Block®. They’re most commonly used in tiling and flooring, but they can also be found in decorative wall paneling, window sealing, stonework, and counter tops. Backer Board provides a stable surface for installing tile or stone and protects against moisture. Then apply a generous amount of thin-set to the bottom bathtub tile and position it 1/8 in. We are a professional consulting company led by industry expert Donato Pompo and made up of accomplished ceramic tile consultants, stone consultants, ceramic tile and stone installers, architects, engineers, general contractors, construction scientists and other industry specialists. I recently discovered that the old, deteriorating caulk between our existing bath tub (vented, man-made materials, non-ceramic) had started to shrink and "decay". The dense, gray material is very heavy, so use the smaller size for replacing tub walls. Non-absorbent, closed-cell polyethylene pre-caulking material. The panels are nasty to handle because of their sharp edges, so wear […] What size backer rod should I for tub and wall tile? Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.6.2. Backer Rod creates an even depth and supports the sealant / caulk allowing it to form the proper shape (about 2x as wide as deep). You can install a 1/4″ thick backer rod and that will leave 1/4″ of space for the sealant. Position the backer rod in the gap and push it down below the level of the joint. "...backer rod is a round, black, extruded, bi-cellular polyethylene material with a water impervious outer membrane. Otherwise it can be a messy job to clean it up. Backer Rod is used to partially fill deep expansion joints and cracks before the application of your sealant. That should bring you out in front of the tub flange. What kind of primer would you recommend and how would you apply it? above the lip of the tub. Use an open-cell backer rod for gaps of more than 1/2 inch wide. So, the gap isn't all that big, but I'm just finding it kind of vexing. Backer Board The Custom Building Products WonderBoard The Custom Building Products WonderBoard Lite 5 ft. x 3 ft. x 7/16 in. Fills gaps and openings in pavement cracks, wall joints, foundations, sidewalks and driveways. Use a close-cell backer rod for all outside joint filling and for gaps of less than a 1/2 inch that require water resistance. Please register and join our community. No matter how large or small the gap is, fill it with a flexible, waterproof material like .… Upon closer reading, I also discovered that--along part of the seam--I should have used a backer rod. Yes, on the masking tape both sides, you can get a VERY neat job if you apply the caulk then smooth it down with a WET finger then immediately remove the masking tape. 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