From the Factory Floor
Tile Backer Board News & Insights
Installation guides, material science and project notes from a factory that has been extruding XPS since 1996.
Practical guides and field notes for contractors, distributors and project buyers: installation checklists, thickness selection, material comparisons and wet room know-how. Written by the Tile Backer Pro engineering team — updated as we learn from real projects.
Tub to Shower Conversion Without Moving the Drain
A tub to shower conversion can sometimes keep the existing drain. The answer depends on the drain center, the alcove, the tray geometry and the connection below the floor—not on the words “offset drain” alone. That is good news if the new shower stays in the old tub footprint. It is not permission to order…
IAPMO PS 106 Explained: What the 71-Model Report Verifies
A buyer can see “71 models” on an IAPMO PS 106 report and reasonably assume that all 71 were individually put through every test. Our report does not support that wording, so we will not use it. Report J251017003-1 lists 71 models and identifies the specific samples tested. It also states that the report applies…
6 mm XPS Backer Board: When Solid Backing Is Required
A 6mm XPS backer board belongs in an assembly that already has continuous support. It is a thin, coated tile substrate for a solid-backed wall or a suitable sheet substrate. It is not the thickness we would choose to span open framing and ask the board to supply the missing stiffness. That distinction decides whether…
36 × 60 vs 48 × 96 Tile Backer Board: A 40HQ Buyer’s Planning Guide
If your order is mainly 48 × 96 inch boards, we already have a thickness-by-thickness loading table for a 40HQ. If it combines 36 × 60 and 48 × 96 boards, do not stretch that table by area ratio and call the result a loading plan. A workable 40HQ loading plan starts with four things:…
Arctic Industrial Camp Wet Areas: Backer Board Checks That Matter
For Arctic industrial camp wet areas, choose the backer board by repair access, wet duty, logistics and verified cold exposure, not by an “Arctic” label on a brochure. XPS is a strong candidate for repeatedly used shower blocks and prefabricated camp bathrooms. It combines tile backing with a waterproof panel and can support a consistent,…
Cold-Storage Wet Areas: Specifying XPS Backer Boards for Northern Canada and Alaska
An XPS backer board for cold storage can be a practical tile substrate in washdown rooms, staff showers and other wet areas, provided the complete assembly stays within its verified service conditions. What it should not get is an imagined “extreme cold” rating. Water-absorption, thermal-conductivity and room-temperature compression data do not, by themselves, prove performance…
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