Shower walls construction made easy with Kerdi-Board panels.

Kerdi-Board panels from Schlüter represent an elegant and ultra-practical solution for shower walls. They make such a project a lot less intimidating compared to more traditional approaches. First, these panels incorporate their own waterproof membrane. You save one critical step right there. This also makes them suitable for kitchen counters applications where water gets splashed in the course of daily uses.

Kerdi-Board panels have other important advantages: they can be cut to size with an ordinary utility cutter. As for putting them in place, they can be either screwed or glued. Their light weight makes moving them a cinch; even carrying five at a time is no problem. This is a far cry from the conventional cement panels that are not only quite heavy, but are also only water resistant, not waterproof. And… no dust!

Various panels for different uses

Kerdi-Board panels consist of an extruded polystyrene foam panel, with a special reinforcement material on both sides and fleece webbing for effective anchoring in thin-set mortar. These multifunctional tile substrate and building panels are thus perfect for creating bonded waterproofing assemblies with tile coverings.

They are available in thicknesses of 3/16″, 3/8″, 1/2″, 3/4″, 1″, 1-1/2″, and 2″ (5, 9, 12.5, 19, 25, 38, and 50 mm). Kerdi-Board panels allow the installer to prepare and create a broad range of substrates and building elements for the installation of ceramic and natural stone.

The boards are simply cut to size with a utility knife. The gridlines, which are printed on the surface, are helpful for neat and quick cuts and installation.

For even greater ease of construction and design, Schlüter offers panels that are suited to curve surfaces as well as others that are prefabricated L-shaped and U-shaped panels making it especially easy to conceal pipes and columns.

For creating curved elements, use the Kerdi-Board-V, a vertically grooved substrate and building panel. For larger surfaces, several panels can be connected along the edges with thin-set mortar (Kerdi-Fix adhesive) or double-sided adhesive tape.

All Kerdi-Board panels can be installed on various wall surfaces, including concrete, masonry, existing substrates such as plaster, tiles, painted surfaces, etc. This means, for example, that you can glue them over old ceramic that you don’t want to see anymore, but don’t have to remove!

The panels can also be used to create partition walls to separate shower or toilet stalls or to divide rooms. No more masonry blocks or stud framing with sheathing which is time-consuming and often requires further preparation before tiling can begin.

Tile setters are often faced with substandard framing when building a bathtub platform, particularly on new construction projects. Many of the materials used to build platforms are moisture-sensitive and require additional preparation prior to setting tile. Kerdi-Board panels of the suitable thickness (2 inches) can be used to quickly and simply create flat, level, plumb, square and waterproof tub platforms.

An important note: A large selection of profiles and attachment hardware complement the Schlüter Kerdi-Board system. These stainless steel profiles can be used to stabilize a structure or as finishing edges available in U or L forms. The Schlüter system also includes an assortment of attachments and anchors for panel installation on either wooden or steel studs.

Key benefits

Kerdi-Board panels’ unique characteristics:

1. First, their surfaces are even, offering excellent structural rigidity as well. The composite technique with a foam core imbedded within external synthetic cloth which is resin glued is comparable with what is used in the high end boating industry.

2. Kerdi-Board panels are stable and don’t deteriorate when submitted to water vapour.

3. They offer thermal insulation.

4. Their surface is ready made for mortar application.

5. Light and easy to transport.

6. Can be installed quickly and easily.

7. No cement or fiberglass present.

8. Can be cut to size with a utility knife.

9. Printed surface grids make cutting even easier.

10. Can be installed on any type of support.

11. And you can use them to create partitions – no structural support needed – or shelves and other similar surfaces.

Why is Kerdi-Board the ultimate building solution for bathroom walls and other bathroom applications? Schlüter says it best: “The quality of the end result in tile covering – mosaics or large tiles – is directly related to its supporting structure. It has to be stable and perfectly plane with inside and outside angles that are perfectly straight and regular”.