Tomorrow I will be hanging Hardi backer board above the tub that will be going in after I test the supply lines I’m waiting on to cool down. Anyway, I frikken hate Durock, smells like puke and too crumbly. I used Hardi on some floors and found cutting it a pain in the arse. Anyone have a good trick?
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I use an old heavy steel carpet layers' 4' straight edge as a guide and a carbide cement board scoring tool. Score...score...& score again & then snap. Works pretty well.
Ditto that.
One added touch - a tile rubbing stone works well to knock down and smooth the edge (if needed).
The ToolBear
"Never met a man who couldn't teach me something." Anon.
On 1/4" I'll score and snap with a utility knife, while 1/2" is cut outside on sawhorses with a 4-tooth hardi blade on the wormdrive. It's also possible to cut halfway through the 1/2" and snap it, but the quickest way I've found is simply cutting it.
As for what is the fastest most efficent route, I have yet to see a set of shears cut hardi as fast as a wormdrive. An entire shower or floor is quickly produced from a cut list and it's not a hassle to put on a dust mask once for the gain in speed.
Some will claim that a hardi blade isn't better than a carbide framing blade, but there is a huge difference in how straight the cut will be. Even amoung the various hardi blades I look for a stiff disk and big diamond teeth. The wider curf keeps the hardi off the disk which keeps it cool and straight. As soon as a framing blade is used it heats up and cuts like a snake.
The Dewalt hardi blade out in the truck has cut a few showers worth of hardi and looks like new.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
cool thanks. just doing this yesterday. trying to think if there was a faster way ... use utility knife and snap it. have dewalt circular cut out tool. switched to 5/32 instead of 1/8... since they (those inserts) break and man are they pricey. Been thinking about the a carbide blade for the circular.
We've done a bunch of bathrooms and some tilework lately.
Use an old saw and preferably a diamond blade, or a carbide blade. Dusty, but beats scoring, and scoring and scoring and ...cleaner and quicker.
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
I have an old Milwaukee wormdrive I use for demo, I think I'll try that.
When I started out cutting Durock years ago I used a saw, and later learned that wasn't the preferred method. Didn't consider it for Hardi, but I'll give it a try.
I don't have a hardi blade, so I use an old diamond blade on a 4 1/2" grinder. I usually score halfway and snap the hardi. It's dusty, but fast.
I've got a friend who blames her elbow problems (tendonitis) to scoring too many hardi sheets with a knife- it requires a lot of pressure.
zak
"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin
"so it goes"
score and snap..
or CB shears..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
What basswood said with the carbide scoring tool. If I have more than a few cuts to make I just us my fiber cement shears. No, it's not quite as fast as a diamond blade, but the time is made up with the cleaning you have to do when cutting with a diamond. In typical bathroom, there's not that much cutting to do with cement board or hardi anyways.
Carbide scoring tool is way more betterer than the utility knife.I put the stack of cement board on two of these benches as short horses. I crawl around on the floor enough on tile jobs...so I prefer not to be on my knees cutting backerboard. The benches are a good height for marking, scoring, and easily snaping the waste off.
I have the same exact bench, and it goes into the "surprisingly most used tool" category. I love that thing.
Make that 3 of us with the same bench. I actually have 3 of them. 1 is always in the van (at least I always have a place to sit for lunch). I bring a 2nd bench when I want to use them as horses. And the 3rd bench has a wood top permanently mounted. I use that bench to mount my table top saw or power miter as needed.
-Don
Here is another use of the bench when tiling a tub surround, to avoid climbing in and out of of the tub, or bending over to reach a tile cutter on the floor.The cat belongs to a customer, but I do have another clone of it at home too.
Edited 10/22/2006 11:57 am ET by basswood
Ya those benches rock. I have one that is a werner and a husky. The husky is superior... since it has adjustable legs and a tray. They do need to add a cutout in the middle of those benches so you can grip them better.
OMG! I can't believe that I have the clone of that cat either! You sure you're not me?
That makes three of us with that cat....
I need to get one of those benches....