Yes you can. Paint it olive Green and you can protect the cement board.

I like Hydro Ban. Look it up.

Yay! thank you!

(Maybe I can paint it white with gray lines and it will look like subway tile!)

:-)

francy

baf-- You misunderstood John. The green he was talking about was a product called Hydroban. It's a waterproofing, not a paint, all though it's applied with a brush and roller.

The workaround is to use a bonding agent on the paint (Link or Plasterweld) and then use an unmodified thinset for the tile, or quick-set . It's the bonding agent that will save this situation.
Casey

To the OP - My backsplash was drywall with eggshell paint on it when I tiled it - and it is all still intact after a couple of years. Don't worry about it. You can probably scuff up the paint a bit and tile when the time comes.

Ok

*Breathe*

When I saw the posts a couple days ago, I was seriously on my knees with tears in my eyes! The cement board is permanently installed behind finished cabinetry and counter, and can't be replaced. It *is* behind my sink, but it still isn't what I'd call a "wet area."

The board actually doesn't look ANY different in texture because the BM acrylic primer is very thin. It just looks white-ish. So I'm really hoping it will be ok. I tried to scratch the primer off, but that stuff sticks like crazy, and I couldn't budge it.

These last couple posts have calmed me down a bit. My husband is out of town, and I was quite terrified of what he'd say when he gets home. But maybe I don't have to move out after all.....

Yes--I will research better next time. It seemed like an easy question. In my OP, I specifically said I was "painting the cabinets" and removed some excess paint from my brush by swiping it on the cement board. Which gave me the *ahem* seemingly brilliant idea of painting it. And as soon as I saw the first reply, I ran for my roller!

Lesson learned. I hope it will be ok! It sounds like it will. (But maybe I'll at least pack a small overnight bag before the husband gets home. Just in case.)

Thanks again for your help!! I really appreciate it!

Francy

This is not good and clearly points out the fact that you should double check all your facts.

Of course I should have made my post more clear. I thought I did by mentioning Hydro Ban.

I never suggested paint.

I do feel bad. I will offer to pay for the change.

So sorry. I will make a better effort going forward. I'm So So Sorry.

Please email me at info@byanydesign.com and give me your contact information. I will find someone to fix this for you and foot the bill. I tsake care of it from here...

I'll own this one - this mistake will hit me in the pocket and like all my "Life lessons from the School of Hard Knocks" will make me a safer more detailed man going forward.

Again I'm sorry that I didn't detail "Hydro Ban" more carefully and how to paint it on.

So that you all understand "Hydro Ban" is a waterproofing product that can be "painted" on.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hydro Ban Spec Sheet

(I'm the OP)

Thank you for the offer John.

Hopefully this will all be ok. The texture wasn't compromised, due to the thinness of the primer, and the adhesion seems about as permanent as it can be (I can't scratch it off). And the space is tiny--only about 6' long, and 1.5' high.

Now if I could just find someone to install subway tile with 1/16" grout lines and no lippage (in the SF Bay Area), I could give you an update....

Thanks again everyone, especially you "long timers" who take time out of your very busy schedules to advise folks like me, and keep us out of too much trouble. I appreciate you very, very much! If only I could actually hire you, and pay you for your wisdom. Bill: move west!

:-)

Francy

"Or should we all just pick on the new guy who is trying to make a difference with our landfills???"

John, don't act like a victim. Man up.

You're picking on yourself by offering what often times is confusing and conflicting advice to the DIY crowd.

This forum is for helping people with problems, it's not for pontificating. People ask questions. We answer. It gets a little social at times, there's a bit of camaraderie, but overall, it's neat and clean and it stays on topic.

I've often thought that many of your posts and the threads you initiated would be more proper on your blog. Or on some other forum. With GardenWeb telling you the same, it seems that there is a consensus.

Your box store crusade? Blog it. I don't care who you emailed. I don't care who called you. I don't care who sent you a free drain. It's not relevant to this forum. It doesn't address anything other than "what John Whipple did that day." That's blog or dear diary stuff.

Now if someone wrote "I went to home depot and they said I could use mastic over greenboard in my shower. Is that okay?" You simply write: "No, it's a code violation. I went to several home depot stores and they gave me erroneous information too. The proper way is to use...blah blah blah."

Your basement testing is dangerous. Blog it if you feel the need to write about it. It's so far from the norm it doesn't belong on a DIY forum. We have code, there are testing standards and facilities in place to carry out the testing. You writing that you're testing things in your basement can give the casual reader the idea that if something passes their garden hose test, or their fingernail test or their scratch and sniff test, well, hey, it's good to go and they can step around manufacturer's instructions of their local building code.

Remember, in the DIY-world we address and try to avoid the most basic of things; failure of an installation and subsequent water damage. Bathrooms are expensive, so we want to help people get it right the first time. Home testing doesn't cut it in the real world.

If you understood the absurdity of it all, you'd know that your testing methods are faulty. You can't give the casual reader the idea that basement testing is an acceptable practice.

Why would you even write "I am testing some Green Drywall to see if it's waterproof if I set with Mastic." It's not code approved in a wet space. So why test it? Why put the idea in a casual reader's head that mastic and greenboard might be waterproof?

If it passed your basement test would you then start using greenboard and mastic for setting tile in wet areas? Of course not, it's a code violation. So why even broach the subject? You shouldn't be embracing ideas like that. Simply discard them from the get-go so a casual reader understands that mastic over greenboard has no place in a shower or wet area. Done. No debate. No testing. No confusion. Just clarity.

"I welcome the debates - I love to be shown I'm wrong "

Fine. Your wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.

I'm not trying to kick you off the forum. I'm not telling you to go elsewhere. I'm just telling that on this forum, which is a DIY-type forum, your style of writing and your methods of installation can be dangerous to a casual reader.

We all make writing blunders. Just try to be careful with what you write. Try to be clear and concise.

As an idea, this is what this thread is all about:

"No, it's not normally a good idea to paint cement board. However, since your backsplash area is decorative and not in a wet area like a shower, you could paint the board with latex paint, but realize it might reduce the bond between the tile and backboard when you eventually tile. Since it's only decorative it should not be a problem. If you already have latex paint, then have at it. When it comes time to tile, come back and we'll help you as needed to get that done too.

And then if you wanted to add about membranes, you could have written something like this:

Now there is a waterproofing membrane called HydroBan that dries to a green color. There is another called RedGard that dries red. They both can be applied to cement board. If either of those two colors will suit your decor you could use them as a temporary fix. Blah blah blah."

Figure out the core reason that you're posting here. Is it to help others? Or is it to help yourself?

Francy I still want to help. Could you email me your address and I will send you some setting material and grout for your project. If you give me your address I will find you good man to install.

I want to make right and if you won't let me change the backsplash CBU, then at the very least I can do is send you your setting materials, grout and tile.

Lippage can be a good thing too. Many high end tiles are handmade and they look great - lippage included.

Lippage with uniform tile looks a rough and even worse with down light (puck lights etc).

How far off the back wall is your under counter lighting. These down lights really show a bad tile install if they are up tight (2-4") off the back wall.

I would like to do this for you. Please let me!

I have a great subway tile here in Vancouver - I'll send you the picture. If you like it to I'll ship you the tile as well. We searched all of Vancouver and found a high end looking subway tile at a very good price. I get amazing pricing from my suppliers and this tile is reduced to me by 55% of list. To good to pass up I bought a ton...

I feel bad. I'm trying to fix a wrong that is in a huge part my fault. I run a successful renovation company here in Vancouver and mis haps and screw ups come with the territory. Of course we budget for this and it has been a long time since I made a big mistake and I always fix my mistakes - every time.

Perhaps you have reservations about given out your private info online. Smart. If this is the case and this is the only thing stopping you from allowing me to do this for you then just conatct me with the closet tile store in your town and I will send it special delivery to them with your name attached. This is safer for your private information and allows me to make things right and allows you to keep your home address secret.

I want to help.

Regards,

John Whipple

I know a couple of designers and architects in San Fran. Some of my good clients here in West Vancouver own property in Sonoma and have worked on their vacation home for the past 3 years.

I also have the name of this builder. I will contact these three people first and find this top dog for you.

I will ask some of my peers one the other sights as well to do some leg work for me.

Stand by for updates...

I got it Mongo.

Again Solid Advice.

I'll change - watch me.

John, if you are interested, Gardenweb has a Hot Topics forum.

I think Mongo said it best about that I should just leave it to my own pages. This I think is the best advice to date.

I have a bad habit of stirring the pot online of late and I am going to curb my drive and take it down several levels going forward.

These men here coming down on me are doing so because it is the right thing to do - for you and you and you. I think the name calling should be stopped and feel this is not right. These men are protecting you from bad advice - I respect that.

I of course did not mean to give it and realize now in hind sight that it was in fact foolish of me leave such a short and incomplete post. I can't take it back but I can improve going forward.

I still think cross posting is wrong and few have offered their opinion on the subject as yet.

I'll preach on my own pages and work on helping here when I can. I'm sorry to subject you all to my private goals and will spare you my preaching going forward.

Thanks again for all the advice - I do appreciate it.

Sorry for the disturbance in these friendly pages. I apologize mostly to Bill and to all who suffered through my posts...

John Whipple

Well said Mongo !

How about I just fly down and fix it for you this summer! I'll set the back splash myself - maybe my three girls will help if that's OK.

I'm just realized the Quick Drain USA's office is in San Francisco - I'm going there this summer to meet Josef's tech department and help with a upcoming project.

I keep thinking they where in LA but that's Noah's office.

How about it?

( 1 ) Doing a search and came across this post.
I'm looking for what gets applied "before" tiling on cement board in shower area?
I've heard about it, some type of paint on rubber membrane......???

( 2 ) Now back to this post, I built a janitor sink floor to ceiling area with concrete and cement board.......... It was not used (or tiled) for several years so to clean it up, I applied several coats of spackle to make it look like a sheetrock wall and have a coat of kilz primer on it...

In the future if I ever get to tiling it, will I be able to tile it using the bonding agent and non-modified thin-set as suggested by sombreuil-mongrel?????

Or might I be ripping it out or recovering it with cement board???

Ritelec, why don't you start your own thread. Good questions, but to me this thread is different than your situation calls for.

can Put tile over painted cementboard

Tile and mastic sticks to all sorts of stuff. No worries, life is too short! I’ve set tile on painted drywall as a bathroom backsplash and in my kitchen with no trouble after years of use. Most kitchen are tile set on painted drywall. The cement backer board and sealer is necessary for wet areas like shower walls.