Hello Calamity,

According to what I've read, Hardi is fine for
vertical projects. I've not used Hardibacker myself,
but my impression is that it is a lighter board.

Will you be framing the salmon mural?

Can't wait to see how it goes.

KM

I'm using 1/2" Hardi for my next one...2'x3' My DH cut it
today and it seems rigid enough, though mine is going
into a frame. 1/4" seemed kinda 'flexy' to me.

The salmons looking great :)
A fish is on my to-do list too...eventually.

It does seem kinda flexy, but after mortar and tile($24/sqft), I'm hoping it will be stiffer, if not I'll have to put it on a pc of plywood I guess. This is for my son.

cool fish. have you installed the hanger yet to see if you get good purchase into the material. I think that would be my concern is if it grabs on real strongly?

$24 a sq.ft. eh?...youch!
That's true about hanger first, mosaic 2nd. You only make that mistake once. ;)
If I wasn't using a frame I'd use
some z-clips for hanging.

Here is a link that might be useful: Z-clips

Thanks Linlee for the Z clips link..I will have to remember that!!!

Jane, I really like how your salmon looks so far..great material for a guy!!

Janey, your fish looks great! Love the tile you have.

I think we are confusing the terms hardie backer, cement board, hardie planks. I just looked at jameshardie.com and actually hardie, wonder, and durock are brand names of cement board. It comes in 1/2" and 1/4" thickness and looks different. The 1/4" one had a grid pattern on it; the 1/2" doesn't. Then hardieplanks are used for siding and have a textured finish like wood grain. I had to look this up because I have used these terms interchangably and needed to have some clarification. So they are all cement boards, just different makers and sizes.

I am finishing a project on 1/4" hardie board. I used thinset as adhesive and found it quite difficult with some very small pieces. Several fell off days after drying. In another post someone mentioned that you were to dampen the surface, which I did not know and, thus, didn't do.

I dont know anything about Hardi Board, but I love the tiles you're using.
Bianchi

I don't know anything about the backer either, but am looking at that tile too, LOL. Is it porcelain? Did you cut it yourself? If so, you sure did a great job.

Linlee, thanks for the info with the Z clips! I'm def gonna hunt those down! I cut these 1"sq tiles to fit right up close together. I did not realize that the hardie should be wet, I did add some admix to the mortar. I have some haevy duty cement oard that Klinger and I got, but wanted to try this stuff out. I think I've see that hardie plank too and it would probably work good too eh?

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

Aren't those clips the same as a french cleat?? Not sure but similar idea

I love that fish and those tiles are great!

Maria

HANDSOME Salmon! LOVE those tiles!

Oh, that'll be a great project. What kind of tiles? Looks like you used the saw to cut them so perfectly.

'Hardi'board is indeed a brand name. It's a cement-fiber board. There are other brands of cement fiber boards out there, but I've only actually used the Hardi for tile installation. It is recommended to spritz it with water before tiling as it can suck the moisture out of thinset too fast. I didn't always remember this step, however still had good results. Hardi 'plaks' are a different shape of the same product used to side houses.

Jane your salmon is coming along great :)

And yep...z-clips are french cleats.

The tiles are a fancy smancy porceline, I bought some to do my mushroom too! Really different colors, nice variety when they are all mixed up too! They sell this tile in 18",4",1" I started mortaring down some background and realized I don't have enough!grrr...so had to pull it all off. I am hoping to use something nicer,to go more with this classier tile, but I'll be shopping in the shed this morning!lol! Yup, used my glass saw to cut the fish pcs.

Nice piece Janie! I liked the tiles.. kinda remind me of slate.

How about a crash glass background??? I think I might
try that if I ever get around to my fish.

I used hardibacker 1/4" on my backsplash. Screwed the whole thing to the wall with their brand-name screw supports so I wouldn't wreck the sheetrock.

The only thing I would advise is if you have a long, thin piece. I had a 4" x 45" strip under a window, and (after mosaicking) I picked it up and it broke in half. Otherwise, the stuff is wicked sturdy (and heavy). Just be careful with skinny pieces.

I love your fish! DH has been after me forever to do something fishy for him since he's THE GREATEST FISHERMAN IN THE SOUTH (just ask him - roflol).

Love that tesserae, too! It has a lot of depth.

Oh that is so nice. Can't wait to see it all done.

Love the tile, perfect for a flashy fish. Can't wait to see it done and how you hung it.