Since I de-railed the Kerdi board topic enough I started this one. I am trying the new GoBoard right now. It is similar to Wedi board in that you seal all seams with a urethane sealant. I used Sonneborne NP1. I used a Kerdi pan and drain kit. I am flood testing this shower on Monday.
Initial thoughts on the Goboard vs regular cememt board or Denshield is I like it! I was able to carry 3 sheets (3’x5′) up the stairs with 1 hand. It cuts wonderfully! Sharp knife and a straightedge give great cuts.
For fastening I did both cement board screws and 1-1/2″ roofing nails. Both are approved fasteners. I actually prefered the nails. The head of the nail would dimple the board just a little better than the screw which tended to break the facing. Then when you cover the fasteners with the NP1 the nails covered better due to the slight dimple.
For the joint sealing I would apply a nice thick bead of sealant to the edges and place the pieces into each other forcing out the excess. Then I used a plastic putty knife to smooth out the excess. I went over all seams again with more sealant per the instructions. I know the concept of relying on caulking to be waterproof bothers some but when I did my initial testing the joints were amazingly strong. When I finally did get it to fail the facing actually pulled from the core meaning the sealant had bonded to the facing.
As a second option one could leave a small 1/8″ gap and fill that with thinset. Apply fiberglass mesh tape over the seams and thinset again. Once dried you when then apply 2 coats of your favorite liquid waterproofing. I suppose you could use Kerdi band over the seams too as a third option.
I can't compare it to Kerdi board but would like to try that. The 4x8 size appeals to me over the 3x5 for reducing the number of seams. I just need to spend more time finding a closer/better supplier for Schluter products.
Initial thoughts on the Goboard vs regular cememt board or Denshield is I like it! I was able to carry 3 sheets (3’x5′) up the stairs with 1 hand. It cuts wonderfully! Sharp knife and a straightedge give great cuts.
For fastening I did both cement board screws and 1-1/2″ roofing nails. Both are approved fasteners. I actually prefered the nails. The head of the nail would dimple the board just a little better than the screw which tended to break the facing. Then when you cover the fasteners with the NP1 the nails covered better due to the slight dimple.
For the joint sealing I would apply a nice thick bead of sealant to the edges and place the pieces into each other forcing out the excess. Then I used a plastic putty knife to smooth out the excess. I went over all seams again with more sealant per the instructions. I know the concept of relying on caulking to be waterproof bothers some but when I did my initial testing the joints were amazingly strong. When I finally did get it to fail the facing actually pulled from the core meaning the sealant had bonded to the facing.
As a second option one could leave a small 1/8″ gap and fill that with thinset. Apply fiberglass mesh tape over the seams and thinset again. Once dried you when then apply 2 coats of your favorite liquid waterproofing. I suppose you could use Kerdi band over the seams too as a third option.
I can't compare it to Kerdi board but would like to try that. The 4x8 size appeals to me over the 3x5 for reducing the number of seams. I just need to spend more time finding a closer/better supplier for Schluter products.