---
title: "Cement Board Installation"
description: "Cement board installation in Orange County. The correct tile backer for showers, tub surrounds, and genuinely wet areas."
url: "https://hanenburg-drywall.vercel.app/services/specialty-drywall-systems/cement-board-installation"
section: "Services"
business: "Hanenburg Drywall"
location: "Irvine, California"
updated: "2026-09-25"
---

# Cement Board Installation

Cement board is a tile backer made of cement and reinforcing fibres rather than gypsum. Because it does not deteriorate when wet, it is the correct substrate for tile in showers, tub surrounds, and other areas exposed to direct water.

Cement board exists because gypsum board, in any of its moisture resistant forms, is still gypsum. It softens and loses integrity with sustained water contact. Cement board does not, which is why it is the correct substrate anywhere tile will meet direct water.

Installation detail matters as much as material choice. Joints get taped with alkali resistant mesh and set in thinset rather than joint compound. Fasteners are corrosion resistant and installed at the specified spacing. And in a shower, a waterproofing membrane over the board is what actually keeps water out of the assembly, because cement board itself is water durable rather than waterproof.

## Why this matters

- Correct substrate for direct water exposure
- Alkali resistant mesh and thinset at joints, not joint compound
- Corrosion resistant fasteners at specified spacing
- Coordinated with waterproofing membrane where tile follows

## Our Process

1. **Scope Walkthrough**: We walk the project, measure, review existing conditions, and confirm finish levels and textures room by room.
2. **Written Estimate**: A written scope with explicit inclusions and exclusions, finish level by area, materials, and a realistic schedule.
3. **Protection and Mobilization**: Floors, fixtures, and access routes protected, containment installed, and materials staged before work starts.
4. **Execute in Sequence**: Framing, board, finishing, and texture completed in sequence with quality checked at each stage rather than only at the end.
5. **Punch and Walkthrough**: Raking light inspection, punch list completion, full cleanup, and a walkthrough before the work is signed off.

## What's Included

- Wet zone mapping and material specification
- Cement board cutting and installation
- Corrosion resistant fastening
- Mesh tape and thinset joint treatment
- Coordination with the tile and waterproofing scope

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is cement board waterproof?

It is water durable rather than waterproof. Water will pass through it, but unlike gypsum it does not deteriorate when that happens. In a shower you still need a waterproofing membrane over the board, because the membrane is what actually stops water reaching the framing behind.


---

**Hanenburg Drywall**
12 Elksford Ave, Irvine, CA 92604
Phone: (949) 446-1300
Email: info@hanenburgdrywall.com
Hours: Mon to Fri, 8:00am to 4:00pm

Serving all of Orange County with no travel surcharge.
Request a free written estimate: https://hanenburg-drywall.vercel.app/contact/request-estimate

*Last updated: 2026-09-25*