Why Use Ledger Board For Wall Tile

Less than a full tile.

Why use ledger board for wall tile.

These are used during a tile installation to start your first row of til. Some guys do use screws and them patch the holes with a little patch of kerdi and mortar. You ll end up with misaligned tiles and grout lines that vary in width. To get a straight level start position a ledger on the wall leaving a gap below about 1 2 in.

This ledger board supports the first row of tile level. The best advice i can give is to set up a temporary ledger board at the bottom of the shower wall. The ledger shown here is a length of steel angle held in place by wood blocks screwed to the wall. Find the center of the back shower wall use your level to run a plumb line all the way up the wall.

I like to use the laser level to assure the tiles are vertically. A ledger board is a device used to support the primary row of tile on a level plane. It s customary to let just two or three rows set first before continuing. I recommend a laser level to use as a reference however a 4 level would work as well.

Before you set your first tile you ll need to figure out where the first row will start and screw a board to the wall to support the first row of tile. What i like to do is hold up my board with a couple 2x4 s and shims and then use some double sided sticky foam tape to get the board to stay on the wall but the boards still support it. We re going to explain how to install a ledger board to keep wall tile level when installing. Put on a pair of safety goggles before you start removing the tile then place the chisel at a 45 degree angle between the tiles and hit the end of the chisel with the hammer to separate the tiles from the wall.

You leave space to fill in the very bottom row of the wall as the last row. Installing a level ledger board. The weight from the tile is only during the setting of the tile once the thin set has dried you can remove the board and complete the last row. This is day 4 of the series and i am going to show you how to install ledger boards.

Most ceramic tile ledger boards can be a 1 x 2 pine board i have seen them msi california gold ledger panel 6 in. If you re as indecisive as us and you want to move ahead with tiling a backsplash keep this post handy. Then you ll remove the ledger board form the mud bed put the bottom row of wall tile on. Use the ledger board line and plumb line to guide the rest of the tiles.

Then it just peals off when done. If not the tile will simply amplify the imperfections. Wall tile is a natural stone slate with a symbiosis of bold earthy tones.