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Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Christalaura. It's great to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about joining cement sheet.
Could you please tell us what type of cement sheeting it is? Is it Villaboard or Hardiflex? Villaboard is set with joint tape and James Hardie Compound Base Coat 4kg Tub. Hardieflex is typically joined with Brutus 4.5mm x 3m Building Moulding Maxi Cover.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
Hello @Bernie-Babe13
Would it be possible for you to post a photo of the damage on the villaboard? If it is very large, patching might not be possible, but small bits coming off can be patched. Depending on the size of the bits that came off it might not be necessary to use the joint tape.
Eric
Thanks Eric. It wasn’t tiled very well and I want to prep for wall panels
Thanks for sharing the photo (@Bernie-Babe13), that helps.
Before getting too far into repair products, it would be good to understand what your end plan is for this wall. Are you intending to patch the Villaboard and then re-tile, or are you installing wall panels over the top of this patched area?
From what can be seen, you could likely use James Hardie Compound Base Coat to fill and level the damaged areas, particularly where small sections have torn away with the old tiles. However, it’s a bit hard to tell from the photo how deep those damaged sections are. If the damage is shallow and only affects the surface layer, patching is usually fine. If the damage goes deeper into the sheet, or if large areas are weakened, the Villaboard may be structurally compromised and patching alone may not be suitable.
If you can clarify what the finished wall system will be and roughly how deep the damaged areas are, we can give more accurate advice on whether a patch repair is appropriate or if replacement of that section would be the better option.
Mitchell
The best next step is to remove the rest of the tiles first and then reassess the Villaboard once everything is exposed @Bernie-Babe13. Often, once the tiles are fully off, you get a much clearer picture of how widespread the damage actually is.
A few shallow, localised chips or torn areas can certainly be patched using James Hardie Compound Base Coat and then sanded flat. That’s a perfectly acceptable approach when the sheet is largely intact. However, Villaboard is only around 6 mm thick, so if chunks have been pulled off to any significant depth across large sections of the sheet, the board can become structurally compromised.
Once you reach a point where you’re effectively patching most of the sheet rather than just small spots, it’s usually better to remove and replace that section of Villaboard altogether. Starting with a sound, flat sheet is far more reliable than trying to rebuild strength and flatness across an entire board with compound, especially behind wall panels.
Also keep in mind that depending on the type of wet wall panels you’re installing, waterproofing may still be required to meet bathroom construction requirements. If waterproofing is needed, having a fresh, undamaged sheet makes achieving a compliant and durable result much easier than working over multiple patches.
So in short, finish tile removal first, assess the extent of the damage, patch only if it’s minor and localised, and don’t hesitate to replace the sheet if the damage is more widespread.
Mitchell
