Description
The 12mm NoMorePly Fibre Cement Tile Backer Wallboard 1200 x 800mm (4′ x 2.6′) is the pre-primed, handier-sized version of NoMorePly’s 12mm fibre cement board, a UK brand by STS Ltd. It is made from Portland cement, treated cellulose fibres, sand and water, compacted under pressure into a dense, high-strength sheet, then primed at the factory so it is ready to take tile adhesive without a separate priming step on site. There is no fibreglass mesh in the board, so it scores and snaps cleanly, saws without the blade dragging, and stays 100% recyclable. At 1200 x 800mm and 16kg, this sheet is sized so one person can lift and position it on bathroom and wetroom walls, rather than wrestling a full 2400 x 1200mm board into a small room.
-
What the smaller primed sheet is for
This is the wallboard to reach for when the job is tiling a bathroom, wetroom, kitchen or steam room and you want a strong, water-stable surface behind the tiles. The 1200 x 800mm format suits the cut-up walls of a typical bathroom, around baths, basins and into corners, where a big sheet just means more cutting and more offcuts. The factory primer is the real time-saver: NoMorePly testing shows the bond between tile adhesive and the board is stronger once primed, and here that step is already done, so you can fix and tile sooner.
-
Why does it stop tiles and grout from cracking
Tiles and grout lines crack when the surface behind them moves. Timber-based boards swell and shrink as they take on and lose moisture, and that movement telegraphs straight through into the tile bed. This board barely moves: its linear moisture variation is just 0.16%, so it stays dimensionally stable as humidity rises and falls in a wet room. That stability, combined with a dense 1.28 g/cm³ body and a rigid 12mm section, gives the tiles a steady base that holds the grout lines intact over time.
NoMorePly is water resistant, which is exactly what a wetroom or steam-room substrate needs. The board passes the full BS EN 12467:2016+A1:2016 durability suite, including freeze-thaw, soak-dry, warm water and heat-rain. Unlike plywood, it does not rot, swell or delaminate when it gets wet, and STS testing shows that although the board loses a little strength while saturated, it recovers fully once dried back out, so it keeps performing in rooms that are repeatedly wetted and dried. Minimum life expectancy is 30 years. The wider 12mm NoMorePly board is UKCA marked and holds BDA Agreement certification (BAW-20-164-P-A-UK).
Like every NoMorePly board, this wallboard carries a Euroclass A1 reaction-to-fire classification under EN ISO 1182 and EN ISO 1716, the top non-combustible rating possible. In a bathroom or kitchen that means the board adds nothing to a fire, a quiet bonus on a substrate chosen mainly for its tiling and water performance.
-
A stronger wall than plasterboard
Compared with plasterboard, this board is far tougher: it resists impact, holds wall-mounted fixings directly, and won’t soften in a damp room. Lighter bathroom fittings such as towel rails, mirrors, shelves and toilet-roll holders can be fixed straight into the board with suitable fixings; heavier items like grab rails and wall-hung cabinets should be taken back into the studwork behind. Fix with 38mm NoMorePly torx screws into timber or metal studs at 400mm centres for standard internal work.
Applications
This thickness and format suit:
- Tile backing on bathroom and wetroom walls
- Steam-room wall lining
- Kitchen splashback and tiled-wall substrate
- Damp or high-humidity rooms where plasterboard would fail
- Any small or cut-up wall where a full 2400 x 1200mm sheet is awkward to handle
For tiling a floor rather than a wall, this is the wrong board: choose a NoMorePly TG4 floorboard built to stiffen the subfloor. For larger uncut wall runs, render carrying, heavy-duty sheathing or fire-resistant wall build-ups, the full-size 2400 x 1200mm 12mm board is the better buy.
