Description
The 18mm NoMorePly Fibre Cement Tile Backer TG4 Floorboard 1200 x 600mm (4′ x 2′) is a primed, load-bearing flooring board from NoMorePly, a UK brand by STS Ltd. It is made from Portland cement, cellulose fibres, sand, water and minor aggregates, compacted into a dense, high-strength sheet that fixes directly to timber or steel joists with no additional layers before tiling. It is manufactured to BS EN 12467:2016+A1:2016 for fibre cement flat sheets. At 18.8kg a board it’s an easy one-person lift, light enough to carry up a stairway, which makes it the everyday choice for tiled floors on standard domestic joists. The board is tongue and grooved on all four sides, so panels slot together and lock mechanically, and because joints don’t have to land on a joist there’s less cutting and less waste.
Why fibre cement instead of chipboard or ply
A traditional tiled floor over timber means building up layers: structural deck, then a backer or decoupling layer, then tile. TG4 collapses that into one board fixed straight to the joists. Fibre cement doesn’t rot, swell, warp or delaminate when it meets moisture, unlike chipboard, plywood or other timber-based decks that eventually fail in wet areas. It also holds its shape over time, which is where the “no squeak guaranteed” claim comes from, the board won’t move and creak against its fixings the way timber decking can. For a tiled floor that has to last in a bathroom or wetroom, that dimensional stability is the whole point.
Underfloor heating
Fibre cement has high thermal conductivity, so it absorbs and releases heat efficiently. That makes the 18mm floorboard well suited to both wet and electric underfloor heating, and it’s a popular alternative to wet screed when speed and a dry build matter.
Fire performance
NoMorePly carries a Euroclass A1 reaction-to-fire classification (A1fl for flooring), tested to EN ISO 1182 and EN ISO 1716, the top non-combustible rating. This is why the board is specified as a non-combustible flooring barrier in commercial builds and increasingly in flat-roof construction.
Water and durability
The board resists water, moisture, mould and pests, and can be left exposed on site through wet weather for up to six months during construction before finishing. It is supplied primed, which improves both water resistance and the bond for tile adhesive, so the board is ready to work straight away. For permanent external exposure, a waterproof primer such as SBR is still recommended. At 18mm the board weighs 18.8kg, has a density of 1.28 g/cm³ and a compression strength of 37.7 MPa, so it carries the temporary and permanent loads a floor sees. It is UK made and backed by the NoMorePly Lifetime Guarantee when installed with the NoMorePly fixing system.
Applications
- Tiled floors in bathrooms, wetrooms, steam rooms, kitchens and hallways
- Floors specified with wet or electric underfloor heating
- Levelling and new floors in extensions and open-plan layouts
- Mezzanine floors and modular building construction
- External tiled areas such as balconies (treated for permanent exposure)
- Non-combustible flooring barrier in commercial settings and flat roofs
- Substrate under engineered timber, carpet or linoleum, not only tile
How to fix it
Cut with a PCD saw blade using vacuum extraction, board print facing up. Fix to timber or steel joists at maximum 450mm centres for the 18mm board, using two 50mm NoMorePly Fibre Cement Floor Screws per joist, kept at least 25mm back from the tongue and groove edge. Lay in a brick-bond pattern and run a bead of NoMorePly Slow Set Mega Strength PU adhesive along all T&G edges before inserting the next board. The slow-set foil gives around 30 minutes to position boards before it cures, and you can install finishes straight afterwards.
