Both Wedi (pronounced “weedy”) and Feathercore are lightweight and customizable backer boards that are made as tile underlayments but have many uses in mosaics. Wedi is from Germany and Feathercore is from Asia. Both have a styrofoam center that is reinforced with fiberglass mesh and a polymer mortar coating making them very lightweight and weatherproof. They are sold in both 1/2" and 1/4" thickness. Suitable for indoor and outdoor projects, they can also easily be cut to any shape or size that is desired. To cut Wedi or Feathercore, you simply need a box cutter or saw. Straight cutting only requires the box cutter while more intricate shapes and designs can be done with a saw.
Any adhesive can be used with this surface: Weldbond, Mac, Silicone,Thinset, etc. You just need to make sure to use the adhesive that your tiles and your project require. As with everything, there are advantages and disadvantages. For these backer boards, you MUST install the hanging kit BEFORE you start to glue your tiles down. Because of its foam core, a simple screw would strip right through so you need special washers to grip the screws. Panels that will be moved around and hung via the attached D-ring (included in the picture hanging kit) must be completed before you start your mosaic so that you may tile over it. Each hanging kit comes with easy to follow instructions. For a more permanent installation, use the wall hanging kit which has wall anchors. Install the washers as directed but this time leave the area around the hanging kit open so that it can be installed directly into the wall. Then you need to attach your tile and grout over that area once it is installed.
These backer boards provide a great, lightweight base for your outdoor projects. Other surfaces are either unsuitable for outdoors or are quite heavy to begin with before adding tiles and grout to them. Wedi and FeatherCore solve both these problems. Try a sample today…they come in as small as a coaster size!
