No, it doesn't matter. Regardless of which side faces out during installation, you can expect the same great performance that has made USG Durock® Brand Cement Board the preferred choice of professionals and do-it-yourselfers for decades.
Can you put Hardie board on backwards?
It's probably smooth Hardi- They make it both in 'wood grain' and smooth. You can't mount it backwards; the back side of it isn't smooth. ... We have wood grain because I got it at give-away prices, and I think I would have rather had smooth.
Which way do you lay Hardie backer board?
Install smooth side up. Install HardieBacker boards perpendicular to subfloor panels. Never allow all four corners of boards to meet at one point. Lightly butt the board joints.
Is there a front and back on cement board?
Cement board manufacturers imprint a gridlike pattern on one surface of the board. ... Also, cement board typically has a label or manufacturer sticker on the front of the board. The back of cement board is plain, has no manufacturer-defining stickers and is void of the front-featured grid.