How do I put ceramic tile in a shower that is tileboard?

From what I have read on a DIY bathroom forum, you cannot do this. There will be no gripping power, and the tiles can actually fall off.

Hi Wanda, from everything I have read they say it is not sturdy enough to be tiled over. Most tile board is either hardboard, some are closer to a compressed paper/wood fiber material with a pattern printed on it.

No! Ceramic tile needs a smooth and solid base to adhere. Thinset will not grab the tileboard. Tile adhesive also will not hold. Tileboard will need to be removed and cement board out up. Also add insulation to the walls if needed. You may be able to screw cement board over the tileboard if you hit the studs. But it will add thickness to the walls that will need to be dealt with.

I don't recommend it. The new tile won't have anything to truly grasp onto.

TAKE some fine grit sand paper & sand the entire thing. Sanding the tileboard gives the glue something to adhere to. You could either just start taking up tiles now or cover the whole thing with tile cloth first. Ask Lowe's representative about this product. It's the cloth that has a lot of tiny open squares in it. Take some tile glue & spread heavily over the area you're starting at. Place a tile into the glue & nudge into place. Repeat until the whole thing is covered. Grout it smoothly & wipe over the tiles with a wet cloth to remove the grout from the front of the tiles. Let them dry overnight to harden. Be careful to place each tile the same depth into the glue to create a uniform surface.