Dec-Tec Membrane Deck Installation

Almost never through the middle of the membrane. Water gets in at the edges: a door sill, a wall, a railing post or a drain. Or it sits in a low spot until a seam or a flashing gives up. A deck built level, or with the wrong board under the surface, leaks from day one. Our inspection follows the ceiling stain back up to the spot that let the water in. Your estimate explains the cause of the leak and the work needed to fix it.

No. Dec-Tec goes over exterior plywood or concrete. It cannot go over OSB, treated plywood, a coated surface or an old membrane. Deck boards with gaps are not a base at all. Most projects need a new plywood base over your framing, priced on its own line. Removing the old surface also lets us check the framing, which an old balcony usually needs.

It depends on where the water is getting in. A leak at a door sill, a railing post or a drain is a problem at one spot. We check the condition of the deck, provide a repair estimate if a repair is needed, and then schedule the service. Replacement is needed if the membrane is worn through or the base is unsuitable. A deck that has settled or no longer drains may also need rebuilding. Dec-Tec does not go over an old membrane, so the old surface comes off. Your project consultant prices both when both make sense.

Not for long. A sound membrane holds standing water, but Dec-Tec's warranty excludes ponding. Ponding is water still standing a day after the rain stops. It adds weight where the deck already sags. It can also get into a damaged seam and freeze. The cause is usually slope or structure, though a blocked drain will do it too. We check the condition, provide a repair estimate if a repair is needed, and then schedule the service.

Because a post goes through the waterproofing in the wettest part of the deck. Every time someone leans on the rail, the post works its screws against that hole. The caulk at the base is asked to stay flexible forever, and it does not. We check the condition, provide a repair estimate if a repair is needed, and then schedule the service.

For a deck you walk on, use a membrane made to be walked on. Dec-Tec is a PVC membrane made as a walking surface, with its pattern pressed in at the factory. It is glued to the deck and every seam is heat welded. A rubber roofing membrane is made to be a roof, and Future Remodeling installs those on roofs nobody walks on. On a balcony or roof deck you live on, Future Remodeling installs a decking membrane. Your project consultant brings samples so you can see and feel the difference.

Yes, within the limits the manufacturer publishes. Future Remodeling installs roofs through the winter, and a membrane deck is scheduled the same way. The adhesive needs the plywood, not just the air, to be warm enough. Nothing goes down if a freeze is expected within a day. If your project runs into December, Dec-Tec allows the wall edges to be finished first so the siding can go on. The deck surface then waits for suitable weather. We would rather follow that than rush your deck.

It can be slippery when wet or icy, and the color decides the heat. Dec-Tec tests its surface for wet slip resistance. It still says the deck can be slippery when wet, frosted or snow covered, so keep it clean and shovel it like a floor. Dec-Tec publishes how much sunlight each color reflects, and the lighter colors stay noticeably cooler underfoot. The samples come to the consultation, so you choose on your own porch.

Keep the drains, scuppers and the gutter below them clear. Put a pad under anything with legs or wheels. Shovel with a plastic blade, along the seams and never across them, and no sand. If you pressure wash in spring, use low pressure and keep the nozzle a foot from the surface. Do not use a rotating tip. Spray along the seams, never against them. Twice a year, check the door, the posts and the drains for a joint that has opened, and call us if you find one.

That is a question about your framing, not the membrane. Dec-Tec publishes no weight limit for the membrane, so the framing has to be checked for the hot tub's weight. Tell your project consultant if you plan to add one, and we check the framing at the inspection. The water line gets a sealed opening before the membrane goes down. If another contractor cuts through the membrane later to install a hot tub, the warranty ends.