McCleve Tile, they do it right!

This deck looks pretty good, at least when it is dry and sunny out. Wonder what it looks like when rain is in the forecast?

OK, obviously there was a waterproofing issue with this deck. Here is the story and lessons learned with this project. The home owner had purchased the home with the deck shown here, soon after a leak was discovered in the garage below. Having all ready experienced the professionalism of the guys at McCleve Tile he called on Dave for advise. Turns out Dave has been doing outdoor decks for years and understands the challenges and has the solution to properly waterproof a tile surface outdoors.

The first thing to figure out is what do we have under the tile and what caused the failure? It only takes a little while to uncover the products used and where the failure was.

I have learned that in years past the tile industry along with designers relied heavily on the thought that redundancy works best. So if the first product fails the next one will work. Although I can understand the logic it simply doesn't do anything but ad some more time before the failure. The most common root cause I have discovered is simply that the products being used are not recommend for this type application. If the manufacturer doesn't recommend the use, approve of it and fully warranty the work then don't use it.

Under the orange drainage mat they find a concrete roof with plywood attached to it. This was an attempt to get slope since the concrete roof drained back to the threshold. There are so many issues with this attempt but most concerning is that when you are using tile you should do everything you can to eliminate movement. Here what had been done added movement by using shims to elevate the plywood along the house slopping it towards the outer edge.

The leaking below was a result of water around the threshold, it had so much water around the door, under the plywood that it was ruining the Sheetrock in the garage below. You can see the huge void that was left even after the shims and plywood were installed. As a part of the redundancy used we can see that Ice and Water Shield was also installed. Tragically again it is a product that is not recommended for this type use and is not warranted.

This is a close up under the door. The OSB sheeting butts up under the door, it was so wet and rotted that you could use your finger to push a hole through it and pull it out.

It was not raining when the McCLeve Tile crew were tearing the old roof off. The water you see here was a large puddle under the plywood around the door. Not only is the Ice and Water Shield not recommended for use like this it is a bad idea to put screws through it too. In order to use the shims they were screwed into the concrete roof, never a good idea to put holes in any roof.

This is found on virtually any job. I guess it does again add some redundancy but caulk is not the best bet for waterproofing. I am not sure how many tubes were used but man there was a lot of it in there. At best caulk is a good moisture barrier but it should not be used as the primary waterproofing.

Enough of the problems. It is time for the McCleve Tile staff to get this fixed once and for all. The home owner liked the looks of tile, we all do. When Dave told him that the roof deck could be fixed properly he was interested. Once he understood about our systems (not just a product) and the fact that it is warranted it was a go. First thing was fill in that giant void under the threshold giving it plenty of support and eliminating the dead air space.

Next step was easy but significant. Get the proper slope to manage the water off the surface and also reduce the opportunity for movement. Here they have floated the existing concrete roof so that it is thicker along the house causing the water to flow away. By doing it this way they are providing a very stable surface with much less movement.

Duradek's Tiledek roofing membrane is the clear answer to this failure. Dave has the experience, a trained staff, the right materials and system. Installed right to the concrete this is not only the waterproofing it also acts as an antifracture membrane too. The bottom line here is we are bringing roofing experience and code requirements to the tile application that had never been considered before.

Rather than rely on a glued or chemical bond Duradek uses a trained installer to heat weld the two sheets together as one. They are basically melted together making the seam absolutely watertight.

The end result is not just another tile roof deck, it is one that will last for decades without the frustrations and high cost of repair from water damages.