Investigate the system now not later!

We can certainly tell it the nice weather has arrived, everyone suddenly is looking to repair, replace, stain, paint or build a nice outdoor entertainment area.




It is too bad that many will make some very avoidable mistakes that could cost them in the years to come. You can find some Home Owner tips at http://www.dekmax.com/ that are beneficial but here are a few more that you should be asking your contractor or look them up yourself.



1. How long has the product been around? If it is new (within the last ten years) there is a good chance they have been learning as they went and you want to be sure your not a part of that learning process. Look them up on line and investigate the product your looking into and if there has very been a defective recalls. Some big brands have had well documented problems yet consumers are still buying them and the problems are still occurring.



2. Make sure the manufacturer recommends the product for the manner that you will use it. There are dozens or more products for just about any job. With a little effort you can the truth. As an example there are some applications that we use a cement board (CBU) during installation. There are several really good brand names out there on the market that you can purchase at your local lumber supply. The catch is they do not all approve of use in an outdoor application. Your contractor probably doesn't know the answer either, but if you ask they will tell you they use it all the time and it does great. The problem here is that if your deck was to fail and a product that does not have a manufactures approvals was used that can be sticky situation and in our experience most times the home owner is the one paying for it. Ask the question and get the right answer or find out yourself do not assume.



3. We work with waterproofing and making use of all the space below the deck area. The cost of our materials installed is about the same as doing a composite but you get so much more out of it. Because we specialize in waterproofing there is a risk involved too. Water can do amazing things to your home when it gets into areas it shouldn't.



Of all the failure and problems we have investigated and fixed the causes fall into two categories

• The materials used were not intended to be used in the manner they were installed.


• The installation was done wrong.

Use the correct products with manufacturers approvals and installed by a trained professional.

Just a few days ago I had a home owner call and ask about putting a membrane on their deck, good idea. Then as we talked I asked what was on the deck and he asked the contractor (who was standing there) what they had just installed. OSB was used and we will not install on OSB because we know from experience that it will delaminate and make the surface look horrible. Anyway the home owner again asked the contractor and was told he knows somebody that will do it. The simple point is it doesn't matter what brand of membrane is used the OSB will delaminate and the home owner will not like the look. What is really sad is none of the membrane manufactures will even warranty the membrane when installed on OSB. I hope I am wrong but here is a case that there will be a failure, the home owner will not be happy and the contractor will say to bad, sorry and be gone.

Outdoor tile, done right.

Quite a while ago I attended a training class in Baltimore MD. Duradek had offered a new product to market, Tiledek was supposed to be the answer to the confusion and lack of confidence when using tile outdoors.

Knowing the way that Duradek does things I was very interested in this opportunity and hoped that it would offer our customers some solutions. In virtually every meeting I had with tile companies and tile setters all I heard was life is wonderful. "We have never had an issue doing tile outdoors" "We only use xxxx (brand) and it has always worked." I was hearing it yet on the flip side from the investigations being done with failed projects and the research that was done prior to Tiledek's development I was very hesitant to believe it.

It took a while and we finally decided we need some help. We were fortunate to locate a local person with more than twenty years of experience in the tile industry. After numerous discussions and meetings the truth started to come to light. What was really happening was a game of finger pointing and passing of blame when there was a failure and they are as common as I had thought. Armed with this information I began to dig a little deeper and have found some very interesting common threads. I would have to say the number one concern is that the manufacturers recommendations are not being taken into consideration. As an example; Tile is going to be installed over cement board (CBU) but all cement board is not the same. Some have manufacturers approval for use outdoors while others clearly state it is water and mildew resistant. While they do not make it clear use outdoors is not recommended or supported, it is being assumed by the contractors and you know what that means. Now we are in a game of "finger pointing" and to often the home owner is left with a mess, a very costly mess.

This issue reaches into all products being used in outdoor tile. It can be as simple as the owner choosing the tile without the basic knowledge of what will work. Tile manufacturer's will tell you what is approved, generally right on the tile display. If unsure ask the questions of the tile setter. "Is this tile approved for use outdoors? By the manufacturer?

Waterproofing is not an area to be playing games with. Done right it can seem like an easy thing but done wrong it can be a nightmare. What I have learned is the concern is over the appearance and little thought is given to what is under the tile. Here is where the problems begin. Once the surface is covered with tile it looks great! Soon it is forgotten, the problems are at work under the tile. Water will penetrate the tile and grout and search for a place to go. It make take some time, years even but it will continue to work and sooner or later you will find a failure.

Tiledek accomplishes eliminating the big risk factors.

1. Only trained dealers (applicators) are used so waterproofing becomes a focus rather then afterthought.
2. Tile setters are given specifications as to which products are to be used. No skimping.
3. Tiledek's warranty information is available with easy access on line -
http://www.duradek.com/_customelements/uploadedResources/Tiledek10yrWarrantygeneric.pdf
4. Decades of roofing experience has been applied to the use of tile and the result is the best of both worlds.

We will be continuing our focus on Tiledek in the coming weeks with some specific work being performed both in the Salt Lake area as well as the mountains.

Waterproof upper-level deck

Waterproof upper-level deck with waterproof membrane to protect room below
Shell Busey, Special to Vancouver CourierPublished: Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Q: I have a tar and gravel roof and want to create a summer deck. Other than laying down new T&G plywood and fibreglass, is there another solution to finish the area to give me total water protection since there is a finished room under this area?
A: One of the most common methods of waterproofing an upper-level deck is to lay down a waterproof membrane. Fibreglass would not be my first choice for reasons of maintenance and heat.
My suggestion would be to use Duradek Vinyl, which has a 60-ml grade that qualifies as a roof membrane and is installed by professional contractors providing a fire-rated, building-code-approved roof deck system.

To begin, remove all the loose gravel from the roof and the perimeter flashing. To prepare for a flat sundeck surface, a sleeper joist system is required. Calculating the dimension of the sleeper joist will require taking a level off the top of the perimeter facing board and taking a measurement. Use 2x4 treated lumber at 16 inches on centre (shimming with treated cedar shingles where required) to give a slope to one or two sides to run water; or proper drains may be required to adapt to existing drains.
Around the perimeter, it's best to install 4x4 treated lumber to prepare for secure safety railings such as ProBuilt's Aluminum Do-It-Yourself Railings.
Finish surface with tongue-and-groove select fir plywood. Contact Duradek at 1-866-591-5594 and they will refer you to the appropriate installer in your area.

Album - Leaking flat roof turns into 900+ sq ft usable outdoor space

What was a tiny little walk out deck has become a beautiful roof deck. A great example of how to get the most out of your home while adding value.
Wouldn't you like to invite your friends over for dinner on you new roof deck overlooking the forest and the Wasatch Mountians?

Laying out the materials for a dry fit eliminates errors.

Adding slope manages the water flow off the roof into the gutter system.

Sanding the plywood surface helps to turn this roof into a "floor"

It was a mess, doing it right with Dekmax and Duradek means no worries for decades to come.

Look at the amount of room that was gained by using a walkable roof product!

The tar seaping out of the overlapped areas get on your shoes and ends up in the house.

You can see the rail at the bottom of the picture cut off the largest part of this flat roof. Since they had to fix a leaking roof anyway why not do it right and open up the whole room as an etertainment area?

Do it right the first time!

Although it is beautiful now, this awesome outdoor area had some serious issues. Unfortunatly these costly repairs would have been avoided with the proper system and professional installation. Originally done with tile a water leak into the living space below was the cause for repair. What was found is all too common and can be avioded.

The process that was used involved several different products and some did not follow the manufacturer's recomendations. The subfloor was OSB, ice & water shield, 1/4 inch fiberboard, thinset, then tile.







The picture to the right is a tile from the outer edge of the deck. You can see the tile and about 1/4 inch of thinset was used here.









In this picture you see another tile this one comes aproximatly ten feet from the above picture. What you see here is the dramtic change in thickness of the thinset and an additional inknown product. This was done in an effort to create the nessesary slope to drain the water from the deck surface. This is one of the errors in the installation process.




Tile, thinset and grout are not waterproof. Adding thicker layers does provide slope as you see it and with a level, but water is being absorbed into these materials and looking for an escape. This is a very common problem and can be very costly when failure occurs. When your project calls for tile / stone on an outdoor surface we recommend that you use only products that are fully warranteed over living space and comes with a roofing approval.


Here we have some pieces of the 1/4 inch fiber board that were used over the ice & water shield. When installing tile again we recommend using 1/2 inch cement board per the tile industry standards.

Here you can see the long, darker color piece on top of the larger one. The color difference is the amount of moisture in the longer piece. According to the label this product is moisture and mold resistant. Again the manufacture does not approve of this product being used in an outdoor application.





This is what was to be the waterproof material for this project. Once again it is not for use in a walkeable roof application. It is a deck we are talking about but, since it is over living space this is also a roof. As such a roofing product was needed to avoid these costly errors.

Look closely and you can see the roofing nails that were used to attach the sheets. Never a good idea to put holes into what you are trying to waterproof.

On the right there are visible signs of the water damage and what looks like an area where mold has begun to form. This home owner is fortunate that they are doing the repair now rather then later, this could have been much much worse.

All of this can be avoided by using some simple common sense. Be sure you are using products that are within the manufacturer's recommendations and only a professional who has been properly trained on the products used.

Why choose a waterproof system? COST!

COST. That is the number one reason to consider Dekmax. Let me break it down for you with some samples and our experiences, ones that I am certain are similar to your own.

Wood decks are one of the least expensive (that's why you see them all over the valley). They are also very needy decks, annual sanding, staining, repairing and while your doing all this the wood is continuing to rot. Even the screws that were used to put the deck together are rusting away and commonly break off when you try and remove them. It is a given, the deck is going to need costly repair. If you are relentless with the upkeep and maintenance you can buy some time.

We offer free dry space with every waterproof deck. It is a no brainer to make use of all the dry space you possible can. Seems like we are always looking for another place to store our stuff. Consider the amount of space you have under your deck. Most exterior decks around the valley are from 200 to 500 sq ft. that is roughly the size of a one and two car garage! Next time your getting in the car look around, would you like to get some more room for the car(s) and move that other stuff?

Been talking about the need for a shed? Why take up space in the yard where the kids will play? Look at the room under your deck and consider making it waterproof and maintenance free while you simply enclose the space below.

Take that redwood deck and easily convert it to a smooth surface. Waterpoof it and then think of all the things you can do with your free time. First thing to do is start to figure out how smart you were to do the job with a product that will offer you so much more than just a deck. One initial cost and no annual work load and it goes on and on year after year for more than a decade.

Most decks over living space these days have OSB on them, one reason. It is the least expensive available. But you can see what happens to it when it gets a little water on it, it is coming apart. If you are simply covering this up you are just delaying the inevitable, it will fail, and it will be expensive to repair. We understand you are shopping around for products as you should, just be sure you are looking at all the right things and comparing apples to apples. You can see our T.I.P.S from the website or do your own cost comparison at the local hardware store. Wood will be the least cost bit the most repair. Composites will be more expensive and laborious but still do nohting to protect the wood or anything below. Duradek is comparative in cost but far out lasts and offer so much more.

Time For Us To Give Back - You Can Win!!!

For years we have been listening to home owners that have water damages or are just plain tired of annually spending money on their deck. It really can be heart wrenching to hear them tell how " they said it work" or "they told us it was good for at least fives years". Then when the owner has water leaking into their home or a rotting old deck "they" are all gone.

We are giving away a new waterproof deck, flat roof, balcony or porch. All you need to do is Tell Us Your Story. From our website www.dekmax.com simply register to win and on April 15th we will award the prize to a deserving home owner. What so we want to hear in your story? What have you gone through over the past few years? Are you tired of sending xxx.xx$ every year on stain and then taking you valuable time to sand and stain the deck? Did you do the outdoor carpet idea only to find out the wood was rotting below? What caused the water leaking into your home? How many times have you gone through this process?

We want to find a deserving home owner and eliminate the frustrations and headaches once and for all. Our products have been around for more then thirty-six years and almost four warranty cycles. We know that even here in our tough climate one application is going to last well beyond ten years.

It would please us to no end to install their new waterproof deck and then watch them sit back, kick their feet up and relax.