Details, Details, Details - Why they cost you$$$

 This article is an effort to illustrate to you why so many solid surface areas outdoors fail.  There are so many products on the market these days and unless you take the time to do some homework, investigating the product and building codes approvals as well as the installers credentials you may well end up in a similar predicament.


This product is a liquid coating.  May of the coatings that are available are "allowed" by building code to retain as much as 15% moisture!  In harsh climates like ours this is clearly going to cause a problem in a short period of time.  Most offer a "warranty" but they require you to have the surface re-coated each 1-3 years depending upon the manufacture's recommendations. Be sure and Ask! If you don't maintain the ongoing requirements you may be without recourse.

These pictures show that the coating goes right up to the brick wall.  Since you really can't apply the multiple layers in this system up a wall they simply stop here and apply a very generous layer of caulk.  Caulk not a good idea as your primary waterproofing. As you can see from the picture on the right the caulk shrunk, cracked (the sun can do this quickly) and the water that runs down the brick wall went right into the "caulked area and below the coating. The line you see at the bottom is the seam where two pieces of the substrate are joined.  Each sheet is expanding and contracting thus the hardened coating fails.  The area that looks blistered is from moisture in the substrate trying to escape.

Here you can see the problem is serious, it has spread across the entire deck.

What you are seeing here is the drip edge that was installed prior to the coating.  Not only is the drip edge showing as a result of poor installation technique but there is a separation or the left side is coming loose.  Again poor installation is to blame.  Not helping is the effect of the sun, this is west facing so they get a long period of direct sunlight and that metal gets very hot.  Each piece is going to "move" during expansion and contraction.

 These next couple pictures show a really poor way to try and flash the deck.

On the left you see a metal flashing was installed but there are some cracks forming and there is a hole in the corner.  Again one of the biggest issues to deal with is movement, expanding and contracting of the systems components. Wood (substrate)- Metal (flashing) and Coating (adhered to both). Each of these components will expand and contract at a different rate, the result is what you see here.

The issue here should be obvious.  Any water running down this column will simply go behind the metal flashing and right onto the substrate and the supporting joists. Not to mention the lighting and soffit installed below.

Surface mounted railings are very common and can be properly waterproofed.  Again unfortunately these were not installed correctly.

Not correctly waterproofing the surface mounted railing shown above resulted in the water damage you see below. There was about a half inch that was so rotted it just fell apart and had to be repaired so the rail could be re-installed. 

 The extent of water damages were serious but could have been even worse.

This is the underside of the substrate.  It was 3/4 inch thick and even the bottom is showing serious damage.

OSB should never be used outdoors as a substrate, often it is because it is cheaper than plywood.  Ask this home owner which is less expensive.

OSB acts like a sponge, any moisture is soaked in and it begins to swell.

Here it simply fell apart and left a good size hole.

When installed the sheet should have ended on the joist and been nailed in place (I assume that was done right) here you can see the sheet does  not reach the joist, shrunk? It is so soft I am pressing it down about an inch with just my fingers.  It is a wonder nobody fell through and was hurt.

Flat Roof Garage = Usable outdoor area!

 It seems like every neighborhood has at least one, a flat roof garage.  To bad so many of them are a money pit, never able to get the right product or contractor that can waterproof it as a roof and allow us to use it for our furniture and friends.  When they are done right (like this one) they are a real asset to the home and can add significant value too!

Duradek of Utah was contacted and right away we knew to call the guys at Lonepeak Contracting.  The roof had been covered with outdoor carpeting, looks good for a year or two but it hides what is happening and actually helps retain the moisture.  The damage was so extensive the entire roof was tore off and redone with 3/4 plywood.

Once the plywood was in the Lonepeak installers prepared the entire surface for the Duradek walkable roof membrane ensuring this garage roof would become an extension of the home.

As you can see in these photos the neighborhood eyesore has become the talk of the block.  What a great feeling to have, peace of mind that my roof is done right AND I can use the area (more than 500 sq ft) to entertain my family and friends.

Go ahead and BBQ all year too, rock salt, ice melt and shoveling won't bother Duradek at all, simply wash it off in the spring and your good to go!

Short Cuts, can cost you $$$

So many homes in the area have decks like this one.  Too many are thought of as a simple deck rather than considering what a waterproof deck can do. 

 By installing a waterproof system like Duradek's Ultra Supreme Sonoma Chip the entry ways below are now protected and the entire are is now usable for storage.

 This home owner was on the right track, but then lost focus along the way.  They used OSB (chip board) as the substrate.  OSB outdoors on a horizontal surface it never a good idea, regardless of the products being used.  It does cost less then plywood but that is only a short term gain.  A coating was applied directly to the OSB and it may have worked for a short time but as you can see the OSB has swelled at the seams from water penetration.

The best thing thing to happen to this deck was when they called Lonepeak Contracting for help!

 Not a difficult job at all but notice the details.  Where the OSB had been tight at the wall the Pro's at Lonepeak understand that to waterproof this deck you have to get the wall flashed too.  They ran the membrane up the wall and counter flashed is with metal that compliments the railing.  This is no longer just a "deck",  it's a DURADEK!

Henry Walker Homes, Columbus Court

Columbus Court, by Henry Walker Homes

 When your building homes with views like this how can you best take advantage of them?  Henry Walker Homes has the answer, call in the experts and make every use possible of the space available with the design.  Here they have used a roof top deck to bring the city views into the home.  Imagine waking up, looking out your bedroom to this breath taking view of the capitol.  There are two steps to be taken when adding a walkable roof to the design - First - use a product that meets or exceeds building code for a walkable roof.  Second - Have a trained professional installer do the work.
In this case Duradek and Lone Star Builders Inc. who have a long history together again teamed up to provide an awesome waterproof walkable roof top deck that is bound to be a drawing feature of this home.  Doing a job like this has to be done right the first time and with ascetically pleasing details.

Flush drip edge

Builders and roofers have been doing membranes for a very long time.  Membranes are the best option when it comes to providing a cost effective roof that will last without any ongoing maintenance costs.  But, they have a tendency to be "ugly" the way they are installed.  This is where the folks at Duradek have stepped in and provided the correct details in order to make the walkable roof design a focal point of the home.  Here are but a few of them as they were being done on this Columbus Court home.  To the right you can see where the Lone Star installer has recessed the edge of the rooftop substrate.  By doing so they have made it so the drip edge will fit flush to the plywood, eliminating seeing the drip edge and aiding in water run off.

Notice the recessed area, lower right corner             

Since the membrane is going to be fully adhered to the plywood substrate preparation is key.  Any imperfections in the plywood such as knot holes are filled in.  The seams where the plywood meet are also addressed so there is no line showing thorough the finished product. In the lower right hand corner the trained installer has already measured out the location of the seam and has recessed the 3/4 inch over lap.  This will allow the bottom sheet to drop into the groove, the top sheet then will be aligned thus eliminating the "bump" often seen with over lapped seams.  Although the seam doesn't go away completely they are more difficult to locate and will not impede the water flow.

As you see on the left a Duradek installer uses a scrapper and rubs the membrane in by hand.  This provides them an opportunity to catch any debris that may have been trapped under the membrane as well as assuring the best bond possible. Here they are aligning the bottom sheet with the recessed seam.

Here installer is heat welding the recessed seams together.  Basically the two sheets are melted back as one. As you can see here, the recessed seams are not even noticeable.




Roof decks are fast becoming a highly sought after feature of any new home in the Utah market.  Virtually every location has a wonderful view and with the right design, like the one seen here will help to increase the builders sales and customer satisfaction.

Concrete, radiant heat. Lonepeak Contracting does it right

No this is not a new design being used on this concrete radiant heated roof deck.  This type of work can be found all to often, it is called a band-aid for a water intrusion problem.  What you see here is a concrete roof deck (over living space) that began to leak into the rooms below.  This design like so many others in the Park City area has a radiant heat system buried in the concrete.

The home owners made great use of the deck and the ability to use it fro entertainment and just plain relaxing, getting this job done right was imperative. Thanks to the professionals at Lonepeak Contracting in Salt Lake City they have their beautiful roof deck back even better than it was with a peace of mind that the water issues will be gone for decades.

In order to make the installation as quick as requested and yet keep all the furniture, barbecue's, umbrella's and other items together Lonepeak simply took advantage of one of Duradek's greatest features.  It is in use as soon as it is down.  So they simply moved all the stuff to one side, installed half the deck and then moved all the belongings to the finished side.  So much easier then trying to remove all these things from a roof top.
Once done it was a simple re-arrangement to the home owners liking.

The choice of Duradek's Utra Marble Mocha really added a touch of elegance to the roof deck.  With these wonderful glass wind breaks they can sit outside and relax in comfort with their new roof deck.  There is enough room to have dozens of friends over and have a great time.

Adds value and outdoor living space!

This beautiful home has a over sized yard with a play area for the kids but was lacking and outdoor area for entertaining and watching the sun sets.  The home owners knew they wanted to accomplish several things to improve the home and increase the value as well.  First thing they wanted was a waterproof, long lasting deck that would be virtually maintenance free an yet stand up to the harsh winters and allow shoveling, rock salt etc. By making it waterproof they opened up the lower level slab deck too, double the area of use providing them with 600 sq ft of outdoor entertaining area and lots of dry storage. 

Above the Duradek Ultra Mocha Marble surface allows them a wonderful design that compliments the exterior of the home.  Now they don't just welcome friends out to the deck, they marvel at the difference a waterproof solid surface can provide for years and years to come without the concerns about winter and water intrusion.

Here is where the design really made sense.  The lower slab deck being dry was important to them but they also wanted to have a true "dry storage" area that could be secured.  Great idea to use the stairs and landing as that area!  Both the stairs and landing are covered in Duradek (with composite steps) providing them with a nice place to put the furniture, lawn tools, or whatever.

Because Duradek is a true roofing membrane and meets or exceeds the ICC testing requirements it is common to see the use of lighting or ceiling fans as you see hear.  There is no concern that water will short out or damage the electrical system that can happen with other products.

This is a great example of Duradek being used to protect the initial investment (building the deck). Adding dry storage (the lower deck and the under stair storage). Most important adding value to the home because of these things.

Open House Rivercrossing Town Homes, Logan Utah

Be sure and come by Saturday the 28th of April and visit with us while taking in beautiful views off these roof top decks. Relax and enjoy listening to the river or watch some golfers hitting into the green. DRD Properties as well as Duradek of Utah will be on hand from 10-2