Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Help! 2nd story deck leaking, spongy, sagging!
Doityourself.com community forum was created to provide answers to all questions related to home improvement and home repair. Doityourself community can help you find information about how-to topics on small fixes to large remodeling projects. With comprehensive how-to content and expertly moderated community forums DoItYourself.com makes it easy to tackle even the most complex home improvement projects.View Full Version : Help! 2nd story deck leaking, spongy, sagging!
renren624
10-24-09, 09:33 AM
Hello:
I have a 40 year old, 3 story home with a huge 2nd story patio. The patio floor is covered in red roofing tar paper and has columns set into the ground level rock/cement 1st level.
The patio is spongy, sagging and leaking a lot. There are several holes in the tar paper as well. Also, the patio has no slope so water collects and puddles.
Please help me with all of the steps I need to take to remove the old paper, replace any (or all) rotten wood, treat the wood, rebuild the patio with a slope and lay a nice tiled floor.
Basically I need to learn how to do a complete rebuild of the floor and I can't find help anywhere.
Thank you!
I have a 40 year old, 3 story home with a huge 2nd story patio. The patio floor is covered in red roofing tar paper and has columns set into the ground level rock/cement 1st level.
The patio is spongy, sagging and leaking a lot. There are several holes in the tar paper as well. Also, the patio has no slope so water collects and puddles.
Please help me with all of the steps I need to take to remove the old paper, replace any (or all) rotten wood, treat the wood, rebuild the patio with a slope and lay a nice tiled floor.
Basically I need to learn how to do a complete rebuild of the floor and I can't find help anywhere.
Thank you!
lefty
10-25-09, 12:17 PM
renren624,
Welcome to the forums.
At 40 years old, the only realistic option is replacement. The place to strt, once you have selected the material, will be your local bldg. dept. The weight of the tile decking and whatever you lay it on will add a lot of weight which will require a very beefed up frame, shorter spans, larger footings, etc.
Choosing tile for the decking is going to present challenges. Keeping the tile, or more probably the grout from cracking will be somewhere between difficult and impossible, depending on the temperature extremes that it will be subjected to. When that happens it will be impossible to keep water and moisture from leaking through, which is what I think you are trying to avoid.
A better option would be to use a composite for the decking and install a water tight system under the framing like Under Deck, Dri-Below, or similar.
The tile can be done, just be aware of all of the issues that it will present and know that the cost will be significant.
Welcome to the forums.
At 40 years old, the only realistic option is replacement. The place to strt, once you have selected the material, will be your local bldg. dept. The weight of the tile decking and whatever you lay it on will add a lot of weight which will require a very beefed up frame, shorter spans, larger footings, etc.
Choosing tile for the decking is going to present challenges. Keeping the tile, or more probably the grout from cracking will be somewhere between difficult and impossible, depending on the temperature extremes that it will be subjected to. When that happens it will be impossible to keep water and moisture from leaking through, which is what I think you are trying to avoid.
A better option would be to use a composite for the decking and install a water tight system under the framing like Under Deck, Dri-Below, or similar.
The tile can be done, just be aware of all of the issues that it will present and know that the cost will be significant.