Installing Outdoor Tile Over Wood Deck

Mix a new batch of thinset with water.

Installing outdoor tile over wood deck.

The combination of tile grout wood and water in an environment with temperature and moisture fluctuations makes it nearly impossible to get the long term performance that most occupants expect. Installing tile over a standard deck frame in an exterior environment is a recipe for trouble. Overlay products come in interlocking tiles or strips and while they are more expensive than some outdoor decking products they last for years. Obviously you don t want to set yourself up for even more damage by creating space for fungi to flourish.

Dry fit a row of tiles along each line. If your existing deck subfloor is level you can install an overlay made of weather resistant composite materials manufactured to resemble real wood or tile. Install tiles to resurface worn out decks concrete slabs porches walkways balconies roof tops or patios. For decks built over occupied living space there s a kerdi specification called d ext os 13 that requires a roofing membrane installed on a plywood deck followed by a drainage mat and a 1 inch thick reinforced mortar bed.

Ipe is a stable low flexing high structural strength exotic hardwood. Made with naturally mildew and fungi resistant ipe wood from sustainable forests they are designed for easy installation and can be placed over an existing patio concrete slab or other outdoor area. If you require less than a half tile at the perimeter of the deck shift the. Install beautiful hardwood decking in just a few steps with these wood deck tiles.

With enough moisture wood becomes vulnerable to decay and rotting. Installing flooring over wood can potentially create a situation where moisture gets trapped beneath deck tiles. Incidentally exterior stone or tile should never be installed directly over pt plywood which expands and contracts as it gets wet and dries out. There are a few signs that your wooden deck is structurally at risk.

To minimize cracking and popped tiles the tcna always recommends the use of an uncoupling waterproofing membrane over exterior plywood substrates. Tiling the deck 1. Installing outdoor tile over a wood deck options assess condition of the wood deck. Tiles are made of 8 air dried wood face slats held together with 3 hardwood runners affixed with stainless steel screws.

Snap two chalk lines across the center of the deck one in a north south direction and the other in an east west.