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elevated exterior patio reslope and tile

JeffBuck | Posted in Construction Techniques on July 27, 2002 06:30am

Here’s the deal. Have a 6th floor concrete patio…formerly covered with carpet…now in need of a good tile job.

Here’s the problem…..the 5′ wide X 30′ long patio slopes 1/2″ from level…..toward the living space. And water’s getting in…..at the corners of the 2 sliders…and at the corners of the end walls. End wall leaks are surprisingly the worse of the areas.

My suggested fix……treat it like one big shower pan. The sliders have been raised and now sit on PT 2x’s…..in a half hearted attempt to fix..and to raise high enough to set the tile….so I’m suggesting dry pack mud bed to a positive slope toward the weepholes….which are also line with a pipe and clogged…….reline the weeps…..make some sorta flashing to make sure the water goes thru the weeps instead of under them …as is the case now……

Then lay the one piece rubber membrane down…top coat and compact that…..and have the rubber run up the walls…and be folded into the corners…ala shower pan…….and cover the top edges with the bull nose tile the customer wants anyway.

Tile the whole thing as per usual……..makes sense to me…..what am I missing…if anything? Anyone ever fix such a mess? He’s had others tell him to just slope it with concrete….but I know concrete/mortar ain’t water proof……….

And my biggest concern here is the gluedown wood floor I’m installing right inside those leaky doors! Right now…..that floor ends about 2 feet away from that wall….and isn’t getting any closer till I’m satisfied the water is staying outside!

I’m way too busy to take this job…….but no one else is interrested…at least no one with an idea I like as a fix! Told him worse comes to worse…..I’ll do it over the next coupla weekends. I’m not letting someone else ruin my floor!

Any thoughts on fiberglass? I’ve never worked with it…but was a suggestion to him from somewhere. The idea was to fiberglass the existing..then mortar over that….but I”d think that would leave a fiberglass bowl of water sitting right next to the living space…unless the fiber could be built up to achieve the proper drainage slope? Then…how’s fiberglass encased in mortar…….under tile…..in a freeze/thaw area. Remember….I’m in Pittsburgh………99+humid in the summer…….-9 plus ice/snow in the winter.

Any and all ideas welcome. Thanks, Jeff

   She’s exotic ,but not foreign, like an old Cadillac……she’s a knockout!

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Replies

  1. User avater
    JeffBuck | Jul 29, 2002 02:32am | #1

    testing...1...2...3......testing.....Jeff

       She's exotic ,but not foreign, like an old Cadillac......she's a knockout!

  2. Scooter1 | Jul 29, 2002 07:57am | #2

    Probably can not help you but. . . .

    1.  Outdoor patios should have positive drainage.  Are there scuppers, or is the water just supposed to run off the edge?

    2.  Schulter makes some great outdoor patio applications for waterproofing the substrate like Ditra and Kerdi, and edge treatments as well.  Look into Schuler.com.

    3.  You need to re-pitch that substrate, using SLC with a waterproofing membrane.  Pitch that baby 1/4" per foot to the OUTSIDE.

    Regards,

    Boris

    "Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1927

  3. cheezdic | Jul 29, 2002 08:10pm | #3

    That all sounds fine and dandy but whats holden this thing up.  Is it sloping because the framing is givin out?  This is the first thing I would look at, 60' is a long way to fall! Hope I didn't give you a complex or anything, but seriously this might need some evaluation.

    1. User avater
      JeffBuck | Jul 30, 2002 01:28am | #4

      It's the covered patio of a condo unit. Top floor.....6th. All brick/concrete. The interior floors are also concrete....that's why the glue down hardwood is going in.

      This is probably a 20 unit building or so.....built late 60's/early 70's. I don't think anything's settled.....think just another rush job building that they now charge $250K for a nice corner apartment. Whole building is dated. Frm the parking lot.....I can see a coupla more units with a rusting lintal above their patio opening........so I'm guessing the units above those have the same problem.

      I was asked in by the next door owner to look at putting the same floor in a room of his double unit.......he's been there almost since new...and hasn't had any signs of leaking. Guess the level worked that day!

      The rusted lintals I can see are in no particular order....just scattered about......I think the original builder was hit and miss with it. The scuppers that are there were drilled thru as an after thought. They were drilled from on the patio...out toward the parking lot...and you can see where the brick face blew out from the drilling....obvious repair pointing.

      I'd like to get something that'll be a complete fix...then approach the condo board with a per unit price to fix.....after I show them all the rusted lintals from the lot.

      I hate work like this....so I'll probably get it! Jeff   She's exotic ,but not foreign, like an old Cadillac......she's a knockout!

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