Replies

1. 
   Frankie | Apr 16, 2021 04:52pm | #1

   Laydown a drainage mat (EnkaDrain 3801). This will protect the GAF roofing and eliminate damming. Laydown sleepers and screw deck to sleepers. maybe even have a low profile area at access door and build up deck beyond.

1. 
   barshfield | Apr 16, 2021 05:56pm | #2

   Thank you for the reference to a draining underlayment. What would you suggest is the minimum thickness of the sleepers?

2. 
   Frankie | Apr 17, 2021 07:12pm | #3

   3/4" - actual.

   F

1. 
   barshfield | Apr 19, 2021 01:10pm | #4

   Thanks for the recommendations.

3. 
   tfarwell | May 05, 2021 11:09pm | #5

   I had a similar issue, where there was a balcony deck over my kitchen, and all the previous owners did was have a rubber mat on it (that leaked). The door threshold was only 1" above the wood surface. And to add to the trouble, the door height was already low. I fiddled with the header and top jamb to get another 1/2", so I was 1.5 above the bare deck. The deck sloped away from the door at 1" in 6 feet pitch.

   I decided to go the tile route, and it's works really well for a few years. I put down two layers of ice and water shield, running it up the sidewall about a foot. Then 1/4 back backer board mortared and screwed down (stainless). Then 3 coats of redgard. Then 12x24 porcelain tile, grout, sealer. I did 6" PVC trim up the sidewall with silicone caulk. Basically I made a shower pan.

   Upside - it's worked great so far. The house is on the ocean, so most assemblies degrade pretty quickly. This looks new and actually pretty nice.

   Downside - it's not the specified application for redgard. I could have done Kerdi, or aquashield - both are also waterproof membranes.

   I'm not telling other people to do it, I just know it worked for me.

1. 
   barshfield | May 06, 2021 12:18pm | #6

   Thanks for describing your installation - and congratulations on its success. I've always thought it was a bad practice to screw down anything through a water barrier, but the Redgard would seem to make that work, at least in the case of screwing down backer board. With sleepers, though, I can see several penetrations that would require sealing.
   Since my initial post back in April, I've started considering installing composite deck tiles, the ones that have drainage patterns underneath. I'm still debating whether to add an additional membrane on top of the rolled roofing and installing the tiles on top of that. Any thoughts on this approach?
   Thanks for offering your insights.

1. 
   tfarwell | May 07, 2021 07:23pm | #7

   Interesting option. I thought of the interlocking composite after I was done! What I like about them is that you can get to membrane at any time and fix / replace it. I would definitely consider an additional membrane. It's a pretty cheap date compared to leaks.

   I agree with you on screwing through a membrane. It's my last line of defense. It supposedly self-seals around the screws, but that's nothing to depend on for daily performance. I'm depending on the redgard to keep the moisture above the backer board, just like my shower pans. I forgot to note, we get 90 inches of rain a year on the Oregon coast - more wet days than dry ones, so I think I'm a good test case.

   I think the critical thing is to have pitch in some way and not have standing water. If it drain off, even slowly, your assembly has a fighting chance.

   Best of luck!

1. 
   barshfield | May 10, 2021 12:29pm | #8

   Thanks for the affirmative words. Did you use any particular brand of ice and water shield?