Installing Outdoor Tile Over Wood Deck

Dry fit a row of tiles along each line.

Installing outdoor tile over wood deck.

Snap two chalk lines across the center of the deck one in a north south direction and the other in an east west. Tiles are made of 8 air dried wood face slats held together with 3 hardwood runners affixed with stainless steel screws. With enough moisture wood becomes vulnerable to decay and rotting. 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.

Install tiles to resurface worn out decks concrete slabs porches walkways balconies roof tops or patios. 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. Tiling the deck 1. Incidentally exterior stone or tile should never be installed directly over pt plywood which expands and contracts as it gets wet and dries out.

It s imperative to make sure your deck and the foundation are still structurally. Overlay products come in interlocking tiles or strips and while they are more expensive than some outdoor decking products they last for years. There are a few signs that your wooden deck is structurally at risk. Mix a new batch of thinset with water.

Watch for structural warning signs. A schluter ditra membrane is then installed over the hardened mortar bed prior to actual tile installation. Ipe is a stable low flexing high structural strength exotic hardwood. Obviously you don t want to set yourself up for even more damage by creating space for fungi to flourish.

To minimize cracking and popped tiles the tcna always recommends the use of an uncoupling waterproofing membrane over exterior plywood substrates. Installing tile over a standard deck frame in an exterior environment is a recipe for trouble. If you require less than a half tile at the perimeter of the deck shift the. Installing flooring over wood can potentially create a situation where moisture gets trapped beneath deck tiles.

Installing outdoor tile over a wood deck options assess condition of the wood deck.