|  Waterproofing
a Roof Deck (1 mb)
Article on Safe-T-Deck Application over
a Roof Deck
By
Dr. William Ames Curtright
 Roof
decks, by definition, are decks that exist over living areas,
a garage, or over an area that acts like a deck that is
intended to be waterproof, yet can be walked upon.
Roof deck applications are generally quite expensive to
build and have a multitude of waterproofing problems and
applications. A system that our company has developed, and
that has worked well for many years, is the one described below. This system consists of the actual deck which
should be relatively waterproof if constructed properly
at the outset.
The plywood, or wood, should be waterproof and constructed
with a CDX or exterior grade of wood. It is suggested if
the deck has not been installed yet to give it one coat
on all sides with Vapor-Barrier or Super Elasto-Barrier.
These two products have a great deal of rubber in them and
are designed to resist water.
After the deck has been installed, the next step is to fill
all cracks and crevices with Blue Max trowel-grade coating
and filler. This blue filler and sealant can fill cracks.
Make the surface as smooth as possible. Flashing of two
to three inches should be applied over the outer edges with
an adhesive caulking, and fastened down with screws or nails.
Flashing tucked under the T-111 or equivalent siding at
the wall will be necessary. Seam tape can be used on other
areas where two surfaces are unlike that need to be joined.
Application
The tools for application will be a push broom,
¾ inch nap roller, utility knife, paintbrush, and
rubber gloves. Coveralls are recommended to keep from ruining
clothing. Wearing old shoes that you can throw away later
is recommended.
Read all label instructions before beginning.
Always run a test patch first in an inconspicuous area,
to ensure that proper adhesion and drying occurs and the
product works to your satisfaction.
You will need some coating, as well. You will use 3 gallons
of Super Elasto-Barrier, 2 gallons of Safe-T-Deck and a
roll of roofing fabric (42 inches wide and has about 250
square feet of coverage) for every 100 square feet of surface.
Roofing fabric looks like fiberglass, and goes down like
fiberglass. The coating is first poured out for about 10
to 15 feet, and spread out about 45 to 60 inches wide. This
is done by simply pouring out one or two gallons of Elasto-Barrier
from the container. Start at one end of the deck, and work
to the other end where you want to stop. Super Elasto-Barrier
is spread out wide enough with a paint roller or push broom
so the roofing fabric becomes saturated with the wet coatings
and the excess coating is pulled off to the next area of
application. Over lapping of the fabric is possible but
will leave a seam. It is best to try and not have a seam,
because it can be seen on the final outcome. After the coating
has totally cured for 24 – 48 hours, two more coats
of Super Elasto-Barrier will be applied after the fabric
layer. Two more coats of Super Elasto-Barrier, then two
coats of Safe-T-Deck and you are done.
If
you already have a waterproof deck, you may wish to just
use the Safe-T-Deck. Safe-T-Deck is a thick elastic paint
that dries rapidly, waterproofs, and provides a skid-resistant
surface. Super Elasto-Barrier is a highly elastic rubber
product designed to such a level that it could waterproof
a paper bag, if need be. That is a huge advantage in waterproofing
technology. Super Elasto-Barrier is grey in color. It is
a great advantage to the homeowner since the DIY (Do-It-Yourselfer)
would like to do many of his own projects, and a waterproofing
specialist is not always needed, or desired. These systems
can easily run ten dollars a square foot, or one thousand
dollars every one hundred square feet. In this way one can
do it for a tenth of that. The application is simply pour
out the product and paint it on the surface.
This
is simply one suggested method. Since the application cannot
be controlled, these are simply suggestions. The user assumes
responsibility of the application and the weather and manner
of the application.
Good luck on your application on your deck. Many people
have enjoyed this application and most decks last for many
years. A coat of Safe-T-Deck is a good thing to do when
it gets dirty. Safe-T-Deck is an adhesive coating and can
be applied to wood decks quite easily. Over concrete, it
is important to power wash first, then when dry, apply Ames'® Super Primer, then coat with Safe-T-Deck. |
