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"Unfortunately, there is no end in sight to leaky tile decks" Dave Gobis, Consultant (from Tile Magazine)

"Like any chain, the strength of any tile installation, and it's ability to shed moisture, is dependent on each link." Michael Byrne Tile Installer/Consultant

The failure of waterproofed tiled over decks is a main source of business for my company, Central Coast Waterproofing. Every week it seems I look at a job that has tile over waterproofing. The deck is leaking into the living space and after we open it up, there is usually some very expensive dry-rotted framing to fix. 

I get a lot of work repairing decks that someone placed tile over. It takes awhile, but water will find every weak point on a tile deck. DO NOT INSTALL TILE OVER AN EXISTING DECK! It's not engineered or waterproofed for tile and the eventual result will only be failure of the deck.If it's to late and you need new waterproofing, call us at 805-545-8300 for a bid to fix everything.

Tile decks are not waterproofed by tile; rather they are first waterproofed using conventional methods, using  waterproofing systems that can  have tiles placed over it. Many deck system manufacturer's say their product can have tile put down over it, however there are only a few that have been rated and approved by the Ceramic Tile Institute of America or by the Tile Council of North America. See their websites for approved tile waterproofing deck products, practices and methods. Very careful planning is required, as is properly engineering the deck to carry the extra loads that tile places on a buildings framing system. We recommend that you use our Questions to Ask list that we developed that will help you understand the different deck coatings you might be presented with. 

Tile decks must have allowances for expansion and contraction-expansion joints must go through the underlayment/mortar system and not be covered with tile. The joint must be allowed to move freely. 

Drainage must be allowed for the water that WILL get under the tile. Drainage planes that drain to the edges and use a double drip edge flashing set up or into a tile deck drain with a subsurface drain method are a must! 

Currently as of 8 2010 only seven waterproofing systems are listed at ICC-ES' site for tile waterproofing membranes. I suggest that unless the system you are considering is listed here at the ICC website, you move on and avoid a manufacturer's claims that their system works under tile. It's you who will pay through the nose.

IF YOU CAN"T AFFORD TO DO A CORRECT TILE WATERPROOFING/UNDERLAYMENT SYSTEM TO BEGIN WITH, you certainly can't afford to do it over again. 

Read an excellent article about tile decks and flashing/waterproofing issues here. This article has a lot of great information that must be read by anyone contemplating installing tile!

REQUIRED READING!!!   YOU MUST READ THIS ARTICLE!!!    REQUIRED READING!!!

by John Oglivie of Duradek. John has written a white paper that reviews tile deck systems and the many ways they fail.

Common Sources of Failure of Tile Decks on Wood Frame Construction

 By John Oglivie

 This article is written by John Ogilvie, President and one of the owners of Duradek Ltd. Duradek has been waterproofing decks and balconies since 1974. Its products are only installed professionally by contractors trained and supported by Duradek and its network of distributors throughout the United States and Canada. The specific product referred to in this article is Duradek Ultra Tiledek, a roof membrane specifically designed and tested for the application of tile or stone overlays. More information can be found at www.duradek.com/tiledek.

Porcelain or Stone Tile on outdoor decks provides a beautiful surface but the failure rate is high. This paper discusses the common pitfalls of a tile overlay from the construction of the deck through the application of the top finish. It deals primarily with decks and balconies on wood frame buildings with a focus on protecting the structure with solid waterproofing (roofing) details. It also prepares the reader with the questions to ask when choosing tile, thinset mortars, decoupling and drainage mats and making decisions on slope and railing attachment.

There are few outdoor surfaces as attractive and durable as tile or stone and they can be used outdoors even in very extreme climates providing there is a great deal of care put into the choices of materials and trades people. As so often happens, attempts to cut corners on costs or by taking shortcuts, even ones that seem to make sense, result in the most expensive installations. The common themes in this report are to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations to the letter and employ only experienced professionals for each part of the job. The chances of a successful, long lasting installation increase exponentially if you do.

 The most surprising thing we discovered was that that if you were willing to research the issue and look to the industry experts and follow the recommended “best practice” standards, the success rate would be dramatically increased. Simply knowing the questions to ask and who to ask is the first step to getting the right answers.

Some of the best advice given to us by a “long in the tooth” tile contractor was this: He tells his customers who are interested in having tile or stone outdoors (especially on a wood frame building) that if they don’t have a budget sufficient to do it properly they should not even consider it. Taking money-saving short cuts with an “assembly” that requires all the components to work together could prove to be extremely expensive in the long run.

  CLICK HERE TO READ/DOWNLOAD THIS WHITE PAPER

MORE ARTICLES ON WATERPROOFING, Tile decks, deck coatings and much more are here at DeckExpert.coms article section. Click here to go read our articles. 

 GROUTS

Tile decks need to have their tile and grout sealed, one to keep from getting stained and dirty, these sealers are the first line of defense in keeping water away from the waterproofing.Poor grout installation and mixing can help allow water to penetrate down to the underlayment/waterproofing. Dual membrane waterproofing systems are often required to waterproof the deck properly. 

Existing decking systems are not good candidates for putting tile over- I do not recommend that tile be placed over an existing deck system, I have seen the results that can happen with that-tile over the stucco weep screed, blocked up scuppers, weep holes on sliding doors weeping water under the tile, the list goes on. Often times the hidden damage that occurs will end up costing you many times the cost of redoing the decks properly in the first place.

Read more information on consulting, inspections, bid analysis or seminars                                                                                                                                                        

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The following information is offered by Dave Gobis, Executive Director of the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation. This was found at a forum located at this link on John Bridge.com.

Ignore at your own peril!

EXPANSION JOINTS ( Movement accommodation joints )

Guidelines:
• interior—20' to 25' in each direction.
• exterior—8' to 12' in each direction.
• interior tilework exposed to direct sunlight or moisture—8' to 12' in each direction.
• where tilework abuts restraining surfaces such as perimeter walls, dissimilar floors, curbs, columns, pipes, ceilings, and where changes occur in backing materials. Not at drain strainers.
• all expansion, control, construction, cold, and seismic joints in the structure should continue through the tilework, including such joints at vertical surfaces.
• joints through tilework directly over structural joints must never be narrower than the structural joint.

Expansion Joint Width (Vertical & Horizontal):
• exterior (all tile)—minimum 3/8" for joints 8' on center, minimum 1/2" for joints 12' on center. Minimum widths must be increased 1/16" for each 15°F tile surface temperature change greater than 100°F between summer high and winter low. (Decks exposed to the sky in northern U.S.A. usually require 3/4"-wide joints on 12' centers.)
• interior for quarry tile and paver tile—same as grout joint, but not less than 1/4".
• interior for ceramic mosaic tile and glazed wall tile—preferred not less than 1/4", but never less than 1/8".

Preparation:
• tile edges to which the sealant will bond must be clean and dry. Sanding or grinding of these edges is recommended to obtain optimum sealant bond.
• primer on these tile edges is mandatory when recommended by the sealant manufacturer. Care must be taken to keep primer off tile faces.

Materials:
• backup strip shall be a flexible and compressible type of closed-cell foam polyethylene, butyl rubber, or open cell and closed cell polyurethane, rounded at surface to contact sealant, as shown in details above, and as recommended by sealant manufacturers. It must fit neatly into the joint without compacting and to such a height to allow a sealant depth of 1/2 the width of the joint. Sealant must not bond to the backup material.
• suitable sealants include silicone, urethane, and polysulfide. Generally, urethane sealants are recommended for exterior vertical tile surfaces and both exterior and interior horizontal tile surfaces, including tiled traffic areas. Sealants in traffic areas require a Shore A hardness of 35 or greater.
• silicone sealants may be used on both exterior and interior vertical tile surfaces. Single-component, mildew resistant silicone sealants are formulated with fungicide for sealing interior joints in ceramic tile showers, and around tubs, sinks and plumbing fixtures.
• use sealants complying with ASTM C920, which designates sealants according to Type, Grade, Class, and Uses. The following are suitable for use in tilework:
• Type S—single-component sealant.
• Type M—multicomponent sealant.
• Grade P—sealants for joints on horizontal surfaces.
• Grade NS—non-sagging sealants for joints in vertical surfaces.
• Class 25 and 12½—identifies sealants which can withstand an increase and decrease of +/-25% or +/-12½% of joint width.
• Use T—use in joints subjected to pedestrian and vehicle traffic.
• Use NT—sealants for non-traffic exposures.
• Uses M and G—sealants that will remain adhered to mortar (M) and glass (G) are suitable for use with tilework.
• some sealants require edge priming. Consult manufacturer's specifications.
• manufactured/preformed joint profiles are available. Consult manufacturer.

Cold Joints:
• cold joints are formed primarily between slab pours where the size of a concrete slab may be too large to be poured at one time. The remainder of the slab would be poured at a later time, forming a cold joint between the two sections. Such joints should be shown on architectural drawings.
• a cold joint becomes a weakened joint that, upon movement, will crack, permitting leakage or buckling and cracking of a tile floor set over the slab.
• some large slabs on-grade are poured monolithically, then later sawcut at intervals, providing control/contraction joints to allow for cracking at these weakened points.

Installation:
• movement joints in tile should be located over all cold joints and sawcut control joints.
• joints in tile and setting materials shall never be less than the width of the saw-cut control joint width. Preparation and installation shall be as required for movement joints.
• to insure that location of joints in tilework align with existing joints in substrate, joints in tilework should be constructed during installation of mortar beds and/or tile, rather than saw-cutting joints after installation.
• keep movement joint cavities open and free of dirt, debris, grout, mortar, and setting materials.
• set compressible backup strip when mortar is placed or utilize removable wood strip to provide space for backup after mortar has cured.
• install sealant after tilework and grout are dry. Follow sealant manufacturer's recommendations.
• refer to sealant section in ANSI tile installation specification.


NOTES: Preparation of openings left by the tile contractor and installation of backup strip and sealant should be specified in the Caulking and Sealant section of the job specification. The performance requirements of certain special locations, such as exterior swimming pools, dairies, food plants, etc., may exceed the minimum requirements of the sealant specifications given above. Therefore, follow recommendations of experienced manufacturers as to specific sealants suitable in the job environment. In some severe environments, a program for regular maintenance of sealant in joints may be required.

__________________
Dave Gobis, Exec. Dir. Ceramic Tile Education Foundation
http://www.tileschool.org

How To Remove Efflorescence

Efflorescence Tech Report Furnished by Claudia Ramirez of Stone Tech Professional (1-22-05)

Efflorescence and How It Affects Ceramic Tile and Other Installations

Today, Tomorrow But Not Forever

Efflorescence has been in existence since the beginning of time. Its existence is noticeable throughout various structures, statues, monuments and building projects worldwide. It is not limited to any specific geographic area.

Efflorescence is a white crystalline deposit that is composed of salts, lime and/or other minerals. These deposits may become visible on many types of building surfaces such as concrete, stucco, grout, masonry, brick, natural stone, clay, ceramic tile and even wood. These salts and minerals are water-soluble and generally come from the ground or where cementitious or alkali substances exist. These salts and minerals travel to the surface, using moisture as their carrier, and when the moisture evaporates what is left behind are salts and minerals on the surface.

These salts and minerals are generally carried by water as it travels through concrete substrates. This process is called capillarity. Capillarity is best explained as the movement or transmission of water or moisture in masonry and natural stone. By definition, it is the action by which the surface of a liquid, where it comes in contact with a solid, rises or falls. This attraction or repulsion is caused by capillary action. Because of this behavior, moisture may travel to lower or higher levels within a material and can move multi-directionally.

READ ALL OF THIS ARTICLE BY CLICKING ON THE TITLE ABOVE

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