We hear many customers ask, can DekTek Tiles go over my existing deck? So in today's post we would like to shed some light on this question.
Yes! DekTek Tiles can be installed over your existing deck but there are a few stipulations that your old deck must meet first.
- Your existing deck must be in good enough shape to install DekTek Tiles over them. If you have a rotting old deck where the wood deck boards are about to give way, it would not work to lay DekTek Tile over your existing deck. DekTek Tiles weight 11 pounds per square foot so your existing deck needs to be in good enough shape to hold that and would also need to be framed for 11 pounds per square foot. As you see in the photo above. This North Oaks, Minnesota wood deck was an existing green treated 2” x 6” decking that was structurally sound, so in some situations like this one you can install DekTek Tiles right over your existing deck.
- In order to be able to install DekTek Tiles right over your old decking material, height constraints must not be an issue. DekTek Tiles are 1" thick (same thickness as standard decking materials), but if you are wanting to set these concrete tiles over your existing deck, you will need 1-1/2" thick minimum which takes into account DekTek Tiles are slightly crowned in the center of the tiles so the water will drain properly, plus accounts for shimming the tiles up.
- On this particular application above, they are in an enclosed three season porch that is screened in so very rarely will the water come in. This type of situation is best when installing DekTek's Tiles over your existing deck, as it ensures there will not be any water issues. Especially in states like Minnesota where they get the full range of weather conditions with rain and snow, it is important that the water be able to drain all the way through your deck. With this being said, we recommend the concrete deck tiles be shimmed up 1/16" to 1/4" to allow the water to drain through your existing deck better.
- For decks that are not covered, we feel the best installation process is to remove the existing decking because water could get trapped between existing deck boards and the concrete tile. This being said, ultimately it is up to you and your contractor to make that final decision. If you do wish to proceed installing DekTek Tiles over your existing deck that is not covered and exposed to all of the elements, it may work better to remove a few of your deck boards to maximize the water drainage.
- On any installation of DekTek Tiles over existing decking, the edge of the tiles must be set directly over the existing joist. The only exception is if the existing decking is 2" thick, in which case they do not have to be set a specific way.
For further questions regarding DekTek Tiles being installed over your existing old deck, contact 218-380-9330 or email info@dektektile.com.