Common Sources of Failure of Tile Decks on Wood Frame Construction

By John Ogilvie - President of Duradek

Our company has been involved in the The most surprising thing we discovered
waterproofing of decks and balconies for was that that if you were willing to research
over 40 years and has supplied well over one the issue and look to the industry experts
hundred million square feet of membrane and follow the recommended “best practice”
to professional contractors in the business. standards, the success rate would be
Having developed significant expertise in both dramatically increased. Simply knowing the
the product and its application, it was natural questions to ask and who to ask is the first step
that we would look at other areas in which to getting the right answers.
our material (Duradek is a pvc roof membrane
capable of pedestrian traffic) might provide an Some of the best advice given to us by a “long
equally valuable service. 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.

For the purpose of this paper and to provide

some order, we are going to begin at the
bottom of that assembly and work up. We
would also point out that we have no expertise
One of our contractors in Florida had been in the installation of tile. Our expertise is in
applying a significant amount of our material keeping the water out of living space beneath
to plywood-constructed decks as the decks and balconies. The observations we
waterproofing/roofing membrane over top of present here are simply meant to direct the
which porcelain tile or stone was being installed. readers to the possibilities of problems so they
Apparently, this was an area of great concern can ask the right questions of the appropriate
with very few suitable products available and a manufacturers or contractors.
fairly high failure rate. Because our product had
already been successfully used for many years
(even though it was not designed or marketed
for that purpose) under tile in a very severe
climate, we felt there was a good opportunity to
develop this idea further.

We approached it on the basis of discovering

why there were so many failures and what the
mode of failure was. We talked to industry
leaders in tile bonding adhesives, decoupling
mats, anti-fracture membranes, cement
backer units, envelope consultants and lots Tile Deck Assembly from the
of experienced tile contractors who had been Bottom Up:
around long enough to see the results of Plywood, CBU, Waterproof
working with the different materials that were Membrane, Thinset, Tile.
available to them.

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Building the deck Waterproofing

Slope: Water needs to be “managed”. We need We discovered a great lack of understanding of

to direct it where to go. Puddles are annoying the importance of this step.
and are a potential source of damaging the Is this deck the roof over habitable space?
tile assembly. The only way to accomplish Does it require a roofing membrane to meet the
this is with an adequate slope. Two percent local building code?
(approximately 2.5 inches in 10 feet) is safe.
Many people consider this excessive and try to Should that membrane be applied by tradesmen
reduce it, only to find later that with settling of who specialize in roofing details or by
the building, frame shrinkage and the possibility tilesetters? Is the membrane suitable for tile to
of the crowns on the floor joists not all being up, be applied to? Is it compatible with the polymers
there are puddles. Too late! that are part of the thinset bonding adhesives?
Is it firm enough to prevent cracking of the tiles?
Adding drains and scuppers adds to the degree Will it soften in the heat and still support the tile
of difficulty. It can be done with good design assembly?
and very careful framing but the most simple
and effective way to deal with water is to let it Has it been tested with the Robinson Floor test
flow over the side of the deck. to meet the traffic requirements of the job?
Does the manufacturer guarantee it for this
Materials: Assuming the joist spacing and sizing end use?
is appropriate for a tile assembly, the choice of
materials and how they are fastened together We were surprised at two things:
plays a very large part in keeping the grout lines first, the number of beautiful tile jobs that failed
from cracking or the tiles from popping off. The partly because they were installed over torch-
assembly needs to be very stiff and flat and built down roofing, a material that is not compatible
to substantially reduce structural deflection. A with the bonding adhesives, is too soft, has no
total thickness of at least 1-1/4 inches is required. testing to support its use for this application
and in fact is not guaranteed by any of the
Our research indicates the best practice is 3/4 manufacturers for this end use; and second,
inch plywood with a 1/2 inch cement backer unit by Failed Tile Job the lack of understanding
(cbu) fastened on top. Plywood can also be of the need of
used on top depending upon the climate and waterproofing
if it is over “conditioned” space. This needs to in the first place
be researched locally. Whatever is used should (we assume its
be fastened with thinset bonding adhesive and because they
appropriate screws. The joints of the overlay may think the
should not be over top of the joists. They should tile assembly is
be one quarter of the distance to the next joist. waterproof by
The fasteners should only be long enough to itself).
attach it to the plywood beneath, not to the
joists to allow it to “float”. Our theory is this:
the tile assembly
Flatness is important. If there are humps and is expensive, but
bumps, puddles can be created which cannot be a popped tile or
easily resolved by floating it with filler later on. cracked grout
Any flatness issues need to be dealt with before joint is relatively
waterproofing membrane is applied. easy to repair. Failed Tile Job
The lack of adequate waterproofing can result in
rot and structural repairs that can be extremely
costly.

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One of our contractors in the San Francisco Uncoupling/Drainage Mat
Bay area recently completed a repair of a
failed tile job that involved a new ceiling, There seems to be at least two theories about
replacement of rotted floor joists, door removal the necessity of a drainage or uncoupling mat.
and obviously a whole new tile installation, this
time with an appropriate roofing membrane One is that tile or stone can be bonded directly
protecting the house. The problem? There was to an appropriate membrane (assuming
a waterproofing membrane present, but it was there are some crack isolation properties in
not a roofing membrane nor was it installed that membrane) with the appropriate thinset
with “roofing” details and most likely by the tile adhesive. That thinset, obviously the one
setter who never professed to be a roofer. The recommended by the manufacturer for that
repair was over specific climatic region and for the specific
$70,000 for a job conditions, can withstand the elements
deck that was and provide the adhesion required even in the
only about 500 presence of moisture.
square feet.
It could have The other theory is that since water is going to
been avoided penetrate the grout lines and get under the tile,
by spending a drainage plane needs to be provided to allow
an extra few it to escape. This brings up some other issues
dollars per such as the method of fastening the drainage
square foot to mat (with a thinset bonding adhesive but not
have a proper necessarily the same one used to bond the tile).
tile compatible, roofing membrane installed in Following the manufacturer’s recommendations
the first place. is essential for success and to ensure warranty
coverage.
Details: Roofing is all about the details. Failures
seldom happen in the center of a roof, but Crack isolation: The assembly has little
usually on the perimeters. Special attention tolerance for movement and is likely to crack
is to be paid to corners, door openings, posts, if there are not steps to reduce (isolate) the
pony walls, drains, scuppers, outside perimeter movement of the subsurface from the tile/grout
finish, inside perimeter (up the wall behind the assembly. The waterproofing membrane will
siding and building paper), railing attachments likely provide some crack isolation protection
and more. Examples of these details can be itself and the addition of a drainage/decoupling
seen at duradek.com/TiledekCADdrawings. mat will increase it significantly.

Waterproofing or roofing? There are many Our best advice is to research this carefully
manufacturers who offer waterproofing for the specific conditions the job presents.
products that are suitable under tile. There Choose a system that makes sense and carefully
are only a few that offer roofing materials for follow the manufacturer’s specifications.
this purpose. Our question is this: what is
the difference? It is either capable of keeping
Thinset Bonding Adhesive
the water out or it isn’t. You can’t be “almost”
waterproof! The answer is in the liability the The desire to save money by choosing a less
manufacturers are willing to take (roofing infers expensive thinset has been a very large source
a lot more liability than waterproofing) and of failure. To those who are unaware of the
most importantly, the skills required for properly technology involved in a polymer-modified
applying the membrane. We believe this mortar used as an adhesive to bond tiles, they
requires professional installation by tradesmen may all look the same and therefore have the
familiar with the intricate details that decks and same properties. Nothing could be further
balconies present.

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from the truth. Here are some of the properties Choosing the tile or stone
required in a thinset adhesive for outdoor tile
installations. Some of the failures of outdoor tile jobs are
caused by wrong product choices. Freeze/thaw
Flexibility: The higher priced thinset mortars resistance and water absorption characteristics
have higher quality polymer additives that are available. Make sure the product is matched
allow for more movement. Consider an elastic to the climate it will be installed in. One example
waistband. Eventually, it wears out and loses of a failure we saw was a slate tile installed in
its elasticity. The better quality the elastic, the a region that experiences many freeze/thaw
longer it lasts. With the constant movement cycles each year. The stone was “flaking” apart
resulting from changing temperatures, the which could have been predicted considering
thinset is trying to hold the tile in place. The the properties of that particular product. If the
better quality the thinset, the longer it continues supplier does not have the information, choose
to provide the adhesion required. another product or supplier.

Efflorescence: The white stains that seem to

Installation techniques
ooze out of the grout joints or from the outer
edge of the tiled surface might be a result of Obviously the skill
the wrong choice of the tile setter is
of thinset or grout extremely important
material. The to the eventual
manufacturer will success of the job.
recommend the There are a few
correct materials installation issues we
to be used to saw that play a major
reduce or eliminate role in the success of Thinset Coverage
Efflorescence on Tile efflorescence. an outdoor tile job. Should be 100%

Curing time: Outdoor installations are obviously 100% coverage of the thinset: Voids in the
susceptible to dramatic temperature and thinset coverage will provide space for moisture
humidity fluctuations. Some very experienced to collect. While difficult to completely avoid air
tile setters won’t do an outdoor job unless it can spaces, the goal is to get 100% coverage of the
be tarped off to keep it out of the direct sun and bonding adhesive.
rain for a significant period of time to allow for
the proper curing of the materials. There are Soft Joints: Tile, thinset and grout are rigid
fast setting thinset adhesives available for cooler materials. The tiled assembly is going to have
temperature installations. Once again, seek out substantial movement as the temperature
the manufacturer’s recommendations and follow changes and provision needs to be made to
them. allow for that movement. Industry standards call
for soft joints (joints that allow for movement)
Freeze/thaw capabilities: The thinset must be to be placed every 8 to 10 feet in either
capable of continuing to perform its duties even direction. It will most likely be visibly different
wet and under freezing conditions. than the other grout joints and as a result, some
choose the appearance over the function and
Re-emulsification: A surface that is not
suffer the consequence of erupting tiles. The
properly built and prepared may provide small
laws of nature will always prevail.
areas that allow water to puddle. Prolonged
dampness may promote the re-emulsification of
the mortar that would impact the adhesion. The
manufacturer will provide guidance on this issue.

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Railings Maintenance

Never, never, never attach a surface mounted rail The technical director of a major thinset
on top of a tile or stone finish! manufacturer recommended that applying
the appropriate sealer on a regular basis
The fasteners required to hold the rails will to the tile and/or the grout will reduce the
penetrate the roofing membrane. Water amount of moisture that penetrates the
flows on top of system and help to prolong the life of the
the waterproofing assembly.
membrane. Any
penetration of the There are few outdoor surfaces as attractive
membrane will be and durable as tile or stone and they can be
almost impossible used outdoors even in very extreme climates
to seal and at any providing there is a great deal of care put
rate, is a very bad into the choices of materials and trades
practice. people. As so often happens, attempts to
Surface Mounted Railing
cut corners on costs or by taking shortcuts,
The other issue with a surface mounted rail even ones that seem to make sense, result in
relates to the likelihood of cracking the tile as the most expensive installations.
you tighten the fastener.
The common themes in this report are to
The best practice is to mount the rails on the follow the manufacturer’s recommendations
fascia or on a curb. Details can be seen at to the letter and employ only experienced
duradek.com/DurarailCADdrawings. professionals for each part of the job.
The chances of a successful, long lasting
If the rails are mounted on posts that penetrate installation increase exponentially if you do.
the deck surface, special provision must be
made to provide a waterproof “collar” up the
post.

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 tiledek.com.
John Ogilvie

CDN TEL: 1-866-591-5594

US TEL: 1-800-338-3568
duradek.com

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