Leaky Roof Deck in Ontario in Need of Repair

Leaky Roof Deck in Ontario in Need of Repair Causes Conern for Homeowners

The Problem: Water Leaking Through Light Fixtures

Since first moving into their new home, the homeowners experienced water leaking through to some light fixtures. A big concern that they wanted resolved as quickly and economically as possible.

A leaky roof deck in Ontario
The Before – When a deck is situated over living space, failed waterproof performance can cause big concerns like with this leaky roof deck in Ontario.

When they had the shingles replaced on their primary sloped roof, they inquired about the flat roof over the addition.

The existing flat roof deck’s exposed surface was carpet! There was no waterproofing detailing at all. Their roofer referred them to Duradek for an attractive single-product waterproofing and walking surface solution—perfect for a deck over living space.

A leaky roof deck in Ontario
A barely recognizable carpet was the top surface of this leaky roof deck.

The homeowners inquired with thier local Duradek installers, Dykstra Bros. Roofing. Considering all of their roof deck options, they also got a quote for 2-ply torch-on roofing. Torch-on roofing is not meant to accept pedestrian traffic, so with torch-on, they would need to add a separate walking deck surface.

They chose Duradek’s time tested waterproofing solution to protect their home and had Dykstra Bros. Roofing take a closer look at the project.

Solving a 5-Time Leaky Roof Deck Problem with One Reliable Product – Duradek

Dykstra Bros. Roofing removed the old, failed deck surface and made a shocking discovery. There were 5 repeating layers of carpet, torch-on, and plywood underneath — about 50 years of failed waterproofing history to remove!

A leaky roof deck in Ontario
A disturbing number of failed products were layered on this leaky roof deck and the deck-to-wall intersection was lacking adequate waterproofing techniques.

Once removing all of the layers of failed roofing (and non-roofing) products, the installers could see that the leaks were coming from the deck/wall intersection. This is a point of waterproofing vulnerability and a common issue when deck waterproofing is not handled by a trained professional familiar with the building envelope.

They installed fresh 3/4″ untreated plywood and perimeter drip flashing. It is important to use only untreated plywood with vinyl membrane waterproofing as the chemicals in treaded wood will react with the vinyl.

A leaky roof deck in Ontario being repaired
The water damage was so substantial and the built-up products so extensive that the Duradek installers had to replace the original substrate with fresh, untreated plywood.
A leaky roof deck in Ontario being repaired
Outside perimeter drip flashing and fascia mounted railings are important features to provide excellent waterproof protection for this roof deck over living space.

Then Duradek Heritage Aspen vinyl decking was applied with proper care to waterproofing details where the deck meets the wall. This included removal of the siding and extending the membrane 6″ up the outside wall at the inside perimeter of the deck.

Old wooden railings were replaced with a Durarail aluminum picket railing system for a perfectly finished, low maintenance deck. The railings were fascia mounted which does not penetrate the surface of the membrane. This means an already low maintenance deck has one less point of homeowner maintenance with no need to annually inspect the caulking around surface mounted posts.  The only maintenance needed to keep their deck looking great is to clean as recommended.

A leaky roof deck in Ontario repaired with Duradek
Duradek Heritage Aspen vinyl professionally installed with proper slope and the membrane running up the inside perimeter wall to tie the deck waterproofing into the building envelope for reliable waterproof protection.
A leaky roof deck in Ontario repaired with Duradek
This leaky roof deck in Ontario was completely repaired with Duradek and Durarail, keeping the living space in the addition below protected.

JOB NOTES

Adding Durarail aluminum railings from thier Duradek installers provided the homeowners peace of mind with complete waterproofing integrity with functional style – and a single-source warranty.

View or download the .pdf version of Case History #182 with project photos and installer details.

To contact a professional Duradek installer in your area, visit our Find a Dealer page for a deck waterproofing professional near you.

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