Portfolio: Ceramic Tile and Cedar Deck
This steeply sloped site required tearing down and replacing two rotted cedar decks. The shade, moisture, and poor arrangement of one deck leaking down onto another had led to the demise of the whole structure. The solution here was to start from the ground up with new concrete set down to bedrock and placing a solid ceramic tile deck over a new cedar deck.
The ceramic tile deck required a very solid structure for stiffness and special construction details to insure that the surface remained impervious to moisture. The deck was laid up in layers. 3/4" tongue and groove plywood was screwed and glued down. Then it was covered with a layer of 1/2" cement board fixed in mastic. This was followed by a solid membrane material with sealed seams. And finally the tile was installed with epoxy grout.
The handrail was constructed of 4" heavy-duty horse fence panels with welded joints and carefully finished out in clear cedar with stainless steel fasteners.
The handrails were beveled to shed rain and prevent rot. The finish used was a high quality product that creates a protective layer from the elements, rather than sinking in like a stain.
