lilbuddy

I'm currently pulling off my deck board on my upper deck so that I can weatherproof the deck underneath. I've bought the artifical deck boards from Lowes as a replacement and I'm thinking about buying plastic plywood from http://www.taylorsplastic.com/sheeting.html to cover the deck before putting down the deck boards. The deck is pretty well level with just a slight slope away from the house (1/4 to 1/2 an inch over a 12 foot span). The upper deck is two staggered 12foot decks. I'm located in the Toronto area (canada) incase the winter makes a difference.

I'm just wonding what everyones opinion is with using the plastic plywood. The alternative that I'm looking at is Rainescape (http://www.rainescape.com/About_Us.htm) but I'd much rather go with the plywood if it can be done..thx Dave

Boardman

Plastic can get darn slippery when it's rained on. Does it have some sort of roughed surface?

lilbuddy

The deck boards have a rough surface but the plywood which will be under the boards is slippery. Thx Dave.

skymaster

What do you plan to do with the many many lbs of water getting trapped and the freezing and very real danger of your deck icing over in the winter? Did I mention the mold that may grow, the leaks thru the seams?
I believe water weighs about 10 lbs per gallon.

jaros bros.

Sounds like a bad idea, especially for the fact that you don't have enough slope and that it will eventually leak. I saw where someone screwed sheets of corrugated colored tin under the joists. They added a couple of pieces of framing at the end to give it more slope. The pieces overlapped and shed water pretty well.

__________________
Josh Jaros Remodeler in The Woodlands, Texas www.jarosbros.com

rrich

The reason that decks are made with the space between boards is to allow for drainage.

If you look at the roof of your home and others in your area, you'll notice that they are built at a rather steep angle or pitch. The reason is for drainage. What you seem to be describing is building a roof that you can walk on like a deck.

It doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

__________________
Use the right tool for the job.

Rich (Tilting right)
Huntington Beach, California
Remember that when we have the "BIG ONE" everything east of the Rockies falls into the ocean.

RussBoyd

Skymaster is right on in that your idea of sheeting (of any kind) UNDER the deck boards will trap water creating Mold, ice, standing water (mosquitos) and who knows what else. NOT a good idea. I have used the rainescapes product before, and the homeowners say it has worked perfectly (been about a year) and has been through the seasonal changes. It is also at a lake cabin, so sees more moisture than most. I really caution the use of ply and reccomend the rainescapes.