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View Full Version : Installing Slate Tiles on Deck



Gorilla
06-25-2009, 01:40 PM
Im thinking about installing slate tiles on my deck. The deck right now has plywood on it. I heard that tiles outdoors in Calgary is a bad idea because of the high heat and extreme cold.

Anyone with experience with this?

Gorilla
06-25-2009, 01:43 PM
something like this.. probably not in calgary

Gorilla
06-25-2009, 01:44 PM
hopefully the pic shows up now.


http://blog.builddirect.com/slate/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/rusty-pinwheel-slate-tile-installation.jpg


http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/5059098/212206-main_Full.jpg

cet
06-25-2009, 02:29 PM
I installed slate tiles on my brothers deck. They have gone through 2 full winters now and only minor problems.

Here is what I did:

You need to make sure that the deck is built strongly and had a thick plywood top. I used 2 x 10's on 16" centers for the subframe. For the top I first layed down a layer of 3/4" plywood and on top of that layed 5/8" one side good plywood. I put it down perpendicular to the first layer with the good side up.

From there i put down a layer of Schluter Ditra
http://www.schluter.com/6_1_ditra.aspx
you can get it a Tierra Sol or special order from HD or Rona. What the Ditra does is decouple the two surfaces (wood and tile) and let them expand and contract at different rates.

Once the Ditra is down you can lay your tile as you normally would. Seal the tile with a really good penetrating tile sealer and then grout. I would keep the grout spaces as small as possible.

The only problems that have been encountered so far are to do with the grout and the tile. Because of the nature of slate it tends to flake a bit. In a couple of small areas the grout has cracked a bit.

Here is a pic of the finished deck.

Before grouting.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3635/3660247559_3a2cfbf1c0_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3582/3660247479_0baa7cd1ae_o.jpg

Kloubek
06-25-2009, 02:34 PM
^^^ That looks awesome.

cet
06-25-2009, 02:38 PM
Thanks.
It was a lot of work but I think it worked out.

mr2mike
06-25-2009, 02:50 PM
Thanks for posting your method.

I worked on a property a long time ago and their deck with slate tile was flaking like crazy. It didn't look good.

Make sure you seal those things good and if you can maybe level it at an angle so the water doesn't pool up anywhere. I think this was the cause of the major flaking of the tile on property I saw. But obviously each tile could have areas that cause water to pool on the tile.

Can you reseal the tile every year or is it a one time deal and you risk sealing in too much dirt over the years that it would look bad?