How do I install tile on top of a wooden deck?

Donna
by Donna
I live in Oregon and I want to protect my wooden deck from dry rot, can I cove the wood with tile so that the water does 'stand' on the wood?
  6 answers
  • Hillela G. Hillela G. on Apr 27, 2017

    You got this!

  • Sharon Sharon on Apr 28, 2017

    Those teak tiles are great in California, but water can accumulate underneath so they would not prevent rot, they are usually used on roofs with shingles /tar paper underneath.


    I live in Oregon now, and had a wood deck. Only thing that will prevent wood rot, is to power wash and then add an epoxy coating, or restain with Thompsons and add some of their wood refurbishing products. I did this about every other year. If I would have done this deck myself, I would have used composite decking.


    If you were to add real tiles, you would have to be real careful on deck capacity, and add extra support underneath to handle the weight of the tile and people. I would consult a pro on that.

  • Shirley Heikkinen Shirley Heikkinen on May 09, 2017

    If the deck boards have proper spacing to allow water to go between the boards, and if the land is graded away from the house to allow proper drainage dry rot should be less of a problem.

  • LINDAH LINDAH on May 27, 2017

    I agree with Sharon. Power/pressure wash the deck then get the Thompson's and seal it with a stain or your color choice. We are high desert NV & we do this every couple years. (2-3) depends on the weather etc. A natural deck looks much better than tile. With tile you'll have to get top quality but then you run into capacity as Sharon mentioned. Wishing you the best in whatever you decide. 🇺🇸Happy Memorial weekend🇺🇸

  • Deborahlake Deborahlake on May 27, 2017

    Tiling a wood deck is absolutely not the solution. Tile on most wood floors in a house won't even work unless you put down heavy duty underlayment, at least 1 1/4" thick. Why? Because the wood floors and decks are very flexible. Feel it bounce when you walk on it. If your house is on a raised foundation, chances are you have creaks in your floor too. Your tiles would be cracked very soon, and then you would have to remove them, and you would still have moisture invasion problems because the tile would hold in the water.

  • Richard Pace Richard Pace on Jul 12, 2017

    I agree Deck Tiles are the way to go. Check out https://advantagelumber.com they have a huge selection and everything you need to do it right the first time.