What we work on · Plaza & Terrace Decks
The Ceiling Below Tells the Truth
Occupied space under a walkable deck, where the membrane is buried under a finish nobody wants to remove.
Where it appears inside, when it happens, and what has already been tried. That is enough to plan an investigation.
Test first
Water testing before scope, not sealant and hope
Uphill
Water enters above where it appears, almost always
Systems
The envelope fails at transitions, not in the field
Licensed
General contractor, licensed in the state of Florida
The evidence is on the wrong side
A plaza deck looks perfect and the ceiling of the space below is stained and spalling. The membrane failed years ago, water has been tracking through the slab since, and none of it is visible from the surface. By the time it appears below, the structure has usually been affected.
What the work involves
- Removing the finish to reach the membrane — most of the labor.
- Repairing the structural slab where water has reached it.
- A new membrane system, detailed correctly at every termination.
- Slope corrected so water reaches drains.
- Reinstating the finish, which is what people will judge.
A roof that people park on
A plaza deck is a roof carrying a traffic load, and treating it as paving rather than as roofing is the source of most plaza deck failures. There is occupied space underneath, a waterproofing membrane in the assembly, and a wearing surface on top that hides the membrane completely. By the time a leak appears below, the membrane has usually been compromised for a long time.
The complications are structural as much as material. Drainage has to work under the wearing surface as well as on it, and a blocked drain at that level ponds water directly on the membrane. Movement joints have to accommodate a deck that expands and contracts while remaining watertight. And any repair means removing and reinstating the surface above, which is why investigation before demolition matters more here than almost anywhere else on a building.
How we handle it
- 01Survey from below as well as above.
- 02Remove finishes and assess the slab properly.
- 03Repair structure before waterproofing, never the reverse.
- 04Install and detail the membrane as a system.
- 05Correct slope, then reinstate.
Judge any deck waterproofing proposal by how it details the terminations — at drains, upstands, doors and posts. The flat field of a membrane almost never fails; the edges always do.
Said plainly
Where we stop
We will not install a new membrane over a slab that needs repair. It buries the problem under an expensive new finish and guarantees the work is repeated.
FAQ
Common questions
- Why is the ceiling below wet when the deck looks fine?
- The membrane failed under the finish. It is invisible from above.
- Can we just replace the tile?
- Not if the membrane has failed. It hides the problem and guarantees a repeat.
- Where do membranes fail?
- Terminations — drains, upstands, doors and posts. Rarely the field.
- Does the slab need repair first?
- If water has reached it, yes, always before waterproofing.
Our approach
Investigate First
leak investigation water testing building envelope
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Test After Repairing
water test after repair verify leak fixed
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Systems, Not Products
building envelope system compatibility waterproofing
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Warranties
roof warranty what it covers exclusions commercial
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Maintain, Not React
building envelope maintenance program inspection commercial
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Next step
Find out what is actually wrong with it.
An inspection, photographs of what we found, and a written scope. If the honest answer is that it can wait another season, that is the answer you will get.