I am getting ready to build a raised deck on the back of my house, and would like to use a frost proof ceramic or porcelain tile or 1/2″ paver for the deck floor. Does anyone have any advice or ideas for me? I thought about spacing the joists 12″ O.C., using 2 layers of 3/4″ exterior toung & grooved plywood, even trying the the uncoupling membrane featured in the latest issue of Fine Homebuilding.
I live in Illinois by the way. Thanks in advance…
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You don't necessarily need to space the joists closer. A deck structure of 2x12 @ 16" is no different than an interior house floor of the same construction. Justr be sure the joist span is short enough ... 10-12 feet would be a max, and that should be easy to accomplish in a deck.
Your problem is going to be keeping water off the plywood. Here's a product I have a sample of, but I have no idea if it would work. Quoting from the brochure: it's DalTile Dal-cim 500 crack isolation membrane and sound control underlayment. 40 mil peel & stick. Can be used for inbside or outside application. Service temp range -20 to 189 F.
Maybe if you covered the top of the ply and wrapped that over the edges it would keep the ply dry.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
Waterproofing exterior wood decks like this is a trade all it's own. If you want to tile directly over it, I would look at waterproofing membranes from Laticrete. With a little work you can probably find a number for tech support and talk to one of their applications people.
Ed is correct about the joists. I think you might want to use 1-1/8" plywood.