Making an Elevated Deck Waterproof Underneath

We're often asked how to make an existing upper level deck or second story deck waterproof... where you have a conventional wood deck above a paved or concrete area below and you want keep the area below dry.

Whilst there's a number of products on the market which either involve installing a "roof" under the deck or covering the deck with PVC or aluminum, we believe the most simple and cost effective solution which also gives you wonderful new wood (or stone or porcelain or composite wood) surface is to simply use our HandyDeck range of patio pavers.

The first step is to lay an EPDM moisture barrier over your existing deck. Try to make sure the moisture barrier is one continuous sheet are that there are no seams which could leak water. You can buy EPDM in different widths with lengths up to 50' wide from specialist suppliers such Best Materials or Resource Conservation Technology who can also custom fabricate a single sheet to avoid seams. They can also supply a complete system that includes all required adhesives, sealants etc.

If you need to seal around pipes or posts or install flashing against any walls, you should use a specialist EPDM sealer such as M-1 Sealant from e.g. Best Materials.

Then you just click the HandyDeck pavers into place over the top, starting from the outside of the deck and working in towards any walls in an expanding triangle manner. If you prefer, you can clip on our reducer pieces to the outer row of tiles to give a neat, professional finish and hide the view of the plastic base from a horizontal viewpoint.

In no time at all you'll have a great looking wood deck on top and a dry area underneath. It's that simple!