wood or tile over concrete patio

13 years ago

Hello,
I’ll very much appreciate if you can give an advice on a situation with patio/deck
We live in the old house (Bay area ,California), which has a concrete patio. Many years ago it has been probably only a patio, then the pool was added, and some extra layers of cement has been added then pool has been apparently removed, and now there are the 5’*6’ blocks of old cement with 2” wooden strips between them , 4” thick next to house and 8” at the outside edge of the patio. The top of the cement is on a level of the sliding patio door frame. The concrete > 50 years old, looks ugly, and we want to have a wooden patio there . We thought to put 2*4” on a top of the concrete, and 1” hardwood decking on the top of it, but it will cover the frame completely and deck will be on a door level. We also thought about removing the concrete and building the wood frame for the deck in a standard way. But in this case (cement is 4“ thick at the door ) the decking may be too close to the ground? Or it is OK? Or nothing will work, and we should simply put a tile over that cement? May you, please, suggest what to do?
Thank you,
Isabella

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Comments (6)

PRO
Kaplan Architects, AIA
13 years ago
I think you may be able to do what you describe. The contractor would need to use pressure treated wood underneath the top decking material. The top decking material should be either redwood, cedar, or Trex (or some similar synthetic decking material). I would call some local contractors and have them look at it for you and provide cost estimates for the work.
imlaurel
13 years ago
Two options, if the concrete isn't too damaged. On a DIY site I saw a great alternative: painting the cement in a pattern. The pattern was large, 1 color and cut-out of a thick art-board. Not a lot of details, so easy to paint. If you reply to my post, I will try to figure out where I saw it and post it for you.
Second option: find a LifeDeck or similar professional and get a quote. They grind down and stain and polish the concrete. We are having it done to an interior floor. Can't wait to see it!
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rnluvs2jetski
13 years ago
@ imlaurel, you mentioned having an interior floor finished? We live in an old house and are just starting a complete remodel. Our laundry room has concrete steps going into the basement as well as up into the kitchen. We paint the steps every year, but they still look terrible. Is the concrete ground down smoothly? If so, will it be slick?
Rawketgrl
13 years ago
Uncovered wood outside is a pain. Please use a composite decking of some type if you must do wood, unless you like working on your deck. I had a concrete patio stained and it was amazing, least cost option and very little maint.
PRO
Ironwood Builders
13 years ago
Pressure treated sleepers, material that is treated with chemicals to prevent rot and are rated for ground contact, laid on you concrete and bolted or screwed down will make a good base for your decking. There are numerous types of both man made and wood decking available with a multitude of price points. If you tell me where in the Bay Area you are, I can recommend a builders supply for samples. I read about the stairs too, are they near the area you want to, potentially, deck? If so, adding the sleepers and decking material will make the stairs a liability hazard...and not to code. Ground contact rated pressure treated material is just that, so tearing out the concrete and putting the deck at the level you desire is no problem. A consult with a local contractor can answer many of these questions easily. You can research local contractors on many websites, including Houzz.
imlaurel
13 years ago
mluvstojetski -- I don't think it will be slippery. The process is used here in all types of situations. I recently saw a floor in a store that had been ground down to where some of the rock showed and then polished without any stain. It looked great. But it may depend on what contractors in you area do. You will be talking to a lot them in your remodel, so what's a couple more!