So, on Palm Island, there was this tiled porch. Nothing too spectacular, but it doesn’t look too bad either.
The only trouble was that it was not waterproofed properly… and was becoming dangerous.
So we went to work taking out two layers of existing tile.
Here you can see both layers of tile, plus the tar paper (which was the previous attempt at waterproofing) and the plywood substrate.
It took some hard work, but we got it done.
And what we uncovered was pretty nasty…
This is not something you want to see on a porch floor two stories up!
You could see the ground, two stories below, through some of the holes caused by water rotting through the wood!
The edges were especially bad…
Here you can see the drain–and all the water damage around it.
After the contractors had repaired the wood on the deck and covered it with tar paper, it was our turn!
Here’s Josiah working on a seam… Rob was working on laying the mud “guidelines” for building it up and slopping it so it would drain properly.
After the mudding was finished, it was time for Kerdi! This is a waterproofing membrane designed and manufactured by Schluter. (It’s the same orange stuff we use in our tiled showers.)
Erick sweeping things off after the Kerdi installation was finished. On the edge of the porch you can see the metal “drip edge” we installed. (more on that later)
Erick and the cutter… underneath them, you can see the Ditra-Drain we installed after the Kerdi mat.
And another view of the Ditra-Drain. This provides drainage, ventilation, uncoupling and more.
Here’s Rob and Ed installing tile over the Ditra-Drain!
Coming along nicely…
Almost done!
And here’s a nice view of the scenery–and the drip edge! This helps the water to drip down harmlessly away from the wood and onto the ground and protects the otherwise exposed edges of the installation.
And the completed tile installation! (The remodel contractor finished up the baseboard and railing after we finished…)
Now these customers can rest easy, knowing that their porch will remain a safe, attractive place to enjoy the beautiful view!