Exploring the unseen part of a deck

By Emma Peterson. 

Waterproofing is often the unseen and unsung hero of a roof deck’s structural soundness.  

In a new CoatingsTalk, Heidi J. Ellsworth and Megan Ellsworth got on the roof with Jan Bagnall and Samantha Clowdus of Pli-Dek. Jan is the company's vice president and has been working with them for over 46 years. He shared a bit about what he’s accomplished in that time, saying, “I was the inventor of this product back in 1979. At that time, the decking systems that existed were failing and nobody had a good decking system. So we developed a waterproofing system that is now used all over.”   

This waterproofing system is not often thought of by homeowners or non-applicators. Samantha, the Pli-Dek representative for Southern California, explained, “An everyday person doesn’t think about the waterproofing on a deck, but we do. We think about preventing water intrusion issues and making sure your space is secure.” The Pli-Dek solution? A polymer-based product that not only protects from water intrusion but also protects from fire and keeps maintenance needs low.  

Jan shared some more about how this product, that so many people don’t even know about, is key to protecting a deck and the larger building structure. She explained, “The worst thing you could have happen is the project leaks and creates mold and mildew. So it's very important to have a very durable decking system... This polymer-based product is UV stable, and it passes a one-hour high fire zone rating from the California state fire marshal. On top of that, it’s 6,000 PSI, meaning it's almost as hard as a concrete sidewalk. So you can put your tables and chairs on it and it's not going to damage this product and maintenance is going to be easy.”  

If you want to learn more about Pli-Dek's industry-leading waterproofing systems, Read the webinar transcript, Listen to the conversation or Watch the recording and see the system in action for yourself!