Roof decks leak problems and solutions:

Many homes have an outside deck / patio over a living space, and so far, the solution to waterproof such roof decks was to install a rubber membrane roof and a wooden deck on slippers over the rubber. On some older roofs, instead of a rubber roof, a Tar / Built-up roofing material is used for waterproofing. The main problem with this assembly is roof leaks, which often occur within a few years of the roof deck’s installation.

Often the seams on the roofing membrane pop open, or water starts to pool under the deck, and the only way for this water to drain is into your home. If you need to repair such a roof deck, you will have to take the deck apart completely to seal the seams or to redo the roof flashing, and then put the wooden deck back together.

Another issue is the cost of such a roof deck (even without the high costs associated with roof repairs) – the rubber roof by itself is somewhat not expensive, but when you add the cost of a pressure treated wood deck (a fiber decking, mahogany or some other premium deck is rather rare, and most people do choose to go with PT wood), your roof deck ends up costing you a small fortune. Then you also have to install and seal the railing posts.

On a rubber roof, pieces of uncured flashing must be glued to the rubber roof and the post to make the post penetration watertight, and on a Tar / BUR roof, liquid tar or roof cement is used to seal around the post. Both rubber roof flashing and tar flashing around the post will begin to fail after 5-7 years, so once again to stop the roof leaks, you will have to disassemble the deck and repair the flashing.

IB Deck Shield – the long lasting, beautiful and cost effective solution for roof decks

IB Roof Systems recognized the need for a long-lasting waterproofing membrane for roof decks, patios and balconies, and based on their excellent PVC roofing membrane, created a Deck Roofing product, which will last for decades, is easy to repair (if such need arises), and has a special, slip-resistant, beautiful surface. This makes it possible to walk on this membrane, eliminating the need for a wooden deck over the membrane, and making the whole roof seamless and watertight.

IB Deck Shield was created based on IB Roofs’ proven PVC roofing membrane, designed for flat roofs, and featuring hot air welded seams, which make membrane overlaps sealed permanently, ensuring a long-lasting watertight roof. An IB roofing membrane can withstand ponding water, and is an excellent choice for any flat roof. IB roofs also have a complete line of flashing accessories – inside and outside corner flashings, pipe flashing ranging in size from 1/4″ to over 12 inches, for extra wide exhaust pipes and furnace stacks. Because of fast and easy installation in all tight spots, any roof penetration can be flashed quickly and any installation defects are eliminated.

IB took it’s existing it’s existing PVC roof product (IB Flat Roof), and added a special surface to it, making it slip resistant, even when wet, and added a beautiful texture, which resembles small pebbles, often used as a swimming pool deck. All components of IB Deck Shield roof are color matching and will produce a uniform, great-looking final product.

IB Deck Shield roof installation:

Because an IB Deck Shield is exposed to constant foot traffic, deck furniture, outside BBQ grills, etc., it must withstand all this abuse and last for many years without any leaks. To be able to do so, an IB deck Shield is installed over a dense, moisture resistant substrate – DensDeck, which is attached to the roof deck.

Once DensDeck substrate is installed, all seams are taped and “plastered” with a special joint compound to provide a universal, smooth surface, to which the Deck Shield membrane is glued using either a water-based or solvent based adhesive (we use water based glue, as it is environmentally “safer” than a solvent based product).

When a a joint compound cures, we apply a layer of IB water-based adhesive and lay down the IB Deck Shield membrane, which was previously aligned to be wrinkle free and to have exactly a 2″ overlap with the previous sheet of membrane. Once adhesive is applied and membrane is laid down, it is mechanically fastened at all roof to wall connections, but never in field.

After a few minutes, when adhesive cures, all seams are welded and it’s time to install roof to wall flashing as well as all pre-fabbed inside / outside corners, as well as flash all post penetrations. IB Roof manufactures special post flashings, which can either be pre-welded or split, and it is the choice of a contractor which one to use.

We prefer to use split post flashings – although the split post flashing requires more welding, it is actually easier to install split flashing rather then a welded flashing, because when we order them, we specify the post size – usually 3 5/8″ x 3 5/8″ (a standard 4×4′ railing post), and a welded flashing sits pretty tight around the post so it is rather difficult to pull it all the way down.

Durability of IB DeckShield flat roof decks:

Once all DensDeck is installed, all DeckShield is glued down, seams welded and all flashings are installed, the roof is complete, and now you have a durable, completely water-tight roof deck, where you can spend nice summer days, invite your friends over for BBQ, and not worry about roof leaks any more. IB DeckShield is VERY durable, and very resistant to puncture damage. Because it is glued to the DensDeck substrate, the surface under it is very hard and most sharp objects that fall on this roof will bounce off leaving very little or no damage – we accidentally dropped sharp tin snips; they just bounced off and did not cause any damage.

Of course you want to be careful with your new roof and not drop any sharp objects purposely, but small accidents do happen, and you can be confident that IB DeckShield will withstand all normal wear and tear – foot traffic and most accidental drops, which would usually puncture a flat roof such as rubber roofs.

If your roof is damaged – in most cases it should be leaking for a long time, as the membrane is glued to the substrate and even if some water gets in, it won’t be able to spread and leak inside your home. It is also very easy to repair an IB Deck Shield roof – a small patch of color-matching membrane will be welded over the damaged area, making the repair virtually invisible, unless looked at from close distance. An IB DeckShield roof will remain weldable for decades, just like other IB Flat roofing products.

Roof deck prices – how much does IB DeckShield cost to install?

IB DeckShield is a premium flat roofing product and it is rather expensive by itself. However, when you consider the alternative of a rubber roof with a PT wooden deck over it, IB DeckShield will usually be less expensive, as PT wood deck will add a significant amount to the total roof deck cost.

Because IB DeckShield installation is rather complicated and involved, it will cost more than the flat roof prices provided by our roofing calculator. IB Deck Shield takes considerably longer to install than regular IB flat roofs, and costs a lot more than a standard 50-mil or even 80-mil IB roofing membrane. Therefore installation prices per sq. ft. of your roof deck will be higher than those of an 80 mil roof deck option (eg. flat roof deck in Wellesley, MA)

Price of IB Deck Shield installation will also depend or roof difficulty, number of roof penetrations and whether the existing roof needs to be removed. In case of a roof removal, the roof deck must be installed in sections, and sealed at the end of each work day, to prevent roof leaks from overnight rains.

IB Roof Deck prices:

A basic price to install IB DeckShield starts at $13-14 per sq. ft. (assuming that your roof deck is approximately 200-300 sq. ft., which is what most roof decks are), and includes a 1/4″ DensDeck Substrate, with all joints sealed using joint compound, and up to 5 post flashing penetrations. All other flashing and penetration details will be priced considering other aspects of your roof, and the project as a whole.

Roof tear-off will be priced in a range of $300+ per 100 sq. ft. of roof area, plus cost of the dumpster. The reason for this price structure is as follows: Roof decks are usually rather small, but the tear off greatly intensifies the installation difficulty and slows down the overall process. Also, we separate dumpster fees, as on a small roof we would still need the smallest (10 or 15 yards) dumpster which costs about $300.

To give you an example – it took us about 5 days to complete the roof in the first picture on this page, with 4-5 guys working 8-10 hours per day. The roof size there is approximately 1200 sq. ft. So assume that 4-5 guys removed and installed about 240 sq. ft. of roof in 1 day.

The pricing above is approximate and reflects a general price stricture that we use for deck roofs installation in Massachusetts and the rest of New England states (Roofs in CT, RI, NH, ME and VT).

We will price each roof deck separately, but this will provide you with pretty accurate pricing guide-lines, so you would know how much to expect to pay for an IB DeckShield roof.

As a comparison, a rubber roof would cost you $8-10 per sq. ft. plus the cost of PT wooden deck, which can range from $13-20 per sq. ft., often without the material costs.

Additional roof decks and flat roofing resources:

Roof deck installation using 80-mil IB PVC roof with a wooden deck over it.

RoofDecks.org – general information about roofing materials, roof deck prices and installation methods of waterproofing products for roof decks, balconies and patios.

Flat Roofing – informational resource about flat roofing materials – Learn about EPDM Rubber roofing, PVC and TPO roofs and Tar & Gravel, Modified Bitumen and other Built-Up roofs.

Roof calculator – estimate roofing prices in your state for different roofing materials – asphalt shingles, metal roofs, and various flat roofing membranes. Learn how contractors price their roofs, as well as pros & cons of different roofing materials. Find out how to measure and estimate a roof using extensive step-by-step roof estimating guide and roofing calculator software.