Good Morning, All,
I have an elevated deck over my carport. The kitchen door and bedroom door open onto the deck and we have patio furniture there for meals and gatherings. Because the deck is over the carport, it has to be waterproof. I also barbecue on the carport because with the protection of the deck, I can do it year 'round. Well, the old plywood needs to be replaced due to moisture damage. I have it all torn off and will be replacing it soon. I also have to replace some of the framing for the deck, which is mostly 2x8's on 16" centers. The deck is 20'x20' plus a four foot section that runs down the length of the house to the bedroom door. That portion is 2x6's on 24" centers. The old deck was caulked at the seams and just regular deck paint applied. It lasted about 10 years.
The old deck had two layers of 3/4" ACX plywood on it, which I believe is overkill. My plan is to use one layer of 3/4" ACX, facedown for appearance below, and a top layer of 3/8" ACX crossband, if I can find it. Apparently, it has a void free second layer so the furniture won't punch holes in it. I will also apply 1x2" flashing around the outer edges of the deck, then new railing.
Then, when it's ready, I want to apply a deck coating so the new surface should last for years. I've looked at several products but can only remember one brand, Gaco. Everything I have looked at is multi-coat, usually requires taping the seams and is very expensive. While I hate to spend the money ($1,000+) for the coating, it seems that is the way to go.
So, my questions are, does all of this seem like the correct way to proceed? Does anyone have experience with Gaco or some other brand and can share the experience/results? The house is located in Western Washington so we deal with a lot of rain, very little snow, hardly ever gets below freezing temperatures and seldom above 80-90 degrees. What do you think?
Best Regards, Phil
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