A Legacy of Quality.

The two types of water proofing membrane that can be applied are: Vinyl sheet membrane and a liquid applied polyurethane membrane.

Vinyl sheet membrane is glued down and is seamed as it is only manufactured in five and six foot widths. It is overlapped at the seams and requires ongoing maintenance.

Liquid applied polyurethane systems are seamless and actually bond to the sub-straight. Once applied they do not require replacement, but the manufacturer suggests a maintenance program which we offer.

If there is damage done to the vinyl membrane the membrane cannot be restored to its pre-loss condition unless it is completely removed and replaced.

The removal of all types of exterior cladding, ie stucco, vinyl and wood siding, is always required when replacing or repairing the vinyl membrane in order to ensure the life expectancy of the deck. The material is never at fault for a failure it is the installation. The exterior cladding is removed eight inches from the sub-striaight to provide a proper seal.

We use a compressed air tool to break the stucco off taking care to not damage the stucco wire and building papers. This allows us to fold the wire and paper up to make ready for the membrane replacement. Once the membrane has been installed, we can then fold back down and reinstall the existing building paper and make any necessary repairs to it.

We replace the plaster stops and reinstall the metal wire. This method causes no damage to the stucco wire wall.

If a saw is used, the stucco wire and building paper are both lost. The building paper is the envelope. If it is saw cut, the envelope is lost. From our experience any attempt to install a flashing to a stucco wall that has been saw cut would have to be behind the paper and stucco wire. This is impossible to do due to the fact that the building paper is stapled and the stucco wire is fastened with roofing nails to the sub- straights, making it impossible to fit a flashing.

This is not an approved method of repair and will not be approved by a building envelope engineer.

If future repairs are required the repair is limited to that area only and no exterior cladding needs to be removed as the envelope that was originally applied does not need to be disturbed to restore it to it’s pre-loss condition.

Another benefit of liquid applied is that the finish of the deck is seamless and it can be pressure washed.

One downside of vinyl membrane is that it has a ultra violet coatings to protect it from the sun, if pressure washed this coating will be damaged and as a result it’s life expectancy is shortened.