Residential and commercial
Balcony and roof deck waterproofing with Dec-Tec
A balcony, a deck over a garage or a rooftop terrace is a roof you walk on. When it leaks, the damage hides in the framing and shows up late as a stain on the ceiling below. We install Dec-Tec, a walkable PVC membrane, on homes, hotels, restaurants and apartment buildings across North Jersey. That means new plywood where the old is rotten, the right slope, metal flashing at the doors and railing posts, welded seams, and two written warranties.
Where it goes
A balcony is a roof you walk on
Any surface people stand on with a room, a garage or a business under it is a roof. Dec-Tec is a walkable PVC membrane that is the finished surface and the waterproofing in one layer. We install it on homes and on commercial and multi-family buildings across Bergen County and the rest of North Jersey.
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Balconies
On houses, condos and apartment buildings, including stacks of balconies worked one at a time.
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Decks over garages and living space
When one of these leaks, the garage ceiling or the room below shows it first.
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Rooftop terraces and shared roof decks
The finished surface is the waterproofing, so there is nothing buried under pavers to dig up when it leaks.
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Patios over finished rooms
Sunrooms, home offices and finished basements under a patio depend on what is on top of them.
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Walkways and breezeways
Exterior corridors on apartment buildings, motels and office buildings that take foot traffic all day.
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Restaurant and hotel decks
Outdoor dining and guest balconies, planned around service hours so the business keeps running.
Signs of trouble
How a leaking balcony shows itself
Water runs along the joists before it drips, so by the time a stain shows on the ceiling below, the plywood above it has usually been wet for a while.
What you may notice
- A stain, bubble or peeling paint on the ceiling of the room or garage below
- Soft or bouncy spots when you walk on it
- Water at the door sill, or a door that has started to swell
- Puddles that are still there long after the rain stops
- Cracked or peeling coating, paint or caulk, especially at the walls and posts
- Rust streaks at railing posts, or dark staining and mushrooms on the trim board under the edge of the deck
Where the water usually gets in
- Where the deck meets a wall or a door. Flashing that relies on caulk instead of overlapping metal, or a membrane that stops short of the door sill.
- Railing posts. Bolts driven through the finished surface, with sealant doing all the work.
- Drains and scuppers (the openings that let water out through the edge). Clogged, too small, or set above the low point.
- No slope. Water sits, freezes, and works its way into every seam.
- The wrong surface. Painted or coated plywood, caulked seams, or tile that lets water sit on whatever is under it.
- Old vinyl left in place. A new layer over a failed one traps the water that is already there.
North Jersey winters make every one of these worse. Water that sits on a flat balcony freezes, opens the seam a little more, and thaws into the same crack. If you see any of the signs above, it is worth a free inspection before the framing is involved.
The product
What Dec-Tec is
Dec-Tec is a PVC walking-surface membrane made by Skyline Building Systems. It comes in two thicknesses, 60 mil and 80 mil (a mil is a thousandth of an inch), with a fiberglass mat inside the sheet. The rolls are 76 inches wide, so a typical balcony has few seams. It is glued down to the whole deck and the seams are overlapped and heat-welded. At the edges, the walls and the doors it is welded to PVC-coated metal, and it is welded to its own drains, scuppers and corner pieces. The details are welded, not caulked.
It is not a coating and not paint. It is also not the same thing as the peel-and-stick “Dec-Tec DIY” product sold at home centers, which is a different product with no welded seams.
Two lines, two thicknesses
| Classic Line | CoolStep Line | |
|---|---|---|
| Look | Solid and speckled designs: Bronze, Solid Grey, Brick, Beige, Granite and Terrazzo, plus the wood-look Harland, Rowan, Grafton and Ashdown | Light, reflective patterns that stay cooler in the sun: CoolStep, Copper, Sandalwood and Slate |
| Thickness | 60 mil, and 80 mil on some designs. We confirm what is in stock before we quote. | 80 mil only |
| Dec-Tec membrane warranty | 10-year limited on 60 mil, 20-year limited on 80 mil | 20-year limited |
| Good for | Most balconies, decks and walkways on homes and buildings | Sunny roof decks and terraces, and surfaces over living space where heat matters |
Ask to see the designs before you decide. The membrane warranty is the manufacturer’s and covers the membrane itself; see the warranty section below.
How we do it
How we build a Dec-Tec balcony, step by step
The membrane is the last step. The slope, the plywood and the flashing details underneath it decide whether it lasts.
Inspect, above and below
We look at the surface, the walls, the doors, the posts and the drains, then at the ceiling below. Suspect areas are opened and the plywood is checked for rot and moisture. You get the photos.
Replace what is rotten
Rotted plywood comes out and new tongue-and-groove plywood goes in. Where joists or the ledger board that ties the deck to the house are damaged, the framing is repaired and inspected before anything covers it.
Set the slope
If water has nowhere to go, we rebuild the slope so it runs to the edge, the scuppers or the drains. Where walls trap water, we add drains and overflows.
Metal flashing at the details
Door thresholds, wall corners, railing posts, drains and the outside edge get Dec-Tec metal and corner pieces, all welded to the membrane rather than caulked. Railings come off first and go back on afterward.
Glue and weld the membrane
The Dec-Tec sheet is glued to the whole deck on a dry day. The seams overlap and are welded with hot air, and the sheet is welded to every piece of flashing. Every seam is checked by hand before we leave.
Photos, paperwork, warranty
You get before and after photos, our 5-year written workmanship warranty, and the invoice and installer details you need to register the Dec-Tec membrane warranty within 90 days.
Our work
A Dec-Tec balcony, finished
Photos from one of our Dec-Tec balcony jobs.
A finished Dec-Tec balcony. One seam runs the length of the deck, a metal strip is screwed along the bottom of the stone wall, the door has a metal threshold, and the red railing posts stand on top of the membrane. 
The same balcony from the white TPO flat roof next to it. The tan Dec-Tec membrane runs down the edge to a metal bar screwed along the line where it meets the white roof.
Warranties
Two warranties, in writing
Every Dec-Tec balcony, deck or walkway we install carries our own 5-year written workmanship warranty on the installation work.
The membrane itself is covered by Dec-Tec’s limited membrane warranty: 10 years on 60 mil and 20 years on 80 mil. It is a manufacturer warranty on the material, not on labor, at full value for the first five years and prorated after that. It has to be registered with Dec-Tec within 90 days of the job, with the installer details and the invoice, and we give you both. On commercial and industrial buildings the manufacturer covers manufacturing defects only.
Commercial and multi-family
Hotels, restaurants, apartments and office buildings
On a building with a run of balconies, a breezeway or a rooftop terrace, the job is planned in sections so tenants and guests keep using the rest. Railings are removed and reset, door thresholds get metal flashing, and each section is finished before the next one is opened up.
Concrete balconies get their own prep: the slab is cleaned and checked for moisture before the membrane is glued down. Thresholds, railing heights and the fire rating are checked for the type of building, and anything made with asphalt is kept away from the PVC. If a flat roof on the same building needs work, the same crew handles commercial roofing, PVC and TPO.
Care and price
Looking after it, and what drives the price
Simple care
Rinse it and sweep it with a soft brush a couple of times a year, and keep the drains and scuppers clear. If you pressure-wash, keep the pressure low and never aim at a seam. No bleach, solvents or wax, and skip rubber-backed mats, which can mark the surface. In winter use a plastic shovel along the seams; plain rock salt is fine if it gets rinsed off.
What drives the price
- The size of the deck or balcony, and how many of them
- Rotten plywood or framing that has to be replaced
- Rebuilding the slope
- The number of doors, railing posts, drains and scuppers that need flashing
- 60 mil or 80 mil membrane, and the design you choose
- Concrete prep on a concrete balcony
- Height and access, and the season
We do not publish balcony prices, because no two decks need the same amount of work underneath. Every estimate is free and in writing, and spells out the plywood, slope and flashing work as well as the membrane.
Questions
Balcony and deck waterproofing questions
My balcony is leaking into the room below. Is it the surface or the framing?
Usually both need a look. Most of the time the water gets in at a wall, a door, a railing post or a drain. It then runs along the framing before it drips, so the stain is often not under the actual leak. We open the suspect spots, check the plywood for rot and dry or replace what is damaged before any membrane goes down.
Can you put Dec-Tec over my existing vinyl, tile, paint or coating?
No. Dec-Tec goes only over sound plywood, cured concrete, or a cement board layer on plywood where the fire rating calls for it. Old vinyl, coatings, paint and sealers come off and the plywood is checked. Where the plywood is rotten or the wrong type, it is replaced with new tongue-and-groove plywood. Dec-Tec does not allow OSB or treated or painted plywood under it.
What warranty comes with a Dec-Tec balcony or deck?
Two warranties, both in writing. Our own 5-year workmanship warranty covers the installation. Dec-Tec gives a limited membrane warranty of 10 years on 60 mil and 20 years on 80 mil. It covers the membrane itself, not labor, and on commercial buildings it covers manufacturing defects only. It has to be registered with Dec-Tec within 90 days of the job, and we give you the invoice and installer details the registration asks for. Your estimate names each warranty and what it covers before work starts.
Is Dec-Tec slippery when wet or icy?
Dec-Tec rates the surface high traction and reports that its membranes test well above the minimum for wet walkways. Like any outdoor surface it can still be slippery when wet, frosty or snow-covered, so keep it clean and clear snow with a plastic shovel.
What fire rating does Dec-Tec have?
It depends on what is under it. In the independent code report on the product (Intertek CCRR-0405) the membrane rates Class C over a plywood deck alone. It rates Class A over concrete, or over plywood with at least a half-inch layer of cement board under the membrane. We tell you which applies to your deck.
Do I need a permit in New Jersey?
On a detached one- or two-family house, replacing the walking surface and railings is treated as ordinary maintenance under the state construction code, so it normally needs no permit. Cutting out or replacing joists, the ledger board or posts does need a construction permit and a framing inspection before it is covered, and we handle that. On townhouses, apartment buildings and commercial buildings we confirm with the local construction office before work starts.
Can you install Dec-Tec in the winter?
Sometimes. The deck has to be dry and the adhesive has temperature limits, so in cold months the membrane work waits for a mild, dry window. The framing and plywood work can go ahead in most weather.
How is Dec-Tec different from a TPO or PVC flat roof?
It is the same family of material as a PVC roof, but made as a finished walking surface. It has its own drains, corners, edge metal and door-threshold pieces, and they are welded rather than caulked. A TPO or PVC roof is not meant to be walked on every day. The peel-and-stick Dec-Tec DIY product sold at home centers is a different thing from the glued and heat-welded system we install.
Can you do a balcony on a hotel, restaurant or apartment building?
Yes. Balcony stacks, breezeways, rooftop terraces and restaurant decks on commercial and multi-family buildings are all Dec-Tec work. We plan the job in sections so the rest of the building stays in use, and the estimate spells out the railings, door thresholds and fire rating for your type of building.
How long does a balcony job take?
It depends on what we find under the old surface. A balcony with sound framing is the shorter job. Rotten framing, a new slope, several doors or railings, or a run of balconies on a building all add time. Your written estimate gives you a schedule for your job.
Balcony or deck leaking into the room below?
We will find where the water gets in, show you the photos and give you a written price.