[Jim_Lafleur]

Hi we did finish our existing deck with fiberglass. In order to do that we had to remove the last row (bottom) of the vinyl siding . When they first built the deck they had to cut half an inch of the bottom of that row. So we cannot use a vinyl Starter Strip to lock the bottom of that row in place.

I don't need any flashing cause they "lifted" the fiberglass onto the wall about 4 inches (we'll call it the fiberglass strip). So if the vinyl goes over and down that strip, water will simply fall onto the waterproof fiberglass deck.

I'm wondering, is there any kind of special trim I could use to secure the bottom of that vinyl panel to the fiberglass strip?

Here's 2 ideas that I've thought of already but I'm not sure if they would work :

1-Use silicone sealant to glue the back of the vinyl panel to the fiberglass strip: I've tried it. It works good. It looks good to me. If we do it like that water running down the siding will simply drop on the fiberglass deck. No way for the water to penetrate the walls. Concern: I know that vinyl contracts and expands with temperature. Will the silicone prevent it from expanding/contracting? Or will the silicone simply expand/contract with the vinyl?

2-Use a J-channel : Perforate the bottom of it with a lot of holes. So when the water will fall into the j-channel, it'll have a way to evacuate. There's still a chance that some of that water could freeze there and cause damage during winter.

I prefer idea no 1 cause it's easier to do for me and it looks good.

What do you guys think?

 

[Jim_Lafleur]

Here are some pics

Siding panel to replace:


Already tried the silicon "glue" solution :

 

[ron45]

Picture two...

Looks like you sealed it pretty good.
But, unless you have more siding to replace the cut one, you will need additional material to finish.

You also need to install a 2 by or similar beneath the door sill for support.

If you have no more siding that matches the existing.

If it were me.
Seal it like picture two.
I would run a 2 by or similar down the complete length of the deck, this will also take care of the door sill.
Wrap the 2 by
Install the J channel atop the 2 by
Install some foam board 1" wide by the thickness of the J into the J channel.
Then install the siding into the J

The foam will keep the siding tight in the J channel.

 

[Windows on Wash]

Some J-channel or utility trim on the base should finish it out. Make sure its punched for drainage.

 

[craig11152]

tell me about the fiberglass deck finish? :vs_worry:

 

[Jim_Lafleur]

tell me about the fiberglass deck finish? :vs_worry:

We hired a guy who did that all his life. He's like 65 now. They (3 guys crew) came in the morning and installed all the 3/4" plywood. Then they applied the fiber (some sort of clothe). Then arround 6PM when the temperature was not too hot, they applied the resin. The next day they did the same thing for the 4" strip along the wall and they did some nice rounded edges all along the perimeter of the deck. Then, the last day, they sanded it all and finished it with a "gel coating".

We had to wait all summer (since May) for them to come in September, cause it was either too rainy or too hot.

 

[Jim_Lafleur]

Picture two...

I would run a 2 by or similar down the complete length of the deck.

What do you mean by a 2 by exactly?

Do you think that silicone would prevent the vinyl from expanding / contracting?

 

[joecaption]

Hope I'm missing something.
I'm seeing decking that was installed to close to the old walls,
No water proofing on the wall before the ledger was install or ledger flashing.
No spacer behind the ledger for drainage.
Not seeing where the fiberglass was ran up the walls.
How high is this deck above grade? I'm not seeing any railings.
No way is just silicone going to work!
Need J molding and rip the siding. Used the ripped off bottom strip to slip into the J molding to kick it out so it sits flush.

 

[Jim_Lafleur]

The railing will be installed soon, of course.

 

[ron45]

Your sill plate is overhanging the threshold unsupported.
If you rip a 2 x 4 or similar to size and install it under the sill plate it won't bend downward when stepped on.
If you continue to run that 2 by down the length of the deck it will cover up where deck meets the wall and fill the gap because of the cut siding.

 

[craig11152]

Here's 2 ideas that I've thought of already but I'm not sure if they would work :

1-Use silicone sealant to glue the back of the vinyl panel to the fiberglass strip: I've tried it. It works good. It looks good to me. If we do it like that water running down the siding will simply drop on the fiberglass deck. No way for the water to penetrate the walls. Concern: I know that vinyl contracts and expands with temperature. Will the silicone prevent it from expanding/contracting? Or will the silicone simply expand/contract with the vinyl?

2-Use a J-channel : Perforate the bottom of it with a lot of holes. So when the water will fall into the j-channel, it'll have a way to evacuate. There's still a chance that some of that water could freeze there and cause damage during winter.

I prefer idea no 1 cause it's easier to do for me and it looks good.

What do you guys think?

The issues with #1 are that as you said the siding won't be able to flex but they may not be a huge issue. The other though is if any water ever gets behind the siding is it trapped at that point? Another minor issue. As to silicone working or not it absolutely will work. It holds together 100 gallon aquariums for crying out loud.

I am fascinated by the product. Are you in the USA or Great Britain? I was watching a video a few days ago of that product and it was in Great Britain.

 

[Jim_Lafleur]

Are you in the USA or Great Britain?

I'm in New-Brunswick, Canada

 

[Jim_Lafleur]

Your sill plate is overhanging the threshold unsupported.
If you rip a 2 x 4 or similar to size and install it under the sill plate it won't bend downward when stepped on.
If you continue to run that 2 by down the length of the deck it will cover up where deck meets the wall and fill the gap because of the cut siding.

I wonder why you talk about the sill plate? Where did you see the sill plate in the pictures? Usually a sill plate is on top of a concrete foundation, right? On that side of the house the concrete foundation is very low. In fact it's like 10 feet below the deck.

 

[1985gt]

I wonder why you talk about the sill plate? Where did you see the sill plate in the pictures? Usually a sill plate is on top of a concrete foundation, right? On that side of the house the concrete foundation is very low. In fact it's like 10 feet below the deck.

I don't want to put words in anyones mouth but I believe he is trying to describe the door threshold. If it overhangs to far and someone steps there it can be bent and such. The problem I have with installing a 2x or whatever at this point is that threshold looks to be fairly low right now, then you have to fasten it somehow through your brand new fiberglass. I feel it would damage the flashing going up the wall. So instead of 4" you would now have 2" before water could enter. This part should have been built up before the waterproofing was installed.

Joe brings up some good points, there does not look to be water proofing behind the vinyl siding, that is not good, vinyl siding has been know to leak. One it is behind there it will travel straight down the wall behind your fiberglass flashing. This would be something I would look in to asap.

Edit: There is tyvek but they went over the top of it. What I would do is remove another course of siding, remove the lath in that area, make a z piece of flashing with a 3" long leg on each side and wide enough to cover the plywood, install that against the house to cover the top of the plywood, then tape the flange with tyvek tape to the existing, reinstall lath and siding. I use a J channel at the bottom that has been drilled so it can drain.


The fiberglass deck, I've heard of them just have never seen them around here. We have done decks in most other low slope materials, what is the maintenance like with them? does it need coated every few years? It looks like it could get real slick real quick.

 

[Jim_Lafleur]

The fiberglass deck, I've heard of them just have never seen them around here. We have done decks in most other low slope materials, what is the maintenance like with them? does it need coated every few years? It looks like it could get real slick real quick.

Practically no maintenance. It will fade because of the sun in the long term. I've heard from someone I know that they hired someone to "refresh" the color after 5-10 years, so it looks new again .

 

[1985gt]

Practically no maintenance. It will fade because of the sun in the long term. I've heard from someone I know that they hired someone to "refresh" the color after 5-10 years, so it looks new again .

Most of the ones I have heard about are either in the south or west in the US. Seems they would have to hold up pretty well in a dry hot climate. Be interesting to see how they do in the cold.

What's the life expectancy? I'm sure the contractor told you forever but realistically? What made you go with this system as apposed to a conventional low slope material? Did they explain how repairs were made? I assume just like any other fiberglass product, but that would leave a build up area unless it was ground down a bit first.

Ok I'm done with questions, except is it slick?

 

[craig11152]

I believe he is trying to describe the door threshold. If it overhangs to far and someone steps there it can be bent and such. The problem I have with installing a 2x or whatever at this point is that threshold looks to be fairly low right now, then you have to fasten it somehow through your brand new fiberglass. I feel it would damage the flashing going up the wall. So instead of 4" you would now have 2" before water could enter. This part should have been built up before the waterproofing was installed.

I would cut a tight fit vertically then screw it in down through the threshold rather than my expensive fiberglass.

There is tyvek but they went over the top of it. What I would do is remove another course of siding, remove the lath in that area, make a z piece of flashing with a 3" long leg on each side and wide enough to cover the plywood, install that against the house to cover the top of the plywood, then tape the flange with tyvek tape to the existing, reinstall lath and siding. I use a J channel at the bottom that has been drilled so it can drain.

I like that except 3 inches might be overkill. Its not like tons of water gets behind the siding. The only reason I would do less is because knucklehead that I am I would try to install the z stop without removing more siding first. Then when that failed miserably I'd go to plan 1985B

 

[Jim_Lafleur]

For the waterproofing problem, what about I put a lot of silicone on the face of the plywood and on the joint? Quick and easy solution?

In 20 years from now, when I'll replace the deck will it be a big problem to replace the teared tyvek?

 

[Jim_Lafleur]

What's the life expectancy? What made you go with this system as apposed to a conventional low slope material? Did they explain how repairs were made? Is it slick?

Someone I know told me his lasted 25 years with no maintenance. Others told me the same. I chose it cause I wanted good waterproofing, thought it looked good and was very low maintenance. Some people told me it could crack, other said no. So we've used construction adhesive between the joists and the plywood to make sure it would move as little as possible. The guy who installed it said that in 15-20 ish years from now, if we want we can add another layer of fiberglass above what we have to make it like a new. He said it could be repaired quite easily (by a guy like him). Is it slick (smooth?) ? Yes. They added a little bit of sand or something like it to make it more anti-skid. He didn't to put too much cause he said it would be harder to clean.

 

[Jim_Lafleur]

Also the price was interesting : 7 USD per square foot. Including installation of plywood and fiberglass. Not including plywood.