How to install a terrace

Laying deck tiles

Deck tiles are easy to use, and they work just as well with existing decking as with the use of battens. It is recommended that you use deck tiles when building a rectangular or square-shaped deck. Assembled diagonally or horizontally, deck tiles allow you to give style and rhythm to your wood deck’s flooring.

There are several possibilities for laying deck tiles:

1. Directly on top of the existing support:

This type of installation (directly on the concrete screed) may lead to problems caused by standing rainwater that can collect under the slats. In an apartment building, it is strongly recommended that you install deck tiles on pedestals in order to have sufficient height to allow water to drain normally.

2. Screwed down to battens:

Like for deck planks, this type of laying is done on battens (beams), attached to the ground. These battens are either embedded in cement, screwed down to the support, or installed on adjustable pedestals.

3. Installed on adjustable pedestals: 

The most practical way to lay deck tiles is done on adjustable pedestals. The corners of the deck tiles fit into the pedestals. A coat of finish around the deck may be necessary to conceal the pedestals. Pedestal height is adjustable, allowing you to eliminate the ground’s unevenness.

Pedestals also allow you to ensure that there is enough clearance to allow for rainwater runoff and help reduce the differences in heights between the deck surface and door threshold. Laying deck tiles on pedestals allows for the use of various supports (concrete, stone, wood), and allows you to use different types of tiles on the same surface, permitting different aesthetic choices or various uses. They also allow you to easily create a matrix for the installation of battens for deck planks. You can easily change one of these supports or temporarily remove them for cleaning, for example.

Laying deck tiles on pedestals offers advantages related to their mechanical qualities: they are resistant, so they withstand the deck’s use without suffering any damage. Moreover, by maintaining a consistent distance between the ground and the support, they allow for good ventilation and prevent the back layer from deteriorating. The pedestals are not designed to withstand very heavy loads. Therefore, it is necessary to plan to space out the pedestals an appropriate distance to assure an even weight distribution. In general, the distance between the screw holes fluctuates between 40 and 60 cm in both directions. Direct anchoring with a crossing screw is possible when the thickness of the screw head is sufficient.