Deck ledger flashing installation

The flashing covers the junction of the deck ledger board and the exterior wall surface, preventing water from getting behind the ledger board and directing the water away from the structure. The picture shows ledger flashing being retrofitted to a preexisting deck with stucco siding.

Here the top edge of the flashing will have to be sealed to the stucco face unless the stucco is removed or counter flashing installed. Again the main point is to see how the flashing prevents water from getting behind the ledger board and is directed to the exposed surface of the ledger board or beyond.

Snap a line on the Tyvek at the height of the top edge of your ledger board. Cut the Tyvek on that line and remove it from that line below. Install the self adhesive flashing from that point down below the ledger board. After nailing the vertical leg I like to use some house wrap tape or self adhesive flashing over that vertical leg under the house wrap. Now pull the house wrap over the vertical leg and tape it to the Z flashing. Do you have any suggestions for me to attach joists to house, can I just put the deck joists to bear right next to floor joists over plate on block wall, Thanks.

Thanks Wish they wouldnt have built house like this 50 yrs ago. Thanks for all of your advice Todd, I have learned a lot from your site. I assume even on a covered porch, that flashing is a good idea- especially before the decking is installed? I am concerned about the runoff, staggered decking ends and appearance.

Question 1- are my instincts correct? Question 2: Does he need to stop and re-do everything? Question 3- Any advice on communicating with the contractor once he has started? I think I remember an article on selecting a good contractor and I followed the steps interview, references, talking to the building inspector, at least 3 quotes and I feel betrayed.

Let me share some thoughts and hopefully this will help. Flashing is always a good idea even on porches. Porches do get exposed to wind driven rain and snow. Porches need to be washed off and cleaned.

These are all good reasons that a quality installation would include flashing. Did you discuss this detail with the builder? First of all you need to have a frank conversation with him and let him know your concerns. If things are not detailed in writing, stop all work, and get them in writing. Communication is the key here. Be VERY sure you only make payments based on work that is complete and satisfactory.

Thank you! The contract is for pressure treated decking, but we spoke and purchased alternative decking on our own. We had planned tongue and groove ended up purchasing the composite- it has the hidden fasteners, so that was the first verbal change to the contract. During both discussions, we reviewed the perpendicular installation, so that I would purchase enough material. What is the order of importance? Flashing, direction and slope?

Because of the time lag between conversations, I can see where it would be possible to forget the details. Do you propose that I write something up and ask him to sign it?

I left a message on his cell phone asking his schedule and indicated that I have questions. I have to pick up children soon. Should I leave a note asking him to call my cell? For the flashing- it seems he would have to remove the ledger and add the weather membrane and flashing? Is that correct? Since flashing was not specified in the contract, would we be responsible for the cost to re-do? Thanks for the reassurance that there is a way to block it and the slope is not critical with the spacing between boards- still with the previous slope- we rarely had to wash the deck since the runoff was fast.

I am sure it will be different with composite. Today most modern porches are built with the decking running parallel to the house. This is the most efficient way to frame the porch deck.

So the real question is appearance and how you want the deck to look. I think you just need to ask him point blank why the framing is the wrong direction?

Did he miss-understand your desire? I am building a Pergola that I am planning on attaching one of the 4 side to my house. Do I need to also add flashing? If so, how would I do that? I do not have Brick like your illustration above. Ledger will be Cypress….

I live in Florida… My house is a concrete with stucco. I have no siding, other than stucco. So the Ledger will be connected directly to the concrete wall. Sounds to me as no flashing is needed.

I would highly recommend spacers to keep that ledger from full contact on the stucco. I thinking of using Hardyboard or some synthetic decking, cut in small pieces, as spacers. Sound like a good idea? I probably would not do that. I will be installing in concrete on all sides. We have no frost line to think of… I was considering treating with some sort of wood preservative like Borax.

However, cypress is known to have good insect and rot resistance. In fact, it ranks higher than cedar which many people use in direct contact with the ground. Lots of good info on your website. We have a bay window in our kitchen. The floor started to rot under the linoleum. My husband tore it out this weekend, and is replacing the wall under the windows and the floor.

The flooring under the center bay appears to have been some sort of composit board. There was no flashing under the center window, there was under the two side windows. The floor under there was underlayment. The window is over our deck. We think the deck was built around the window.

He has used ptwood wood to rebuild the wall support and the flooring. He is using concrete wood backerboard for the outside of the house under the windows. He has made a small space between the deck and the window, but the support of the windows is on the deck.

My question is, should there be flashing, and how do we install it? There should always be flashing when a horizontal surface meets a vertical surface in order to keep water out. Todd I really need your advice.

I have a contractor that removed an old deck. There were several colonies of carpenter ants also. However, he never really checked to see how far it went back. I went to work assuming he did it. Now the deck joists are up. Should he have replaced the rim or sill plate where it was rotten?

How much of the thickness needs to be rotted through to warrent replacing a section? Please help! You should definitely ask him to stop all work until this is resolved. I have a strong suspicion this type of work is out of his normal experience.

He likely only does decks. Replacing rotted sill plates and damaged structural elements is best left to carpenters with lots of experience.

When you call them, ask if they have experience replacing rotted sill plates, rim joists and possibly joists. Many times the damage will get into the floor joists and require additional work. If this guys gives you a hard time I would be very firm with him. Hi Todd — quick question and thank you for all of your help in the past.

I have a contractor who will be installing a concrete patio in the back of my home. The actual concrete patio will be below the foundation sill and only in contact with cinderblocks. Does he have to put a flashing material between the patio and cinderblock? They are both masonary materials. The contractor has told me that he only needs to flash the steps in contact with wood.

In most cases a foam bond breaker will be installed so that there is a clean break between the patio and foundation wall which allows for slight movement. Thanks Todd — I have a follow on question in regards to another topic — termite damage!

After removing the old concrete deck, I found termite damage across 8 ft of sill plates. The damage is bad, very bad and I need to replace the entire sill laying on top of the cinderblock foundation.

Termites practically ate through 2 layers of 2 X 6 sill plates. I just concluded an interior renovation, drywall etc. Would it be ok if I positioned temporary supports in the basement and removed and replaced one section at a a time? I look forward to your response. YOu should be able to support all along it enough so that you can remove and replace without really lifting the house. Thanks Todd — so what you reccomend is that I replace the whole section at once rather than cutting and replacing 20 inches or so at a time?

I am currently having wood siding taken off of my home and vinyl siding replacing it. We have a deck that is attached to the house through the siding. If there is little to no rotting wood on the siding and the ledger board is not rotted at all is it ok to leave the wood siding up behind the ledger board and simple install flashing. Or should we pull the deck back and take out the wood siding then replace the ledger board and flash properly?

Both are viable options. Todd, this article is still just as relevant as the day published. I planned to put new PT decking on my existing deck. I assume the same to be true on this side of the house as well. How can I add proper flashing now without removing the ledger board? My first thought is to use a circular saw and plunge cut right on top of the ledger board into the plywood siding and then use another type of saw to finish the cuts over the joist boards of the deck.

Once I have a cut into the siding, now what material to use to properly flash? The trick is to be careful not to cut into the studs if you can help it. Remove that piece of siding. They come in varying sizes, most meant to kick out a couple inches over ledgers, trim, etc , and slide that up behind the siding. Make sense? My question is how would I flash the header board with all the grooves cut into the t siding and maintain a waterproof and snow proof barrier?

Todd I live in Southern Alberta. House was built in Chris — What type of wood did he use? After the stucco and lath are cut, you need to slide a piece of galvanized cap flashing up behind the stucco and lath.

I tore the old deck down and are now about to start from scratch. Do you also need to caulk the edge where the flashing meets the stucco or does this need to be able to drain? Great website and thanks very much. The key here is to cut the stucco up so that there is a space between the bottom of it, and the finished decking, so air can get in there.

Be sure that new ledger is attached with thru bolts or structural lags. My instinct is to replace the deck and eliminate the ledger altogether add posts near the wall and leave a big gap between the end board and new flashing tucked under the siding. I would remove the old siding that was behind the existing ledger to about an inch above the deck surface.

Lincoln — Ledgers and T…. I would cut the T just above the ledger. Install flashing behind the T, install new sheathing below that, and install a proper ledger according to code. The flashing should be wide enough so you can slide the ledger up under it. Then I would flash under that and transition back to the T Hello Todd, I am not sure how old this thread is but thought I would try and get your take.

Interesting stories, some horror. The ledger would be bolted into structural members, i. My thought is to standoff the ledger from the T using washers as spacers like you pointed out. That would allow water a path of egress between ledger and T Would this negate the need to cut out a section of the siding, flash, replace siding in cutout area then attach ledger since the siding remains as one continuous sheet?

Ken — T is definitely a pain when it comes to adding a deck after the fact. I would not recommend this approach. You really need to cut back the sheathing, install the rim joist, and install proper flashing. The washers will trap water at the T and it will rot sooner than later. Name required. Mail will not be published required. Sign me up for the newsletter. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

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Spring is the perfect time to plan these projects…. All Rights Reserved. Search Need Help? Search Here. About the author Todd Fratzel I'm full time builder for a large construction company in New Hampshire.

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August 15, at pm. August 16, at am. By clicking GO! A deck ledger board is used when attaching a deck to a house. It supports both the deck joists, as well as bolsters the framing of the deck. If you are building a deck yourself, browse through our collection of articles to learn more about the process of adding a deck to a house and building a strong, stable connection, ledger board flashing, how to attach a ledger board to a house, and more.

Our inspector discusses what you should do if you deck ledger board isn't properly flashed. Our inspector discusses how to attach a deck to a hollow concrete block foundation wall. Explore your options for building a deck onto a house with engineered floor joists.

How do you install a deck ledger board around vents, pipes and spigots? We offer two solutions that can solve your problem. Learn how to install deck ledger board spacers to allow air to flow behind your ledger board to prevent rot. Learn about your options for providing lateral load support for your deck.

We explain recent code changes affecting deck building. Compare stainless steel, copper and vinyl flashing materials for waterproofing your deck ledger board. Make sure your house frame is solid and in good condition before installing a deck ledger board.