Our Ipe, Cumaru, and Tigerwood decking are among the most sought after materials to use in a variety of outdoor applications. One specific application that’s asked about often are installations over concrete pads.

This situation is common in many pool, patio and porch designs.  The concrete gets cracked, stained and pitted and the owners want to cover it with something nice without busting up all the old concrete. Unfortunately, traditional long-length decking boards don’t perform very well over concrete.

Wood is a material that breathes; it absorbs and releases moisture, adjusting itself to the humidity of its environment. To do this, all four sides of the board must receive sufficient air flow, achieved by proper gap spacing and adequate ground clearance. We recommend 18” of ground clearance.

Installing decking boards on top of concrete prevents air from circulating evenly across all four sides of the wood, leading to rapid changes in only one side of the board. This uneven release of moisture causes cupping, warping, and twisting.

Concrete tends to retain moisture and heat much longer than other materials. If the concrete becomes very hot in high humidity, it will release enormous amounts of warm, wet air directly into the face of the decking on top of it. As the wood absorbs this excess heat and humidity, it will twist, warp, and cup.

Fortunately, there’s a great alternative to removing the concrete pad and building a deck with joists and posts: Advantage Deck Tiles™. These tiles are made specifically for installations directly over a flat surface such as concretes pads or balconies. With Advantage Deck Tiles™ you can give your outdoor living space a new look in just under a day at a fraction of the cost of building a new deck.

Watch this video to see how easy it is to install our deck tiles over an old concrete patio: