I bought a house with a concrete deck 14×14' in size. I'd like to install some sort of flooring on the deck, however, I am worried about two things:
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The weather conditions, especially snow and rain, are likely to cause damage to the floor, so I need something that lasts, and the less maintenance the better
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The floor of the deck is only 6" below the living room entrance, so I can't raise the floor much without risking flooding the house.
I've been looking at a standard wood deck, but as I understand, it requires some metal posts, then a wooden frame, and then the floorboards, amounting to at least 6" of height. Composite seems to be better, but the price bites, and it also requires a wooden frame underneath, I can't just lay the composite boards on the concrete directly. I can't go with ceramics, because the wife is totally against that, she wants something nicer and warmer. Are there any other options, materials, or maybe a way to install a regular treated wood floor without raising it too much?
Best Answer
Rubber tile or mat would be one simple approach - see duckboards for another method/approach in polymers or sometimes treated wood.
Given a solid, correctly sloped concrete substrate, pressure-treated 2x4 sleepers and a deck with no posts, etc. should work just fine - the 2x4's can even be laid flat, since the concrete deck is taking the load directly.
Paint on or pour on rubber (acrylic/polyurethane, possibly with rubber granules) coatings as for pool decks or perhaps tennis courts might also work, and might cost less.