Water – protecting a wood deck from rot next to a stone patio

deckpatiowaterproofing

I have a wood porch/deck built on top of a cement slab. At some point a previous HO layed a stone patio right next to this porch at the same level. The stone of the patio is abutting the wood framing of the porch and I'm afraid will lead to rot over time. I'm not sure how to fix this.

A cutaway diagram (view from the side) would look like:

-------Wood decking---------+ +----------------------
-----------+-+----+---------| | Stone   ||   Stone
    | |    | |    | |    | || |         ||
    | |    | |    | |    | || +----------------------
    | |    | |    | |    | || +----------------------
----+-+----+-+----+-+----+--| |   Dirt/sand
      Cement               || |
----------------------------+ +----------------------
                       ... dirt ...

My only thought was to dig up around the edge of the porch and put some kind of waterproof membrane between the wood and the stone/dirt of the patio. Any other ideas?

Best Answer

I have used an air gap of 1/2" + for some air circulation . Over the years it tends to collect soil and leaves so I have occasionally cleaned it out.

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