Tape for tops of deck framing

joenorm | Posted in General Questions on February 19, 2022 10:19am

I am building an exterior deck and I am going to tape the tops of the framing as recommended to prolong the lifespan. Grace makes a product specifically for this purpose but I have never found their tapes to stick to wood all that well. Are certain tapes formulated to survive better in this kind of environment(low level UV exposure)? For example would Zip tape be appropriate for this? It is so sticky but I am not sure if it is only rated to be underneath siding.

thanks

Answer

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Replies

jadziedzic | Feb 19, 2022 11:17am | #1
I had great luck with the Grace joist tape when I built my last deck; no problems with adhesion.

FYI, it's a good idea to run a thin strip of the tape around the end of a joist where it sits in a joist hanger to reduce contact between the treated wood and the hanger to reduce potential corrosion of the hanger surfaces contacting the treated wood.
gusfhb | Feb 19, 2022 06:07pm | #2
If you are using a deck surface that is going to last more than a decade, consider copper flashing

I am stuck with non pressure treated beams as they are part of the house, so epoxy/grace/copper/grace/deck surface. On the parts where I was able to build with PT beams, I used that thin copper flashing coated stuff.

It is my opinion that there is no substitute for metal.