The ledger board is a crucial structural component of a deck, acting as a barrier between the house and the deck. To prevent moisture infiltration, it is essential to seal and weatherproof the attachment points around the ledger board and the house. Apply a high-quality sealant or caulk to seal any gaps or openings around the ledger board and the house, preventing moisture infiltration and structural damage over time. The 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) provides little direct guidance on deck-ledger flashing, but footnote “a” under table R507.9.1.3 states that ledgers shall be flashed in accordance with Section R703.
To ensure proper installation, measure and mark the position at the top of the deck against the ledger board. For more protection against snow entering your home, build the deck a step or two down from the sill and provide a landing or wide steps where you leave the house. Do not attach a ledger board to brick, as sloping the deck, caulking vulnerable joints, and flashing properly should prevent water from getting in at the ledger board.
Felt paper above the ledger directs any water that has made its way behind the siding to the ledger board. The ledger board attachment for this home was challenging because it was done after the house was constructed. Learn how to properly attach a ledger board to brick, siding, stucco, or solid concrete walls. Caulk only the end dams and any overlap joints if multiple pieces are needed. Avoid using aluminum on treated wood without a barrier between them.
After predrilling, caulk around each hole on the backside of the ledger, tilt the ledger up into place, and secure it. Use either poly or elastomeric caulk for stickiness and pability. When slipping the flashing under the siding, slide it to the left or right of the ledger by at least 2″.
📹 How To Properly Attach A Deck Ledger Board
This video demonstrates the proper way to install a deck ledger board, highlighting common mistakes made in previous installations. The presenter will show how to properly attach the ledger board, install flashing, and secure it with ledger locks, ensuring a watertight and durable connection.
What is the best way to attach a ledger board?
Deck specialist Scott Grice discusses common problems during deck framing, such as bad flashing, poorly installed bolts and screws, and ledger boards that don’t allow proper drainage. The ledger board, which supports much of the deck’s load, must be installed properly and with care to avoid rotting, sloping, and worse. Proper detailing requires selecting the right hardware to attach the ledger to the house and adequately weatherproofing the house/ledger connection.
A ledger supports and stabilizes a deck by supporting floor joists and carrying much of the deck’s load. Its connection to the house transfers this load to the foundation while providing stability. To ensure proper fastening, the fasteners must be strong and well anchored to the house, as the connection is usually a shear load. Proper detailing and proper hardware selection are crucial for a successful deck framing.
How do you seal a deck ledger?
In the Northeast, where over 40 inches of rain are common, a waterproofing strategy for deck ledgers involves installing a redundant flashing system using self-adhering flashing tape and rigid cap flashing. This system prevents water from leaking into the house along the top, sides, and bottom of the ledger. The first layer of the system is a sheet of self-adhering flashing tape or roofing underlayment bonded to the wall sheathing behind the ledger position.
A second layer of flashing tape is attached to the wall above the ledger and wraps over the top of the ledger. A rigid metal or plastic cap flashing is placed on top of the ledger and the flashing tape to shed the bulk of the water. The recommended clearance height for siding above the ledger varies depending on the type of siding.
How do I attach a roof ledger to an exterior wall?
To create rafters, attach the ledger board to your home, ensuring it is at the correct height and horizontal. For one-story homes, place it just below the eaves, while for two-story homes, tie it into a band joist. Securely hold the boards to the fascia with bolts or lag screws.
Add aluminum flashing to prevent water seeping behind the ledger board, tucked underneath the siding and bending over the ledger. Prepare the rafters by painting them a color that suits your home and attaching joist hangers. Metal joist hangers are the best and sturdiest connections, while other connectors like seismic anchors can be used if connecting the rafter to the top of the ledger. Joist hangers are the best way to go for connecting the rafter to the top of the ledger.
How do you attach a wood ledger to concrete?
Two bolts should be installed at the ends of each ledger board. The sleeve anchor should then be hammered through the board and into the concrete wall. The bolt should be hand-tightened with a ratchet, and a generous bead of silicone should be applied to the ledger against the house.
Should I caulk between deck and house?
Caulk is not always necessary when concrete meets a house, unless it’s to prevent pests from entering through the gap. Caulking doesn’t have much effect if water isn’t flowing towards the house. The goal of caulk is to plug up the gap to prevent water or pests from entering. If it doesn’t, it’s time to replace it. If caulk starts to pull away from the concrete slightly, it’s better to add extra caulk instead of replacing the entire area.
What do you use to attach ledger board to Brick?
A ledger board, or header, is a horizontal piece of lumber attached to a wall to support deck joists. It can be attached using three methods: through bolts, lag bolts, or tapcon style concrete screws. Through bolts are driven into brick or stone, protrude through the ledger, and fastened with a nut. Lag bolts are driven through the ledger and brick or siding, and into the house’s frame. Fasteners should be installed at staggered heights to prevent splitting and spaced no more than 24″ apart. Check local codes for fastener spacing.
How do you install ledger stone on a wall?
In order to create an aesthetically pleasing stone ledger wall, it is necessary to back-butter the ledger using a trowel. This process should commence at the lowest point of the wall and involve a gentle tapping motion. Should the necessity arise, level with spacers. The aforementioned process should then be repeated, commencing with the left side or corner ledger. It is not necessary to use grout, and the stone should be left to set for a period of 24 hours. Subsequently, the wall should be treated with Miracle Enhancing Sealer, after which it should be permitted to dry for approximately one hour.
Should a ledger board be pressure treated?
A ledger board attached to the exterior wall of a primary structure must be at least 2-inch by 8-inch nominal and made of pressure-preservative-treated Southern pine, incised pressure-preservative treated hem-fir, or approved, naturally durable, No. 2 grade or better lumber. Deck ledgers cannot support concentrated loads from beams or girders and cannot be supported on stone or masonry veneer. In Minnesota, a building permit is required when a deck or platform is more than 30 inches above adjacent grade, attached to a structure with frost footings, or part of an accessible route.
What do you use to attach ledger board to brick?
A ledger board, or header, is a horizontal piece of lumber attached to a wall to support deck joists. It can be attached using three methods: through bolts, lag bolts, or tapcon style concrete screws. Through bolts are driven into brick or stone, protrude through the ledger, and fastened with a nut. Lag bolts are driven through the ledger and brick or siding, and into the house’s frame. Fasteners should be installed at staggered heights to prevent splitting and spaced no more than 24″ apart. Check local codes for fastener spacing.
How do you attach wood boards to concrete?
Connecting wood to concrete can be done using three methods: hammer-set concrete fasteners, concrete screws, and mortar nails. To fasten wood to concrete, mark the areas you plan to concrete with the fasteners with a permanent marker. This ensures precise drill holes and secure fasteners fit. Hammer-set concrete fasteners can be found online or at home improvement stores. Once you have determined the right method for your project, you can easily fasten wood and concrete objects.
Should ledger stone be sealed?
Sealing is a crucial step in natural stone veneer or tile installation, if the right product is used and applied correctly. Expert advice from the manufacturer, technical staff at Norstone, or the article can help guide you through this process. The philosophical question of whether to seal or not to seal is a YES, as it protects your investment and makes owning natural stone easier and more enjoyable.
Sealing your stone applications at the start ensures that your investment is protected and makes the process of owning natural stone more enjoyable. Norstone’s New Dimensions in Natural Stone blog explores design themes, inspiration sources, and how the world influences our creative interpretation and buying preferences.
📹 Most people often miss this… | Deck Flashing
This video demonstrates how to properly install deck flashing against a house. The presenter explains the importance of flashing to prevent water damage and shows how to install it correctly, including how to seal joints and flash around doors. The video is geared towards those who are new to flashing and want to learn how to do it correctly.
Man i really appreciate your simple straightforward articles…as a new entrepreneur wanting to specialize in decks and outdoor spaces you’ve given me a chance to see some simple mistakes as well as major ones…the supports were appalling…again thank you and keep the great tips and advice coming…happy father’s day guys!!…
I do not recommend flashing how he did. Just like setting a window..you put flashing tape behind the ledger…then you put flashing tape on top of the ledger so you can use aluminum so you can bend the ends…then you put your tyvek on TOP of everything NOT behind it. As a contractor I find this article embarrassing.
I have a question as to the proper attachment of the ledger board . One and a half above ground house, floor trusses on the main level, no rim joist. Where are the proper attachment points for the ledger board? Do I have to engineer a a rim joist inside of the house and tag sections of rim joist between and to the floor trusses? Just subbed your website 👍😎
Nice tips. The people who built my deck did not install any ledger board flashing and fortunately there has been no water infiltration since built about 24 years ago because they silicone the bottom of the vinyl siding to the deck board; shiiiisters. I found this issue because I had to remove 6 deck boards to dig a trench to apply termiticide under the deck. I also found they did not use corner bracing on a few side boards and only nailed the one board to the house (no lag bolts). I am now checking for other short cuts the builder took and making corrections. The inspector obviously missed these errors. Dam shiiiisters.
Please do not follow this advice. That piece of “flashing” will do almost nothing to direct water out from the building. There is no integration into a building envelope. Flashing in this area must start behind a water-resistive barrier, and the way he installed this, it does not. This is bad advice.