I've been busy enjoying my new balcony deck for the past two weeks. I'm so happy with it that I couldn't resist sharing it with you all. Here is the story:
When we bought our house, the balcony deck was in a terrible shape. You can see it in the "before picture".
Hello - thanks for the review - I'm looking at putting these over a not-so-attractive cement pad behind my garage - do you think it would work over cement?
for sure, a cement pad is a perfect surface for Platta decking tiles. Just make sure the surface is reasonably flat.
good luck
Kash
Do you have any left over tiles? If so, I'd like to buy a few of them off you! Please email me if you have some.
I was halfway done my patio and ran out, but Ikea is not stocking them until next summer!! Sigh...!
Thanks in advance!
Amy
Hi 🙂
I found this page through a comment you left on an apartmenttherapy thread. I live in Victoria and I would love to use wood tiles on my balcony. How did yours hold up over the winter? I'm worried of warping because our winters here are so wet. Any feedback you can give me would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers,
Nicola
Hi Nicola,
I did use waterproof sealant on my Plata tiles just before the end of summer and I thought I should be good to go. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that no matter how much waterproofing you do, the rain on the we*t coast is too much for any but the hardiest of decks. I ended up packing up the tiles for storage in December but the damage was already done. It wasn't that bad though, perhaps I will have to replace 8-10 strips when I put them back on and of course I will need to sand and seal roughly about a third of the tiles again. the moral of the story, pack them away during fall,winter and spring.
Hi Anahita!
This item is featured again this spring at Ikea where I live in Utah. I only worry that if I put it down on a exposed cement pad in my backyard, that when winter comes next October, it will be a *$&@# to shovel or even walk on. The 11x14 sq ft. cement pad in my backyard is what I walk across to get to my car everyday (I have a ranch style midcentry condo). Since you're up in BC, perhaps you could tell me if you've had any experience with this decking in the winter. Did you ever use it after it snowed? Or did ya'll just use it seasonly? Thank you in advance!!!!
Thank you so much!!!!
Hey Cassidy,
If you decide to go with the Platta tiles, my recommendation would to be to pack it up and put it in storage for the winter. the beauty of Platta decking is that it so fast to lay them out and vise versa. Here in Vancouver as you might know we have lot more rain than snow and so I've decided to layout the tiles only during summer. In Utah you can you can probably get more mileage. BTW, there's a new modular tiling that I've seen at stored this year (not Ika) that is made of composite material and is totally weather proof but it's about twice the price of Platta unfortunately but it does look awesome.
If you don't mind me asking. Approximately how much did you need to spend to cover your entire patio?
Hi, thanks for the great article! I wonder if you could describe the PVC edges and base of the tile in more detail - a closeup photo of this aspect of the tile would be a nice addition. How high is the tile raised by the base, and is this thickness included in the 1" mentioned by Ikea as the tile's height? Did you have to cut any of the tiles to fit your space (or is it a neat multiple of the tile dimension)?
Thanks again for taking the time to write such a helpful article and congratulations on your amazing-looking balcony.
Hello,
I am very interresting by this subjet.
I would like to go with the Platta tiles for my balcony.
But I have any interrogation about your trimming (i.e. railing posts). Can you send me sany picture about this. I would like view if the result is clean.
Sorry if my english is a little bad, I from France.
Thank you for your futur anwers.
Bruno
Glad to find your page. Just got 4 packages and confess I am puzzled by the instruction sheet. It clearly shows loops along each side as the diagram shows steps 1 to 3 of the layout. The tiles I bought - all 36 tiles - have loops on two sides only. I can't possibly assemble as shown because of this. This means I will have to NOT hook on the 3rd & 4th sides of each tile but merely place the straight edge against a row of tiles already hooked.
Did you fit them like this or are the tiles I bought defective?
Hey Mate, Great review....I am intersetd in purchasing the platta deck tiles too...however my balcony has bit of a slope...would the deck tiles not sit well?
Please advise as I am planning on purchasing the tiles this evening as ikea just got a shipment in today and they are selling like hot cakes....
Cheers mate!
Hey Jay,
Sorry about the late reply. As I wrote this article for my wife's blog a few years ago, i don't get notifications when comments are posted and thus the late reply.
Anyhow, just in case that you still contemplating buying the platta tiles, here's my 2 cents worth of advice.
Depending on the slope grade and also how smooth or rough the surface of the balcony is, it might be a good or bad idea. Remember that the tiles are just floating and unless you manage to anchor down the perimeter, chances are you will see some movement even in best case scenario.
good luck
Kash
Dear Barbara,
I'm not sure if I understand you correctly but here's what i did to install my tiles:
I started with first tile at the bottom left hand side of my balcony and I placed it so that the side with loops were facing to right and top (ie the straight edge was to left and bottom). I then started placing additional tiles in a line to the top until I reached the top left of the balcony, I then repeated the same process from my starting tile to the right. By the end of this exercise, I had an L shaped construct. The rest of the install was as similar in that from the inside I made line all the way to the top and then all the way to the right.
hope this helps.
Thanks, Anahita. Got to that point last week! The problem for me was that the how-to diagram seemed to suggest there were loops on all 4 sides. I realize now that it was simply a poor drawing to illustrate what I needed to see. Yes, the L-shape start. Fab! Once I started, the joy of seeing how well & how quickly this deck built itself was remarkable. Averaged 9 sq ft in under 5 minutes. Still had to let my coffee cool some more!
Glad to hear that! You are right, it's a good feeling seeing your space coming along that fast and that beautiful!
I am about to lay my Platta decking and wonder if anyone has oiled them before laying them or is the protection sufficient for awhile. What do you use to oil them once or twice a year. What about Thompson water seal? Thanks
My condo apartment has two large balconies - one is 90 square feet and the other is 126 square feet. I just finished laying Platta decking on both balconies. Each balcony took less than one hour and OMG what a difference. Even without furniture and a few plants, it looks as if I have created two additional rooms. I still need someone to come and help me with a jigsaw just to finish the edging but the warmth the decking transformed to the boring concrete balconies is truly and absolutely amazing!!! I was going to go with a cheap indoor/outdoor carpet but I am so glad I spent the money on these tiles, it has upped the value of my condo in a way that carpeting could never do. As well, the benefit of Platta decking as opposed to carpeting is that it is much easier to keep clean and there is excellent drainage without mildew. It also feels good on bare feet. Yes the extra cash outlay was worth it.
I was thinking of putting these in for our condo in Victoria. Thanks for the article.
Any experience with Platta in Bay Area California? I don't want to have to take them off and put them back on for the rainy season, and I have a balcony with a roof on top and almost two sides, so fairly well protected. I am considering going with the cheap Platta or Ipe deck tile (more than x2 the price though!). Would appreciate any input. Kim
Good topic. I too have used these and love them on a stair landing here in California. I am wondering if you or anyone you know has used these on the ground outdoors? I'm concerned that I couldn't make the ground level enough for them to not get all warped and uneven, but was wondering if anyone has tried them on the ground, maybe with weed barrier cloth under?
Thanks for writing this useful article! I have tiles on my balcony. Do you think I could also use these Platta tiles on top of my current tiles? Do you think the grout gaps would make the decking uneven? And also, did your Platta decks stain your original flooring? Thanks for your help!!
Has anyone tried clear verathane as a sealant? Thanks.
I just bought these to put over an old slate patio out in the yard. The surface is relative flat, but has a few rock bumps here and there. Does anyone think we should lay down sand or gravel first? Or have any other recommendations? Thanks!
Thanks for the info -nicely put together.
I'm quite interested in putting this on my 25x25 garage top roof but am concerned about durability.
I've read that the plastic web on some of the cheaper tiles from Amazon will fail terribly within a year of weather exposure.
Being in the East Kootenays, we have hot summers, cold winters, and a some snow too -and I suspect that I wouldn't be the kinda guy to remove the tiles in winter.
How have your tiles worn after 2 years of use?
I'd stay away from verathane sealants as they will -at best- scuff, wear, yellow and peel to the point or sanding and refinishing.
At worse, the verathane (which is a plastic film) will allow just enough moisture into the wood grain to trap it where it gets mouldy and rots, then peels off leaving you much worse for wear.
Oil treatments are much better for predictable wear and ease of repair and give the wood more depth and beauty. So says me, my cabinet maker and my gunsmith.
The new oils are quite pleasant to use and far less expensive than in the past.
Very didactic review about the Platta tiles. I am planning to install them in my patio. I just have one question: does anybody has experience installing the tiles in cities in which tons of snow fall? I live in Edmonton....Thank you beforehand for any advice!
Chris,
This summer I had to sand an oil the tiles as they were starting to show some wear and tear. Some of the tiles where water had manages to penetrate the wood had warped and had to be replaced. Mind you I have left my tiles exposed to the elements since the beginning. I`d say either pack them away in the fall or cover them up with a Tarp (if you don`t mind the Tarpy look) or make sure you waterproof (OIL) once a year.
wow, what a nice look of deck.....
thanks for sharing.....
Hi all.
I would like to know if u can lay
The platta decking on dirt....
I wanted to build a deck but now I would like to buy a tent and use Platta decking. How do I prep for it I have grass currently.
Thanks so much for the info! I look forward to sprucing up our deck too
Great information! Thank you! I'm thinking of using these for my rooftop. I live in on the third floor of a walkup and have rooftop access, but I think it's important to not walk directly on the roof and thus these tiles might be a great addition. Has anyone tried these on the top of a flat apartment rooftop?
Just curious if you can put these platta tiles on top of an existing wood deck?
did tannic acid ever leak and/or damage your subfloor?
I would like to know about installing Platta tiles over a 15x28 cement blocks?
Hi! I too have just bought some of this stuff, to cover an old pressure-treated deck that's driving me nuts.
Since I'm in equally moist Seattle, WA, I thought you might be a good source for advice...
How is it holding up?
Thanks for the information. I am currently in the planning stage of a very ambitious remodeling and re landscaping project for my back yard. I have a grand vision of a deck that connects to the 2nd floor of my house and has an outdoor spiral staircase leading to the ground level. Anyway, I'm researching some building material and methods online in order to plan my starting point. Do you suggest real wood, or some other material?
Hi,
I saw these at Ikea and have always had a few unanswered questions. Thank you very much for your blog! Keep at it!
Cheers,
Cal
I have these Ikea Platta tiles installed in my balcony. They are there for 3 years and no treatment and they are in great shape except some white spots in the tiles that are close to the margin of the balcony, the only area usually reached by rain. I live in GTA and we rarely have snow. A few days ago I used some Ikea wood stain. It is a water/oil transparent stain. I still don't know if I did a good thing. The white spots are still there
I just bought the Runnen Ikea deck tiles, and I can't get them to snap together! It's a nightmare! I bought different deck tiles about 5 years ago and they were sooooooo early to put together. I'm getting really frustrated!!!