The all-in-one waterproof deck membrane for all projects
Written by
28 May 2024
•
4 min read
Known for its high-quality waterproofing and roofing materials, Viking Roofspec has been protecting properties in New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and even Antarctica for almost 60 years with its roofing, decking and below-ground waterproofing systems designed to keep water out of homes and commercial buildings.
The company’s dedication to performance and innovation is evident in its Dec-K-ing Membrane – a waterproofing vinyl sheet membrane originally designed in the 1980s for the marine industry. Robust with heat-weldable seam technology, it’s now being used beyond boat decking as an attractive option for the construction sector.
“It had originally been developed in Canada to handle cray pots and anchors, fishing rods and bait, blood, salt and UV. Someone that had been working at the Global Decking company in Canada decided to install it on his houseboat roof, and that was a real success,” says Brendon Sutton, sales and marketing manager at Viking Roofspec.
“When Dec-K-ing was first launched in New Zealand, it was primarily for residential projects and predominantly still is. However, it is being specified a lot more for multi-apartment projects, and Kāinga Ora have been specifying it for their decks and common walkways in their facilities because it provides a grippy surface, adds safety, and looks good.”
If the surface gets damaged, a piece of membrane can simply be installed over the top.
“Dec-K-ing is also frequently specified for apartment reclads, particularly for what were existing leaky buildings,” says Sutton. “While fixing leaky buildings involves the replacement of wall claddings and window flashings, full reclads have often included the replacement of roofs and decks for the sake of completion, so architects and facade engineers like the idea of an all-in-one membrane system that ticks all the boxes.”
An all-in-one PVC membrane
“It’s an all-in-one multi-purpose sheet product. It achieves not just waterproofing, but it has a grippy surface as well,” says Sutton. “It also provides a range of aesthetically pleasing patterns and colours. Some other deck surfaces might be waterproof, but they can be slippery. Instead, Dec-K-ing achieves all of the above.”
Available in seven attractive, earthy patterns, each sufficiently versatile to work nicely with most residential and commercial decors, Viking's Dec-K-ing Membrane is a thermoplastic, heat-weldable material that is comparable to an interior kitchen vinyl – the point of difference being that it’s developed for exterior use with heat-welded 25mm lapped seams, providing reassurance that the system will be watertight.
Durable for outdoor environments
Viking Dec-K-ing is BRANZ appraised and developed to handle the toughest of New Zealand’s weather conditions. It also meets the New Zealand Building Code requirements and provides peace of mind thanks to its impressive durability, achieved with:
Dimensional stability
With changes in weather temperatures, building structures and deck substrates (especially plywood) contract and expand. This movement can cause splitting and leaking in other membrane systems. This is alleviated with Dec-K-ing’s latitudinal robustness through the reinforced mesh scrim embedded in the sheet and heat-weldable seam technology.
Puncture resistance
Viking Dec-K-ing is the same product that was developed for deck surfaces of pleasure craft boats, for handling regular rugged treatment from fishing rods, petrol tanks, and even anchors. Accordingly, the above-mentioned polyester reinforcing mesh scrim provides the membrane sheet with extremely high resistance to puncturing – ideally suited to a deck surface that families can live on.
Wear resistance
The embossed vinyl surface of a Viking Dec-K-ing Membrane provides a hard-wearing surface made to forgive the kind of scraping and scuffing that comes from the movement of barbeques, pot plants, umbrella stands, tables and chairs to name a few.
UV resistance
Viking Dec-K-ing has been performing well against New Zealand’s harsh UV since the early 1990s.
Installing Dec-K-ing for your next residential or commercial project
Viking Dec-K-ing can be installed over treated flooring-grade plywood (minimum 17mm thick), concrete and fibre cement.
“We have very specific substrate preparation checklists on our website and the approved applicators that we supply these materials through all have copies of these and are licensed to install the product,” says Sutton.
“One of the challenges with a deck membrane as opposed to a roofing membrane is that, unlike a roofing membrane which is predominantly unseen, a deck membrane is something that is viewed every day by the building owners. This means it needs to be 100 per cent right, so one of the most important parts is that substrate preparation.”
If you’re looking for an aesthetic, durable, waterproof deck membrane that provides the ultimate underfoot finish, get in touch with Viking Roofspec to learn more about Dec-K-ing and explore recent projects using the product on ArchiPro.