How to Build a Deck Over a Concrete Patio

The ultimate solution for a hopeless slab

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Time

Multiple Days

Complexity

Intermediate

Cost

Varies

Introduction

Is your old concrete patio an eyesore? You can avoid the cost and mess of tearing it out by just screwing down wood sleepers and decking over it.

Tools Required

  • Circular saw
  • Drill/driver - cordless
  • Hammer drill
  • Level
  • Miter saw

Materials Required

  • 1/2-in. thick PVC trim
  • 3/16 x 3 1/4-in. concrete screws
  • Decking
  • Flashing tape
  • Plastic shims
  • Self-leveling compound
  • Treated 2x4s

Before! A Badly Damaged Concrete Deck Slab

cracked concrete Family Handyman

This was the ultimate bad patio: severely cratered and cracked concrete, some areas raised by frost, others sunken after 50 years of settling. Originally, it was tiled, then the tile was chiseled off and the pockmarked surface got a coat of paint. Luckily, we’ve got some great outdoor flooring ideas over concrete, starting with building a deck!

A slab with this much damage can’t be fixed. But it can be covered up—and this article will show you how. The results look just like a deck, but getting them is much easier and less expensive than building a deck from scratch. In most cases, this project is also less expensive than a new patio installed by a contractor. Local contractors estimated costs in the thousands to remove this patio and pour a new concrete slab. You could probably replace your patio yourself for less than the cost of this project, but DIY demolition and concrete pours are big, backbreaking jobs.

Will It Work On Your Patio?

Even if your patio is in terrible shape, you can deck over it. Cracks, craters and seasonal movement along cracks are no problem. But beware of these three situations:

  • If an area is badly cracked and sinks noticeably year after year, any decking you put over it will also sink and develop a low spot. In most cases, settling concrete stops sinking eventually, so delay this project until it does.
  • This project raises the level of your patio by 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 inches (depending on the thickness of your decking and whether or not you put spacers under the sleepers). So any door thresholds adjoining the patio must be at least that far above the concrete. If not, this project won’t work for you. If you live in a climate where the ground freezes, allow an extra 1/2-inch so that seasonal “frost heave” can raise the slab without damaging the threshold.
  • Stairs connected to the patio can complicate this project. To keep step heights equal, you’ll have to raise the treads by the same distance you raise the patio (2-1/2-to 3-1/2-inches). On concrete steps, that’s a straightforward job: You can treat them just like the patio, screwing sleepers to the treads and risers and decking over them.

Project step-by-step (16)

Step 1

Building a Patio Deck Over Concrete: Time, Money and Tools

building a patioFamily Handyman

Time: Building a deck over a patio typically takes a weekend or two. This patio took much more time—five long days. That’s partly because it’s a big one (14 x 28 ft.). The grid pattern formed with different-colored decking also added a few hours to the job. But the biggest time factor was the unevenness of the patio surface. All those ridges and sunken spots meant hours of tedious shimming under the sleepers to form a flat surface for the decking (see Photo 3).

Cost: The cost of building a patio deck depends mostly on the decking you choose. Decking ranges from about $2.50 per sq. ft. for treated wood to more than $12 per sq. ft. for a top-grade manufactured product. The other materials for this project add up to about $2.50 per sq. ft., so your total cost could be anywhere from $5 to $15 per sq. ft. For looks and durability, we used two different colors of composite decking, but there are less expensive alternatives.

Tools: Aside from standard carpentry tools, you’ll need a hammer drill for this project. You can get a hammer drill for less than $60 that will do the job. But consider spending $100 or more. Even a very small patio will require more than 50 holes, and a more powerful drill will make that chore a lot easier. Also consider buying an impact driver. Impact drivers pack a lot more torque than standard drills or drivers and will drive concrete fasteners much better. Most models are cordless, but you can still find inexpensive corded models online.

Materials: Aside from the decking, here’s an estimate of what you’ll need to cover 100 sq. ft. of patio. Exact quantities depend on the shape of your patio and the layout of the decking.

  • 90 linear ft. of treated 2×4
  • 90 linear ft. of flashing tape
  • Sixty 3/16” x 3-1/4” concrete screws
  • 1/2”-thick PVC trim or deck fascia (for spacers), plastic shims, 3/16-in. masonry drill bits (minimum drilling depth of 3-1/2 in.)
Step 2

Start With a Layout

plan patio layoutFamily Handyman

The layout of your deck sleepers will depend on the layout of your decking. If you want a standard decking design—all the deck boards running one direction—all you need are rows of parallel sleepers. If you want a more complicated decking pattern, like the one in this project, you’ll need doubled sleepers to support any boards that run perpendicular to the others (see Figure A). We also installed sleepers to support the steps we later added to the concrete stoop.

Step 3

Solve Water Problems First

concrete patio levelingFamily Handyman

This corner of the patio had settled by more than two inches over the years. That meant a big reservoir after rain—and a wet basement. So we filled the reservoir with exterior-grade self-leveling compound. After the first batch hardened, we poured on a thin coat and gave it a slight slope so water would run away from the house.

Self-leveling compound hardens fast, so you can get on with the project. But it’s also expensive. If you’re not in a rush, you can get similar results for less than one-third the cost with concrete topping mix such as Sakrete Top ‘n Bond.

We also took a couple of other water-fighting steps. To prevent water from seeping down along the foundation, we caulked the gap between the patio and the house. At the other end of the patio, a corner of the slab had sunk slightly below the level of the soil and rainwater pooled there. To correct that, we shaved off the sod with a spade, dug out a couple of inches of soil and replaced the sod.

Step 4

Tips for Working with Sleepers

Screwing down sleepers with concrete screws is simple, but there are some things to keep in mind:

  • Screws should penetrate the concrete by at least one inch, so 3-1/4-inch screws are perfect. In low spots, where we had to stack up shims, we switched to 3-3/4- inch screws.
  • As you drill, dust compresses around the drill bit. That slows you down, strains your drill and overheats the bit. To clear the dust, pull the bit completely out of the hole once or twice while drilling each hole.
  • Drill the holes 1/4- to 1/2-inch deeper than the screw will reach. Extra-depth provides a space for dust and grit, so screws are easier to drive.
  • Have extra drill bits on hand. As a bit wears, it doesn’t just drill more slowly; it also bores a slightly smaller hole and screws become harder to drive. We replaced each bit after about 40 holes. When all the sleepers are screwed down, take a few minutes to double-check for flatness. Set a four-foot straightedge on each sleeper, both across it and along it. If you find spots that are 1/16-inch or more out-of-plane, back out the screw and add or remove shims.
Step 5

Lay the Sleepers and Predrill for Concrete Screws

patio deck sleeper spacerFamily Handyman

The sleepers don’t have to be level; they can follow the slope of your patio. But they do need to form a flat plane. If your patio is in good shape, you’ll get a flat plane automatically. If your patio has ridges and sunken areas, you’ll spend lots of time fussing with shims.

To preview the situation, lay a straight board across the patio in a few spots. Look for the highest hump in the patio and fasten your first sleeper there. Then work outward from the high spot, adding sleepers and checking for flatness along each sleeper and across them. Add shims to raise low spots.

Drill through sleepers, spacers and into the concrete with a hammer drill, then drive in concrete screws. Overhang the sleepers along one edge of the patio and trim them to exact length later.

Step 6

Screw Down and Flatten the Sleepers

patio deck shimFamily Handyman

Check for flatness with a straightedge. Raise low spots with shims. At high spots, skip the spacer; stack up shims instead.

Step 7

Why Use Spacers?

You could lay your sleepers directly on the concrete, but we bought a 1/2-inch- thick PVC trim board and cut spacer blocks from it. Here’s why:

  • Spacers let you run sleepers parallel to the house so decking can run perpendicular to the house (if that’s what you prefer). A patio typically slopes away from the house so that water runs off. If you run sleepers parallel to the house and set them directly on the concrete, each sleeper will block runoff. But with spacers, water can run under the sleepers.
  • Spacers allow for longer decking screws. We wanted to use Cortex screws, which come with cover plugs made from the same material as the decking. They’re easy to use and almost invisible. But they’re 2-3/4-inch long; that’s too long to sink into our decking if we use sleepers only.
  • Spacers let the sleepers dry out. If kept damp, common grades of treated wood will eventually rot. Spacers keep the sleepers off the damp concrete so they can dry.
Step 8

Install the Decking

lay deckingFamily Handyman

Before decking, we covered the sleepers with flashing tape. Without it, water soaks the tops of the sleepers and the decking prevents the wood from drying. Common grades of treated lumber will rot if kept permanently damp, and flashing tape is the best insurance against that.

Installing deck boards over sleepers is just like installing them over standard deck framing. We began with the darker “accent” boards, screwing them into place temporarily to act as guides for the “field” boards. When we reached the end of the deck, we removed the center divider board and cut it to final length. Then we removed and mitered the border boards and trimmed the sleepers to final length.

To cover the ends of the sleepers, we used a deck “fascia” board made from 1/2-inch-thick PVC. We cut the fascia into strips and screwed them to the sleepers.

Step 9

Keeping it Simple: More Ways to Improve a Patio

If you’re a beginning DIYer, don’t let all the details on our deck scare you away. Your project can be a whole lot easier if you choose a simple deck design. The simpler you can make your deck plan, the faster and cheaper it will be to build.

Whether your patio is in bad shape or just bland, there are many ways to revive it. But before you weigh the options shown below, there’s one thing to consider…

The crack factor: Cracks in your patio drastically limit your options. That’s because cracks tend to move. Some grow wider over time, while others shrink and widen as the soil freezes and thaws. Some become uneven as one side of the crack sinks. Any movement happens so slowly that it’s hard to detect. But if you know—or even think—that you have moving cracks, you have to choose a patio upgrade that can “float” over moving cracks without becoming damaged.

Step 10

Bury It Under Pavers

brick paver patioFamily Handyman

Concrete slabs provide a firm, stable base for pavers. Cover the slab with a thin layer of sand and install pavers over the concrete patio. The results look like a standard paver patio. It’s a fairly simple project and the cost is reasonable, but expect a weekend or two of arduous labor.

Step 11

Hide it Under a Rug

patio rugFamily Handyman

The quickest way to hide damaged concrete—or just add color—is with an outdoor rug. They’re available in a huge range of colors, designs and prices. The largest rugs are typically 9 x 12 ft. That may not cover your entire patio, but just covering most of an ugly patio makes a huge difference.

Step 12

Snap-Together Tiles

snap together wooden deck panels Family Handyman

Interlocking plastic tiles simply snap together; no need to fasten them to the patio. Less expensive versions are plastic only. Others are topped with wood, ceramic or stone. (Ceramic or stone tiles require a flat surface—they may crack if installed over ridges or depressions.)

Step 13

Projects for a Crack-Free Patio

If your patio isn’t cracked, you could choose any of the options below or stain, tile or resurface the concrete.

Step 14

Stain it

Family Handyman

A coat of stain on your concrete patio followed by a coat of sealer transforms the patio in a matter of days and is one of the least expensive options available. But there are downsides: You’ll have to reseal every one to three years and may eventually have to restain it. Also, the stain won’t hide damage, and any repairs will likely show through the stain.

Step 15

Tile it

tile patioFamily Handyman

A concrete patio is a great foundation for tile. And tile is a great way to turn a bland patio into a showpiece. The cost depends mostly on the tile you choose; the project could cost $4 per sq. ft. or four times that. Freezing water can destroy outdoor tile, so if you live in a climate that freezes, pay extra attention to the details.

Step 16

Resurface it

resurface concreteFamily Handyman

With a coat of resurfacer, you can make an old patio look like new concrete quickly and cheaply. Just mix the cement-based powder with water and spread it over the patio. You can repair cracks and resurface over them, but the cracks may return. Quikrete Re-Cap Concrete Resurfacer and Sakrete Flo-Coat are two common brands.