Rail Support System for Porcelain Planks on Roof Decks & Balconies
Building elevated decks with narrow plank style porcelain pavers less than 16” wide where they are laid directly over adjustable height pedestals, is generally neither cost effective nor advisable. With an aluminum rail support system however, the number of pedestals required is greatly reduced, the installation is quicker and the overall stability of the installation is enhanced.
Shock Protection
In situations where hard objects could be accidentally dropped on porcelain planks from a significant height or where deck heights are greater than 4”, appropriate reinforcement sheets or protection plates should be installed on the underside of porcelain planks. At present we are only able to offer ‘Shock Control 2.0’ Adhesive Sheets to attach to the underside of 12” wide planks.
For commercial high traffic applications using narrow porcelain planks, we recommend using pedestal supported FRP grating to support porcelain planks.
Installation Guidelines
Note that the aluminum rail will add 25mm (1”) to the height of the paver support so if a pedestal such as our NM is used to support the rails, the surface height of the deck with a 2cm paver will be 2 ¾” min.
Archatrak ‘NM’ or ‘Prime’ pedestals are placed over the substrate at 24” intervals in both directions.
Aluminum rails are positioned on the head of the pedestals and locked in place with head caps.
Sliding spacer clips are inserted in a channel between the dual tubes.
A self-adhesive rubber strip is run along the top of each of the tubes of the rail profile.
Pavers are placed so that both ends are situated over the rails and separated by the spacer tabs.
Key Benefits of Rail Support Systems
increased stability
greater resistance to sideways movement of pavers
more flexibility to use pavers of different widths and lengths
less pedestals required with narrower plank style pavers
may avoid the need for perimeter containment
Components
- Tubular aluminum in a ‘double joist’ configuration provides the basic support.
- A 6.5mm wide channel between the tube profiles allows clips with paver spacer tabs to be secured to the profiles. Holes are cut in the channel to allow water to drain freely.
- A self-adhesive rubber strip is rolled out along the top of the two tubes to reduce noise transmission between the pavers and the rails.
