Where It Fits in the Assembly
Elevated exterior spaces often require a compromise. The design intent calls for stone, but structural and budget realities push the project toward wood or composite decking because a concrete slab introduces weight, coordination, and schedule implications.
StoneDeks was developed to remove that compromise. It is a structural deck panel system installed over conventional wood or steel framing that supports natural stone, porcelain, or pavers without requiring a poured slab.
The primary structure remains joists and beams designed to meet code. StoneDeks panels install over that framing and act as a load distributing structural substrate engineered for rigid surface materials. The stone or porcelain becomes the finished walking surface.
From a specification standpoint, StoneDeks functions as a structural deck panel assembly within the exterior floor system. It is designed to meet required live loads, address deflection criteria appropriate for stone, and integrate with drainage and perimeter detailing. It does not replace structural design. It works within it.
What Problem It Solves
Architects frequently encounter projects where a true masonry surface is desired on an elevated platform, but the project cannot support the cost, weight, or sequencing of a structural slab.
StoneDeks provides a middle path. It enables elevated stone surfaces using deck framing rather than full masonry construction, expanding material options without forcing a structural redesign.
The solution is straightforward: frame it like a deck, finish it with stone.
Key Specification Considerations
Design professionals will appropriately evaluate load capacity, deflection performance, code compliance, drainage management, and long term durability. Those concerns are valid and expected.
Clear span tables, tested assembly data, and standard detail drawings are essential to specification confidence. When structural data and detailing guidance are provided upfront, perceived risk decreases and integration into construction documents becomes straightforward.
Differentiation
Wood and composite decking function as exposed finish materials attached to framing. They are flexible surface systems with aesthetic and performance limitations.
StoneDeks is a structural substrate designed to carry rigid masonry finishes. It creates a solid surface feel and allows continuity of material from interior to exterior without requiring a concrete deck.
Concrete slabs remain appropriate in many applications. However, in residential and light commercial projects where weight, access, or phasing make concrete impractical, StoneDeks offers a structurally logical alternative.
The value is not in novelty. The value is in enabling a real stone deck built on standard framing with documentation that supports specification.
