Deck coating and waterproofing
Decks & walkways
Read more
Floor & Deck Coatings in Frederick & Central MD
Balcony waterproofing
On a balcony over living space the coating is not a floor finish. It is the roof of the room below.
Licensed & insuredFree written estimatesFrederick-based crewClean-site guarantee
Quick answer
Can we still use the balcony door while the work is going on?
Usually not for the two or three days the system is going down, because the threshold detail is part of the work and the membrane has to cure undisturbed. We will tell you the exact window at the estimate so you can plan around it, and on a multi-balcony building we sequence the work so no unit loses its only access.
The work
What balconies actually involves.
An elevated balcony is a flat roof that people stand on, and it should be thought about that way. The membrane across it is the only thing between weather and the framing, drywall and paint of whatever is underneath, which is why a failed balcony coating turns into a far larger bill than the coating ever was. Replacing a worn system is a maintenance job. Replacing it after the framing has gone soft is a construction job.
Almost no balcony fails in the middle of the field. They fail at the details: the upstand where the deck meets the wall, the termination under the door threshold, the scupper or drain, the edge at the fascia, and the junction with any railing post that penetrates the surface. A system rolled flat across the open area and feathered out at the perimeter has no chance, because the perimeter is where water arrives and sits.
So the work starts with finding out where water is getting in before anything is specified. That means looking at the slope — a balcony has to shed water and plenty do not — the condition of the flashing behind the upstand, the height of the membrane relative to the door sill, and whether the drain is actually draining. Sometimes the answer changes the job: a balcony with no fall, or with framing already wet, needs that resolved first, and we will say so rather than coat over it.
Edges, drains and thresholds detailed properly
Flashing and door sill checked, not assumed
We repair the damage below as well
What balconies costs in Maryland
Deck and balcony figures are national ranges — no Maryland residential deck-coating contractor publishes pricing, and we would rather say that than present a national number as a local one. Detailing and access drive the real price.
- Balcony waterproofing system
- $6 – $22 per square foot
- Typical 200–300 sq ft balcony
- $1,800 – $4,000
- Removing an existing failed system
- $2 – $5 per square foot
- Upstand, flashing and threshold detailing
- $18 – $45 per linear foot
- Drain or scupper detailed into the system
- $200 – $600 each
- Structural investigation where framing is suspect
- quoted after opening up
Ranges, not quotes. Real numbers come from a walkthrough — access, condition, height and finish level move a price more than square footage does. Estimates are free and in writing.
Get your numberFull balconies cost guide for MarylandPrefer to just talk?
Call and describe the job. You’ll get a straight answer on whether it’s something we do and roughly what it runs.
(301) 524-1729
Self-performed
Balcony waterproofing
What’s included
Everything the balconies scope actually covers.
Written into the estimate, not assumed. If something on your job is not on this list, it gets priced and named before anyone starts.
Finding the leak path before specifying
01Slope checked, flashing behind the upstand inspected, drains tested, railing penetrations examined, and the door threshold detail assessed. A coating specified without knowing where the water is getting in is a guess with a warranty on it.
Upstands and wall junctions built up
02The membrane turned up the wall to a proper height and terminated behind or under flashing rather than stopped at the slab edge. This single detail accounts for more balcony leaks than the whole open field of the deck does.
Door thresholds and sill height
03The relationship between finished coating height and the door sill resolved properly, with the membrane dressed under the threshold where it can be. A membrane that finishes above the sill line sends water indoors by design.
Drains, scuppers and the fall
04Drains and scuppers detailed into the system with the membrane dressed into them, and the fall across the deck checked. Where there is no fall we will tell you — a flat balcony holds water and no coating survives standing water indefinitely.
Railing posts and penetrations
05Every penetration through the surface detailed individually. Posts bolted down through a finished membrane are a standing leak, and the correct sequence is to detail them as part of the system rather than after it.
Reinforcement where it moves
06Fabric or fleece reinforcement embedded at joints, cracks and transitions so the membrane can accommodate movement without splitting. A rigid film over a moving joint tears along it, usually in the first winter.
On the job
Floor & Deck Coatings work across Frederick & Central MD.
What the trade looks like at each stage. Photos of our own recent jobs come out at the walkthrough, on the actual house.
Straight answers
Balconies questions
Not covered here? Call and ask — you’ll get a real answer, not a “depends on the job”.
Almost always yes, and this is worth understanding. Tile on a balcony is a wearing surface laid over a membrane, and if the balcony is leaking the membrane under the tile is what failed. Recoating the tile surface does nothing for it. The tile comes up, the substrate gets assessed, a new system goes on, and tile can go back over it if you want that look.
It depends entirely on your governing documents, and the split is commonly that the structure is the association's and the surface finish is the owner's, which is exactly the ambiguity a leaking balcony lands in. We will quote the work either way and we are happy to put the findings in writing in a form you can take to the board, because that is usually what resolves it.
Then that gets fixed first and it is not a coating job. We will open it up, show you what is there, and tell you plainly whether it is repairable carpentry or whether a structural member has gone and needs an engineer. Putting a new membrane over compromised framing hides the problem and makes the eventual repair worse, and we will not do it.
Same crew, same visit
The rest of the floor & deck coatings work.
Most floor & deck coatings jobs are two or three of these at once, which is why they are priced and scheduled together rather than as separate call-outs.
From the field
Read up before you book.
Longer answers than a quote page has room for — how the work fails, what putting it right actually involves, and when waiting is the honest call.
Sources worth your time
Check us, and check the work
None of these are ours. They are the offices and standards bodies that set the rules we work to, so you can verify what we say rather than take it.
IIBEC — building enclosure consultants
How to find an independent roof consultant who does not sell roofs. Worth the fee on a disputed insurance claim or a large or unusual roof, and we will say so rather than ask you to take our word for it.
OpenMaryland Home Improvement Commission
Check any Maryland contractor's licence before you sign. Ours is on file with the Commission.
OpenFrederick County permits and inspections
The county office that decides whether your job needs a permit. Routine gutter work does not; structural and roof work usually does.
Open
Talk to the people doing the work
Get a straight number for the whole job.
Tell us what needs doing. We’ll walk it with you, sequence every trade it touches, put the price in writing, and leave you to decide.
Get a quote
Let’s price your project.
Two short steps. No obligation, no pressure — just a clear number and a straight answer about what the job involves.
Tick as many as you like. Most jobs are two or three of them at once, and I sort out the detail when I come and look. Nobody gets turned away for choosing the wrong box.
