What is a 'Seamless' or 'Flushed Seam' vinyl installation?

Vinyl rolls come in either 6 foot or 4.5 foot rolls. On most decks this means that two sheets or more are going to have to be joined together in order to cover the entire surface of the deck. This is done by using an industrial heat gun to 'weld' the back of one PVC sheet to the surface of the other. To keep the manufactures warranty intact, this overlap needs to be a minimum 3/4 of in inch, resulting in a doubled up layer across the deck. This join is higher then the rest of the vinyl (you may have noticed these lines running through the vinyl decks you have seen). The height of this join for some is an ugly detail, but beyond appearances, it can trap water, dirt, and can be a catch point for furniture and snow shovel...with the risk of opening the seam.

To get around this a 'flushed seam' detail is used. We recess the overlap height into the plywood with a carefully planned router and guide method, sinking the vinyl into wood, leaving a nice level surface.


Care must be taken not to overlap, getting a ridge, or make the overlap too little, getting a trough. When done well, this detail ads functionality and a much sharper look to the final product. We offer flushed seams as a standard detail on many of our installs.

I hope this helps you in deciding what process you want to undergo with your vinyl deck. If you want to hire us to get the job done, please don't hesitate to contact me. 

Thanks for looking!

-Justin Carter
http://www.vinyldecksbycloak.com
Visit our website
Location: Coquitlam, BC V3J 3X8, Canada

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