What type of threshold should I use to prevent water damage from my sliding door to the deck, and how can I replace the yellow plastic trim?
Asked by Hélèna Noel 
2 weeks ago
Last Updated: May 7, 2024
I just bought a new house and the deck needs some serious TLC. Any ideas on the type of threshold I should use for the sliding door to prevent water from leaking into the ledger board? Also, any tips on replacing the yellow plastic trim would be awesome. Thanks in advance!
Are the ledger board and brick properly sealed together? Was the LB securely attached to the brick? Can you provide additional information and photos?
Mentioned that she doesn’t believe the ledger board has been properly flashed.
Hey Mark, I would suggest looking into that and also checking if the LB is simply bolted onto the brick. If it is directly on the brick, you should see how it’s connected to the house framing. The responses to those questions will determine your next moves because just placing a threshold on top won’t be enough if it’s not properly flashed and bolted.
There are wide black sticky flashing strips made for the bottom of windows. By removing a few deck boards, that material can adhere to your house and the ledger board. After that, you can reattach the decking. It’s more user-friendly than traditional flashing.
It seems they have trim available for a transition strip 😳😳😳
Definitely did that
Mark, if you’re able to lift up a few deck boards, you can add metal flashing before reinstalling them.
Based on my observations, it seems like you require a new patio door. Additionally, you should consider removing two rows of decking boards to fix the ledger board. The yellow trim for transitions is unnecessary.
Jimmy Germain, when you mention repairing the ledger board, are you talking about simply adding flashing?
No, remove it and ensure that water can flow down the brick to the ground.
Replace the slider with a limestone cap. Repair the sill and add a limestone cap. Reinstall the door correctly using flashing tape and caulk.
What’s the worry about the ledger board getting wet? Isn’t it made of treated lumber like the deck boards?
I don’t know, everyone keeps saying it requires some kind of flashing on it.
As long as it’s treated lumber and there is air circulation between the house and the ledger(usually a metal washer or two) it would react to water no differently than the deck boards. Seems like the ledger is attached to brick facia. I would be more worried about a ledger board if it were sealed so tightly that there was no circulation, stagnant humid environment would not be good even for treated wood.
I would personally consider removing that strip completely and only keeping a small gap between the brick and the wood. As long as the threshold is draining properly and not leaking into the house, it should be okay.
It appears that there is damaged brick behind the ledger. Remove the trim, and cover the sill with a metal or aluminum drip edge, then caulk against the door sill. If the ledger was attached to the brick and caused cracks, consider filling the voids with some mortar.