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Riv
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# Posted: 24 Mar 2021 12:24pm
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Hello friends....Any Advice??
I have to rebuild my Covered/Screened-in porch - small log cabin built in early 1910's. 3 Season Camp.
Will frame using pressure treated. The problem I have is with the flooring. I want real wood - not pressure treated or composit. Having a hard time finding some suitable product - can't use Cedar due to family allergy issues.
I have found a supply of 4/4 5" & 6" x 8' Sapele. I know it's a bit extravagant but it looks great. Porch is 12' x 8'. Square cut.
My question.
The Sapele is K/Dried. I don't want to install with gaps between the boards and will surface attach with stainless steel screws and use plugs to cover. S
Can I do this without leaving gaps on install? Sapele is a stable hardwood - I shouldn't expect much swelling of the wood floor in Maine- I would assume more shrinkage but I think that should be negligible as well on a 12 x 8 porch? It's a Covered/protected porch with little direct sunlight/tree cover.
Anyone have any advice as to how to lay this down? This is stressing me the heck out!!!
Thanks in advance!
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Brettny
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# Posted: 24 Mar 2021 03:49pm
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I would allow for gaps. If your porch isnt enclosed I think your asking for pooling water problems with no gaps. This will cause your boards to swell and rot.
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Riv
Member
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# Posted: 24 Mar 2021 04:55pm
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Hi thank you!
It is a covered screened-in porch. You would still recommend a gap?
thanks
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 24 Mar 2021 04:56pm - Edited by: ICC
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I've used sapele for furniture, window casings and trim. It dulls cutting edges more than the usual woods we use. The grain is interlocked enough to make some tasks difficult to pull off without tearout. It is slightly harder than white oak and has a higher modulus of elasticity so does have some desirable characteristics for a floor. Be aware that like most tropical hardwoods it will darken with age. That can hide some of the attractiveness of the grain pattern over time. In furniture uses the darkening can be slowed with the use of a clear coat that contains UV inhibitors. That would require too much maintenance for me on an outdoor floor.
A screened porch is more outdoors than indoors, I think you might run into a problem with expansion and shrinking if it was nailed or screwed down tight. Sapele is quite dimensionally stable but wood is wood. It moves with moisture changes. Then as brettny mentioned there is the question of what will happen if rain is blown in the porch.
We've used Ipe for some outdoor decking projects. It is even harder, denser, and even more resistant to rot and dulls cutting edges faster. We mostly installed it with a 3/32" spacing. The decking looks even better if installed with the clips that hide the fasteners. No need to mess with plugging screw holes.
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Irrigation Guy
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# Posted: 24 Mar 2021 07:43pm
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My parents have an 150 year old house with a covered porch. It was built pitched away from the house with the joists running parallel with the front of the house and the t&g decking perpendicular to the house. It is painted and the water runs off of it. It is a classic look.
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Riv
Member
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# Posted: 24 Mar 2021 07:54pm
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Thank you so much for the great info!
It looks like I'm going to use some fasteners that will provide a 1/8" gap. I guess I can deal with that. The wood I'm using is square cut and a 1/8" gap is pretty small so if it helps keep the porch healthy then so be it.
Now my concern is bugs.
The gap in the boards will partially negate the screened in porch effectiveness so being in Maine I assume I should probably lay a screen down before I begin the flooring? Does this sound right?
Thank you!
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 24 Mar 2021 08:42pm
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That is what I would do. We have a gazebo built like that.
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 24 Mar 2021 09:12pm
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Or like Irrigation Guy posted... build the floor framing with a slight slope to the outside. Now that he mentioned that old house with a porch I do recall that is how a few porch floors on old homes around here were built. It doesn't take much slope to make the water run.
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 24 Mar 2021 09:13pm
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What sort of a finish? Oiled,... ??
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Brettny
Member
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# Posted: 25 Mar 2021 07:26am
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Even 50yr old pine is far superior than almost anything available today. You cant really compair an old wood like that to today's "white wood".
You may also look into locust boards. Usualy this is rough dawn for fences. You may want to plane it but with only a 12x8' porch your not talking about alot of boards. Locust is very hard, rot resistant and prob available at a local sawmill. I wouldnt go to a big box store for any of the woods mentioned for porch flooring.
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ketchgould
Member
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# Posted: 25 Mar 2021 09:48am
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I have oiled Sapele in our sailboat. It looks great with one coat of wiped on Amazon oil each year. You can put a sweating glass on it and the oil repels the water.
I found that the wood does chip out a bit when milled.
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Bruces
Member
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# Posted: 25 Mar 2021 03:11pm
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Try some Brazilian Hardwood decking ,there is several different varieties and they are a fantastic product
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Riv
Member
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# Posted: 31 Mar 2021 06:04am
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Hi, thank you everyone!
Can I ask another question?
Has anyone ever done a random board width porch floor?
I have access to 8’ length and various width hardwood boards. I love the look (the cabin is over 100 years old) and I think the look harkens to days-gone-by. Just concerned about construction and longevity.... because why not find something else to stress about, right? Lol
Curious on the experience of others with this kind of porch floors.
Thanks again!
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Riv
Member
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2021 10:53am - Edited by: Riv
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Hello Everyone!
I finally finished rebuilding my covered porch! Thank you to all who provided advice!!
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Riv
Member
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2021 11:00am
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Hello Everyone!
I finally finished rebuilding my covered porch! Thank you to all who provided advice!!
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lookingout.jpg
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Nobadays
Member
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2021 11:04am
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Looks great! Love the random width decking!
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Fanman
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2021 07:56pm
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Very nice!
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fiftyfifty
Member
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# Posted: 21 Aug 2021 11:26am
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really lovely
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NorthRick
Member
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# Posted: 21 Aug 2021 11:43am
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What a perfect place for your morning coffee!
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Grizzlyman
Member
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# Posted: 23 Aug 2021 03:09pm
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Wow. That’s a beauty!
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Riv
Member
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# Posted: 25 Aug 2021 08:07am
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Thank you to:
Nobadays,
Fanman,
fiftyfity,
NorthRick
and Grizzlyman!
I appreciated the kind comments!
Cheers!
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