Does anyone have a good idea for an alternative flooring choice for a screen porch. Currently, I have carpet over 3/4 inch treated plywood over 2×10 treated joists 16 in. o.c. and spanning 11 feet. I am considering tile, but wonder if the framing can support it. What else can I use? Any sheet goods like vinyl?
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Replies
Stamped or stained concrete!
Or more accurately, thin, flexible, lightweight concrete. Like this:
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=91581.1
I am considering tile, but wonder if the framing can support it. What else can I use? Any sheet goods like vinyl?
That floor is plenty strong enough for tile...with the usual thinset/backerboard, thinset/tile application.
You could use sheet vinyl or vinyl tiles of course, directly on the 3/4 ply. Peel and stick vinyl tiles are very quick and easy to install. Also very inexpensive.
Peel and stick vinyl tiles are very quick and easy to install. Also very inexpensive.
BLEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH!
Yer kiddin', right?
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Yer kiddin', right?
He asked about vinyl so I was trying to cover all the possibilities. It's not like he can't look at the stuff and decide for himself if it suits his needs.
Sorry, Hud. I meant to write 'He's kidding, right?' as a joke in response to the OP's screen name, 'Elegant Solution' and the obvious lack of elegance in that particular solution....
Dunno what my fingers were thinkin'. Gimme a dope slap and call it even?
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
A lot of the cabins at Mt. Washington, that get used both summer and winter, have what looks to me like Flexco rubber flooring in their entry porches. I quite like the look.
I'm not familiar with the brand-name Flexco, but I have seen some very robust industrial rubber flooring used on exterior decks at ski centres. If it can stand that kind of traffic, it should be able to stand just about anything.
But whatever the final flooring is, if that porch is exposed to the weather the flooring will have to do one of two things: either allow good drainage so no rot or frost-heave develops under the finish floor, or, if there's finished living space under it, the whole floor assembly must be built like a flat roof: completely waterproof so that no water can get into or through it.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
No problem. In my opinion you were well within your rights to question that suggestion of mine, given that this is a message board which is aimed at better quality products and methods.
I was motivated by a memory of my first attempt at laying a kitchen floor with peel and stick squares, many years ago.
Using that material wasn't my idea but I was able to achieve an impressive enough result in a couple of hours, start to finish.
It was a nice confidence builder for me, as a novice at laying out a floor and cutting it in. I just followed the instruction sheet that was in the box of vinyl tiles...when my employer wasn't in the room. ;-)
Anyway, it's one possible way for any home owner to start, something that can be done in an afternoon with a few simple hand tools, and should serve OK in the situation described.
If and when he decides to replace it with something nicer, the peel and stick tiles can be removed without much effort.
Edited 4/19/2008 12:46 am by Hudson Valley Carpenter
I am considering tile, but wonder if the framing can support it.
Run your floor framing specs through the JohnBridge span calculator and it will tell you if and what kind of tile you can use over that framing. Typically, your subfloor will have to be bumped up to 1¼" thick, but if you have standard ¾" ply in place already, that only means adding a layer of ½".
However: The real problem you might have is not strength, it is weather exposure. You say this is a screened porch, from which I infer that the floor is subject to wind-blown rain and snow. That means your tile job has to be absolutely bombproof, or water will infiltrate it, freeze, expand, and crack your tile job all to hell.
To do it right, you would need the following: 1¼" plywood subfloor over adequate joisting; 'Blueskin' or similar roofing membrane adhered to the subfloor; ½" 'Durock' or similar CBU laid over thinset (for void filling; nothing sticks to the top side of the Blueskin) and screwed on 8" centers through the Blueskin into the subfloor; Ditra tile membrane over the CBU; and finally your tile, grout, and sealer.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
How about fir flooring? That is the traditional porch floor.
Personally, I think you're going in the wrong direction.
As I understand the term, a 'screened porch' is always open to the weather. Even with a roof and some overhang, there's still plenty of opportunity for rain to come in through the screen, plus the slop carried in by your feet. The floor is also usually exposed to quite a bit of sunlight.
I had to face these concerns when I made some window boxes for my cats. In the end, I laid some carpet atop wire shelving; the open underside aids greatly in drying the carpet after a rain.
I'd want to do something similar .... If I couldn't lay the carpet -just lay it, don't glue it - atop expanded metal grating, I'd use a saw to cut lots of slots in the plywood.