Flooring Options – Screen Porch
Hello. I do a screen porch every year or so and have a client that is asking for something that I am positive will be problematic regarding flooring. I work in Metro Boston so you can get an idea of the climate I’m building in. Their parents had a PVC laminate floating floor installed over a conventional subfloor in a screen porch in Maine and I see the problem I suspected when they sent me pictures [attached]. It appears the laminate is degrading [edges peeling up]. I don’t even want to know what the subfloor underneath looks like.
I’ve never seen anyone do this before and when I’ve removed laminate flooring indoors after a water leak, it was a disaster. Can’t imagine years of water getting under a floor like this with anything other than treated or rot-proof materials. And the decorative layer of the floating PVC flooring is peeling. Not a callback to relish.
Q: Am I missing some now approach to this that I am not aware of?
FYI: previous floors in porches I’ve built were PT lumber, composite decking, epoxy, aluminum, tile, concrete, stamped concrete, and/or pavers
Replies
FYI, manufacturers of PVC floating floors stipulate indoor installs. So I'm looking for something that looks like it that I am not aware of.
You are going to be locked into the manufacturer's specifications. Go to a flooring supplier and ask what they have for exterior applications.
My experience with luxury vinyl plank has not been great. It goes down well initialy but the seams open up after a while especially on the ends- and that's in a conditioned space. In an outside application I would think expansion and contraction would be magnified.
Hi Steve. All of those floating floors are not intended for exterior [at least the dozen I checked]. Going to try this - my original recommendation to the client: https://tufdek.com/vinyl-decking/
Similar to floors I've done in the past. Appears to be easier to install as well.
Interesting. I have never seen this stuff before. It looks like a glued down, welded seam, vinyl product similar to stuff used in labs and kitchens.
Let us know how it goes. Some photo's of the install would be cool too.
Will do. Slated for April-ish
Nice topic for discussion.