I have a slab front porch with an overhanging roof that completely
covers it. I'd like to dress up the porch by covering the slab with a
wood flooring to make it more like a porch than a patio.

If possible, I'd like the floor to be tight -- no gaps between boards
like you would have on a deck.

I have a little bit of Z-height to work with here, so I was
considering laying down treated furring strips, and then screwing or
gluing flooring planks onto them.

I do intend to paint it all when done.

My concerns include, of course, having the whole thing rot out under
me. I'm also concerned about expansion if I don't have gaps between
boards.

What have others done for this type of project? What type of wood
would make sense for the flooring, both for the furring strips, and
for the flooring itself? Is a gapless approach advisable? I know of
plenty of old houses with porches that have plank floors without gaps,
so there must be some good way to do it...

I appreciate any comments.

Thanks,
Scott

On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:09:28 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I have a slab front porch with an overhanging roof that completely
covers it. I'd like to dress up the porch by covering the slab with a
wood flooring to make it more like a porch than a patio.

If possible, I'd like the floor to be tight -- no gaps between boards
like you would have on a deck.

I have a little bit of Z-height to work with here, so I was
considering laying down treated furring strips, and then screwing or
gluing flooring planks onto them.

I do intend to paint it all when done.

My concerns include, of course, having the whole thing rot out under
me. I'm also concerned about expansion if I don't have gaps between
boards.

What have others done for this type of project? What type of wood
would make sense for the flooring, both for the furring strips, and
for the flooring itself? Is a gapless approach advisable? I know of
plenty of old houses with porches that have plank floors without gaps,
so there must be some good way to do it...

I appreciate any comments.

Thanks,
Scott
Back in the late eighties, I redid the front porch on my 1884 Victorian.
Granted, it was above the ground by about three feet. The material used was
1x3 pressure T&G. It was laid in conventional manner, galvanized finish nails
into each joist (furring strips in your case). The floor was painted with a
coat of KILZ and two coats of semi-gloss porch paint. The area under the floor
was, and still is relatively dry.

Although I no longer own the house, the last time I visited (last year)
everything was still just fine.

You may want to consider a vapor barrier between the flooring and the furring
strips.
__________________
Bill Waller
New Eagle, PA

On Sun, 27 Jul 2008 08:21:28 -0400, Bill Waller
wrote:

On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:09:28 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I have a slab front porch with an overhanging roof that completely
covers it. I'd like to dress up the porch by covering the slab with a
wood flooring to make it more like a porch than a patio.

If possible, I'd like the floor to be tight -- no gaps between boards
like you would have on a deck.

I have a little bit of Z-height to work with here, so I was
considering laying down treated furring strips, and then screwing or
gluing flooring planks onto them.

I do intend to paint it all when done.
2 words - tongue and groove. No gaps, and the wood can still move

My concerns include, of course, having the whole thing rot out under
me. I'm also concerned about expansion if I don't have gaps between
boards.

What have others done for this type of project? What type of wood
would make sense for the flooring, both for the furring strips, and
for the flooring itself? Is a gapless approach advisable? I know of
plenty of old houses with porches that have plank floors without gaps,
so there must be some good way to do it...
Cedar tongue and groove. (or white oak)

I appreciate any comments.

Thanks,
Scott
Back in the late eighties, I redid the front porch on my 1884 Victorian.
Granted, it was above the ground by about three feet. The material used was
1x3 pressure T&G. It was laid in conventional manner, galvanized finish nails
into each joist (furring strips in your case). The floor was painted with a
coat of KILZ and two coats of semi-gloss porch paint. The area under the floor
was, and still is relatively dry.

Although I no longer own the house, the last time I visited (last year)
everything was still just fine.

You may want to consider a vapor barrier between the flooring and the furring
strips.
__________________
Bill Waller
New Eagle, PA



** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

wrote:
I have a slab front porch with an overhanging roof that completely
covers it. I'd like to dress up the porch by covering the slab with a
wood flooring to make it more like a porch than a patio.

How much overhang? Does rain/snow get in?
___________

If possible, I'd like the floor to be tight -- no gaps between boards
like you would have on a deck.

Should be NP, leave 1/2" or so at each outboard long side and cover the gap
with trim.
____________

I have a little bit of Z-height to work with here, so I was
considering laying down treated furring strips, and then screwing or
gluing flooring planks onto them.

Two ways to lay...on top of T&G plywood made for the purpose or on sleepers
as you propose. In either case, put down a visqueen vapor barrier on top of
the concrete.

If you want the edges tight (no gaps) I can't see trying to glue.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

wrote

I appreciate any comments.

I gave up using wood floors on any porches I put on the houses I build (and
they all make liberal use of porches and balconies, some over crawlspaces,
some over slabs, and some, in the case of balconies, over waterproof roofing
membrane).

In lieu thereof, I use a composite material, like "Weatherbest"
http://www.weatherbest.com/ . It can be used just like wood and needs much
less maintenance.

Pressure treated furring strips can be attached to the concrete with
exterior construction adhesive (Liquid Nails works well for this
application), without using any kind of "vapor barrier", and you can butt
the composite 5/4 thick "boards" without having any of the
expansion/contractions problems you will have with wood, it looks like wood,
works like wood, and, if the colors available don't suit you, it paints like
wood ... and it will be there far longer than wood with virtually none of
wood's maintenance issues.

Something to think about.


--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 5/14/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)