|
By Dave and Mary
Wood Porch Flooring
Wood porch flooring is the most popular material for porch floors.
I am partial to wood floors, especially tongue and groove decking, because I love woodworking.
You probably didn't know all of the wood options you have when either building a new porch or renovating an old one.
If you're exploring wood porch floors, we have helpful information here for you
Here's a traditional wooden front porch floor
From the typical Southern yellow pine to exotic's like Ipe, there's a wood flooring to fit any budget or design.
Many people like to paint their floors, too. Let's sort through the wood porch flooring options first.
Southern Yellow Pine
Southern Yellow Pine (SYP) lumber has been popular since the days of George Washington.
Most of us know it from building decks.
- Pressure treated decking is usually SYP and is the most popular choice for building professionals.
In fact,about 85% of all pressure-treated lumber in the U.S. is SYP because it's cellular structure permits deep penetration of preservatives.
- SYP can be painted or stained. Note however, that different species of SYP will take stain a little differently.
My experience has been to make sure you acquire the lumber you need from the same lot so that you minimize any differences.
Southern yellow pine porch decking being installed on new front porch
Ipe
Ipe, (pronounced ee-pay), is another great wood porch flooring and is believed to be the best wood for exterior use.
Ipe is found in the tropics and the Lesser Antilles and can grow to over 140 feet.
Color ranges from olive brown to black and often has striping.
It is a very strong, dense wood, has high durability, and is resistant to splintering or cracking.
It naturally resists decay, insects, and mold and therefore does not need the use of chemicals to control these.
Ipe's other great feature as a wood porch flooring material is that it is also fire resistant.
Because of its density, use premium carbide blades.
Ipe Wood Porch Flooring
photo courtesy of rdo_jeep
Tigerwood
Tigerwood is incredibly beautiful and is used for both interior and exterior applications.
Tigerwood is found from Mexico throughout Central America to Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia.
It is used for everything from musical instruments to porch flooring because it readily accepts stains.
Similar to rosewood, Tigerwood comes in colors from dark red to reddish brown and has been known to be laced with black and brown stripes.
Along with being very strong it has a lustrous look that appears oily. It also is resistant to insects and termites.
Take note that Tigerwood is somewhat difficult to work with especially if you are using hand tools.
You will find it dulls blades rather quickly. You'll want to use premium carbide blades and pre-drill and countersink any holes.
Tigerwood porch flooring
Angel's Heart
Angel Heart is a super alternative to cedar and treated pine as it is
stronger, aesthetically more pleasing, takes stain easily and is easier to use than other hardwoods.
It is yellow to light tan in color with dark red and brown tones. It is also very durable, resistant to rot and termites.
Angel's Heart trees grow to heights over 100 feet and are found in the Brazilian Amazon region.
Angel's heart is easy to work with. Pre-drill and countersink holes when using screws.
Angel's heart wood
Mahogany
Mahogany is found throughout central and South America to include some Caribbean islands.
Mahogany, like Ipe and Tigerwood is strong and dense and is as hard as teak.
It also has the least amount of knots of other decking materials.
Mahogany porch floor and balustrade
Photo courtesy of rdo_jeep
It's rot resistance is one of its best features, so much so, that mahogany was used in boat making until replace by fiberglass.
This especially makes mahogany a great wood porch flooring material for porches located along the coasts or in rainy or humid locales.
Colors range from tan to auburn brown. Because of mahogany's density, pre-drill holes for either screws or
nails as you risk splintering. Using screws will alleviate nail popping.
Cedar-Western Red Cedar
Another wood porch flooring material is cedar. It is noted for it's beauty and durability.
Colors range from mellow ambers, to reddish and sienna browns. Red cedar is naturally resistant to decay and insects due to inherent oils.
You need not treat red cedar unless it is in contact with the ground.
It has less than half the swelling characteristics of other softwoods and tends to lie flat and stay straight.
If maintained properly red cedar can last for many years and is ideal for porches in all exposures.
Cedar comes in four different varieties for flooring: Architect Clear for the discriminating porch floor
enthusiast to Custom Knotty which is less expensive.
Western red cedar decking
Redwood
Redwood is usually the choice for many landscape architects.
It's beauty combined with it's ability to resist shrinking, warping, or cracking in addition to inherent resistance
to decay and insects make this an easy choice.
Redwood stays flat and straight which makes it ideal for porch flooring.
It retains finishes well due to its open cell structure or can be left to weather naturally to a driftwood grey.
It is also one of the most maintenance-free flooring materials.
Redwood decking
Here are other exotic woods (in alphabetical order) that are also used for porch decking.
Let us know if you want more information on any of these.
* Amendoim * Andiroba * Angelim Pedra * Bloodwood * Cambara * Cherry * Curupau * Dark Cumaru * Douglas Fir * Cumaru * Garapa * Guajara * Jatoba * Kurupayra * Lapacho * Maple * Massaranduba * Morado * Mahogany Meranti * Purpleheart * Red Oak * Santos Mahogany * Sucupira * Tarara * Tiete Rosewood * Timborana * Virola * White Oak
Wood to Stone Decks Option
See how easy it is to convert your existing elevated wooden decking to stone, bricks, or other materials.
Hi! We're Mary and Dave, lifelong DIYers, high school sweethearts, and we both love porches.
You've come to the right place for thousands of porch ideas.
Our Sponsors
End Sponsors
|
Hi! We're Mary and Dave, lifelong DIYers, high school sweethearts, and we both love porches.
You've come to the right place for thousands of porch ideas.
--- Our Sponsors ---
--- End Sponsors ---
Our Newsletter, Front Porch Appeal
Learn more!
Thank you for being here!
|
