The Pros Of Tongue And Groove Porch Flooring
There are several advantages to installing tongue and groove flooring for your porch. The biggest pro is the seamless way the planks fit together, allowing little to no space between each piece. This ensures a smooth finish and keeps the look of the flooring smooth. One of the primary problems with wood is the way it expands and contracts with temperature differences. The way the flooring pieces fit together allows for some movement without allowing spaces to expand and separate as with traditional planks.
Another advantage is the ease of installation. The grooves take the guesswork out of spacing and leave less room for human error. With traditional plank flooring, there is the chance the seams between the boards can shift over time, leaving uneven floors or extremely noticeable gaps.
The Cons Of Tongue And Groove Porch Flooring
Tongue and groove flooring does have a few disadvantages. Once all the pieces have been fit together and secured in place, if a single board needs replacing, this can be difficult if not entirely impossible to do. When trying to make a simple repair, it is quite easy to break off the tongues. Since the wood’s shape can swell and contract, it can be difficult to get all the pieces back together once taken apart.
There are also some worries that tongue and groove flooring fit so closely together with no gaps, allows excess moisture to build up if exposed to too much wetness, such as rain or humidity. For this reason, it is recommended to only use tongue and groove porch flooring on a covered porch or enclosed sunroom unless special attention is taken to weather treat the floor, as well as attend to ongoing maintenance.
How Do You Install Wood Tongue And Groove To A Porch Floor
Begin by laying down felt paper over the surface on which you will be installing your planks or flooring pieces. This gives you a base on which to work. Measure one board width from the wall and snap a chalk line. Make sure the boards are locked into place, then face-nail the first few rows of boards.
Face-nailing is used to hold the boards in place while the installation is in a difficult position to maneuver a nail gun. Once you have several rows down, you are free to go back with a pneumatic nailer and nail into the tongue of each board. Pay close attention to the spacing and ensure the nails are even and uniform.
When it’s time to install the last board, use a circular saw to shape it to fit snugly. Pry the tongue and groove together as tightly as possible at install. Face-nail the final board. If placing trim, nail that at an angle over the final board. Cut the boards around any door openings to fit. Finish by installing any remaining trim.
If you are using snap in place flooring, simply follow the same steps without using nails. Most snap-type tongue and groove boards or tiles come with instructions for install and aren’t the same as tongue and groove in the traditional sense.
Read Also: How To Restore Cast Aluminum Patio Furniture
Can You Paint Tongue And Groove Flooring
Whether or not you can paint your tongue and groove flooring depends on what type of material it is made of. Many kinds of wood do very well with paint, while others do not. For example, if the flooring is made of pine, this can be painted using latex-based paint. If painting your floors, remember to always sand, prime, paint, and seal. All this is best done before installation.
Instead of painting your flooring, we recommend staining or purchasing a flooring type in a design you would prefer. Painted floors, especially if they are going outside, tend to not wear very well over time. Always research the material of which your flooring is made before attempting a paint job.
Advantages Of Tongue And Groove Flooring
- Tongue and groove flooring features tight, solid seams that require minimal gluing to keep the planks together.
- When properly stained, tongue and groove can be water-tight, which makes it ideal for porch flooring.
- T& G is the only type of flooring that can be fitted over joists.
- T& G is less expensive than click-fit flooring.
- Tongue and groove porch flooring is easy to maintain, with minimal cleaning.
- It can be used as either underlay flooring or fixed into position as the main flooring.
You May Like: Pergola With Retractable Waterproof Canopy
Ask The Authority: Porch Floorboards
Q: I need to replace some rotten tongue and groove porch floorboards that were installed only a few years ago. What can I do to ensure that the new ones won’t deteriorate just as quickly?
A: The rot organism requires three ingredients in order to reproduce: A food source , warm temperatures, and moisture. Because their ends are directly exposed to the weather, porch floorboards are among the most vulnerable parts of an old house. When your house was built, the original porch flooring was likely milled from a rot-resistant, old growth species such as longleaf heart pine or cypress. Even these hardy materials will succumb to the forces of nature if they’re badly neglected today’s fast-growth lumber has very little natural resistance to rot, so it’s vital that you completely seal the boards before they’re installed.
There are a variety of flooring products on the market synthetic materials as well as chemically-treated wood that claim to be immune to rot. Unfortunately many of them have had serious problems with expansion and contraction when exposed to real world conditions. If you’re considering one of these products, please do your research before you buy.
After all of the floorboards are in place, I snap a chalk line, trim the floorboards to length with a circular saw, then fine-tune the cut with a belt sander. While I’ve got the sander in my hand, I run it across the front edge of the existing flooring to remove the old paint and expose the end grain.
How To Diy Install Tongue And Groove Flooring For Porch
DIY installing tongue and groove floorboards for your porch will save you money and time. Since this type of flooring consists of planks with each one featuring a tongue and a groove, youll easily be able to fit them together using just a few tools and techniques.
With T& G planks, the tongues are cut into short and long sides while the grooves have two remaining sides. For installation, you have three method options: gluing to the subfloor, nailing the planks or the floating option. Whichever method you choose, you can be sure of achieving a perfect final result. Follow these steps for a smooth and durable finish:
What youll need
- A tape measure
- T& G floorboards of course!
Step 1: Start by measuring each boards width from wall to wall using a chalk line. Make sure the planks are locked into place before using face-nail or glue for the first rows.
Step 2: A face-nail is a tool used to hold the floorboards firmly in place while youre installing each one. If you find a pneumatic nailer difficult to operate, then a face-nail will do the job. Once youve used the face-nail to hold down several rows of boards, you can then nail into each boards tongue. Make sure there is no spacing between each board and the nails are uniform.
Don’t Miss: How Much To Build A Roof Over Patio
Can You Use Tongue And Groove Flooring Outside
Tongue and groove flooring can definitely be used outside. That being said, due to the way the pieces fit together, there will not be a lot of room to allow moisture through. If the tongue and groove flooring is exposed to a lot of rain or snow, there is the potential for mold and mildew to grow between the pieces, causing excessive shifting and warping. Because of the shape, the shifting can be kept to a minimum, but once the boards are warped, they are difficult to replace.
If this is a concern for you, we recommend treating each piece of flooring with weather sealant before installation, as well as following up by weather treating at least once a year — more frequently if you live in an extreme weather zone.
Want to know some interesting ways to keep the rain off your porch? We have a post discussing just that!
Tongue And Groove Planks Vs Non
Almost all wooden flooring today uses tongue and groove technology to prevent warping, shrinking, or coming loose, which is caused by the nails in the floor joists. Since the hardwood boards interlock, theyre less likely to show gaps between each plank should the flooring shrink or swell.
After all, hardwood boards have the tendency to expand and contract as humidity levels change. This makes tongue and groove planks a better option than non-grooved ones.
While tongue and groove is a widespread flooring option, you will still find non-grooved planks that mimic rustic flooring. These planks are rarely seen in modern residential homes unless the house is an old restoration project.
Their biggest advantage is the space between the planks for adequate drainage, which makes non-grooved planks a good option for decking. However, theyre not the most practical option when walking on the spaced planks with high heel shoes!
You May Like: Blinds For Patio Sliding Doors
Easy On The Eyes And The Feet
The porch is hallowed ground so use YellaWood® brand tongue and groove porch flooring. Kiln dried after treatment to minimize shrinkage after installation, you cant go wrong with YellaWood® brand porch flooring. KDAT porch flooring should be primed on all six sides prior to installation.
- KDAT products must be painted, stained or sealed immediately after installation
- Kiln dried after treatment to minimize shrinking after treatment
- Proven protection against rot, fungal decay and termite attack
- Lifetime limited warranty
Best Tongue And Groove Porch Flooring Options
Posted on – Last updated: May 7, 2021
There are a lot of factors to consider when installing new porch flooring. You need something that will last, even when exposed to temperature fluctuations. You know tongue and groove flooring options are easy to install and seal together seamlessly. But what are the best tongue and groove flooring options for your porch? We’ve done some research and have some options for you!
Disclosure: We may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
The best tongue and groove porch flooring options are:
- Natural Fir
- Wood composite
Now that you know some of the materials best for tongue and groove porch flooring, let’s examine them in more detail. There are some pros and cons to tongue and groove porch flooring to discuss, and we’ll elaborate on each of the options listed for your porch. Keep reading!
Also Check: How To Replace Patio Roof
About Tongue And Groove Porch Flooring
ETT Fine Woods offers hardwood Tongue-and-Groove Porch Flooring for exterior covered porches. Choose from our standard decking species Ipe porch flooring, Garapa porch flooring, or Massaranduba porch flooring.
Sizes T& G Porch Flooring typically runs in random even lengths and odd/even lengths from 7 to 20. Please call or contact us to find out our current stock levels, sizes and lengths available as they vary at any given time. We also offer millwork services for special sizes or profiles.
Wholesale Minimums ETT Fine Woods does not require minimum orders for its decking. Stocking program customers as well as non-stocking customers may buy in units or job lots through our One Deck at a Time program. Please note that there is a price difference in wholesale unit orders and wholesale job lot orders. Contact us for pricing details.
Tongue & Groove Porch Flooring From Aeratis
Posted: Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Categories:
Preserve the historical authenticity of your traditional front porch. Aeratis PVC Porch Flooring is a tongue & groove porch plank made from virgin PVC, organic and inorganic materials. Aeratis uses the latest emerging PVC-composite technology to provide a beautiful product with performance far superior to wood or and all other composite materials. Aeratis PVC porch flooring carries a CLASS A fire rating and can be used on covered and uncovered porch applications.
Aeratis Porch Flooring has a traditional 7/8×3-1/8 class A fire rated tongue-and-groove profile and is available in 10, 12, and 16 lengths. Aeratis also offers traditional trim profiles to finish the edge of the porch including quarter-round, half-round nosing, ogee nosing, and Chamfer nosing in 8 lengths for use in covered and uncovered PORCH applications.
CARE & MAINTENANCE
As far as care care and maintenance are concerned, it cant get much easier than this
To keep your Aeratis porch floor looking as new as possible, keep the space in-between each board clear of debris. Keep your porch floor swept or vacuumed.
Once a year your Aeratis porch may need to have a deep cleaning depending on your geographic location. To deep clean your porch, use a mild soap, warm water and a mop and mop your porch the same direction your planks are running on the porch.
You May Like: How To Get Fence Paint Off Patio
What Is Tongue And Groove Flooring
Tongue and groove flooring was first developed in the late 17th century when mass production of interlocking hardwood planks took off. This flooring technique eliminated the need for nailing the wooden planks. As it became mainstream, the tongue and groove technology expanded across all types of hardwood flooring for both indoor and outdoor projects.
Installing tongue and groove flooring is actually quite easy as the floorboards are fitted together like jigsaw puzzle pieces. The boards are fitted with protruding, which is referred to as the tongue, and concave, which is the groove. All four sides of the boards have tongues and grooves for easy fitting.
Most wooden floorboards, wainscot, sheet paneling materials, and many others are often used in conjunction with tongue and groove, where solid, tight seam is required between each board.
Since the tongue firmly fits into the adjoining floor boards groove, the vertical movement between the two boards is minimized. However, the horizontal movement still occurs to a small degree, especially if the boards are of solid wood, in which case they expand and contract from time to time.
How To Install Tongue And Groove Flooring
Recommended Reading: How To Make A Backyard Patio
Yellawood Kdat Tongue & Groove Porch Flooring
# YW-PorchFloorPLEASE NOTE:YellaWood® T& G Pressure Treated Porch Flooring is KDATvery significantWe sell YellaWood® KDAT SuperSelect Premium Grade with Lifetime Limited WarrantyBalustersRailingsBalustersRailingsOverall length may be 1/4″ shorter than what’s listed but will be consistent for each shipment.YellaWood® Porch Flooring – Storing, Painting, and InstallationSamplesActual size 1″ x 3-5/16″ total width, including tongue Quantity Based Pricingper foot VERY IMPORTANT! Read Before Ordering:
Porch Flooring In Stock
We carry primed 1×4-8, 1×4-10 and 1×4-12 flooring lumber.
Need bare wood? We carry 1×4 8 and 10 boards. In a 1×3 size we also have unfinished 8 foot and 10 foot length wood.
In 5/4 thick by 3 we carry 8 ft lengths and in 4 width we carry 8 and 10 long porch lumber.
The 1×3 flooring boards are reversible with a V edge on the reverse side for ceiling applications. All of our porch flooring boards are tongue and groove profile.
Our exterior porch flooring comes in yellow pine. We also can provide composite deck boards for shady or wet areas for construction of a deck floor.
Don’t Miss: How To Fix A Leaning Patio Umbrella
Timbertech/azek Porch Collection Flooring
It’s time to bring a high-class look and appeal to your home. These high-performance boards that are capped-polymer . Timbertech designed this board with a tongue and groove system so there is minimal gapping between boards and the flat bottom profile offers strength and a more solid feel underfoot, similar to traditional lumber. They are offered in Azek’s Vintage colors witch includes Coastline, Weathered Teak, Dark Hickory and Mahogany so you can match your Vintage decking colors.
Due to the durability of this porch product, a minimum of a #7 x 2 305 stainless steel trim head screw with #17 drill point should be used in conjunction with this product. Please make sure you consult with your local licensed builder or inspector to make sure this meets code requirements.
Give yourself an amazing new look to your home that will last for many years!
- Available in Standard 3-1/8″ or Wide 5-1/2″ Widths
- Lengths: 16′ only currently