I have a house in Seattle with a covered front porch. I rebuilt the entire porch and decided to reuse the fir flooring. As I mentioned the porch is covered but winter storms will often blow water onto the SW corner and on the South facing front edge. I planed off about 1/32 to remove some of the weathered wood and reinstalled the tongue and groove flooring (5 foot long). I looked and looked for a solution but the best thing I could come up with was a penetrating deck stain with some UV protection ~Dalys, a local paint store. (I opted for clear since the porch does not get that much direct sun) I am concerned that the re-used flooring will have places where water can get through. (I have a exterior grade plywood sub floor with tar paper over it)
Should I have used another finish? Should I put something else down on top like a wax or varnish?
Thanks for you help
John
Replies
I'm not at all familiar with construction techniques in the northwest. But in my old stomping grounds of Ohio, and here in Carolina, it is not common to use plywood subflooring under a porch floor. When T&G porch flooring is laid, it is laid directly on the porch floor joists.
Sounds to me like the porch was built so that it can be easily converted to living space? If that's the case, then maybe you should start planning those walls.
No finish will be truly effective at stopping water, when the surface is as exposed as yours is. Marine spar is OK, epoxy is better, but keeping the water off in the first place is best.
What you should have done is lay the flooring with the bottom side exposedd to dry when it gets wet. Water will now be trapped between the fir bottoms and the tarpaper. I'll give it five years. Consider this a practice run. We all learn from these oops.
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Very nearly under the aurora bridge, near the UW, is a place called docs. (Was there the last time I was in seattle.)
They sell boat parts, finishes, you name it, for boats. Check there for a marine finish.
If it'll stand up to floating in the bay, it'll stand up to a rainfall or 6.
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Edited 9/27/2003 6:14:49 AM ET by Luka