I have some neighbors that want to put a wide plank (8″ or so) 3/4″ T&G flooring on their covered front porch. They claim that water never gets onto the floor, even during the heaviest driving rains. They are thinking about pine or fir, but I don’t know that any of my lumberyards carry anything like that, and since they are all closed tomorrow, I thought I’d ask if anybody knows of a place to get it. The order would be about 100 sq ft. Thanks
Young, poor, and eager to learn
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Wood expands across its face, so the wider the board, the more expansion and contraction it'll experience.
And pine (at least the stuff that's being harvested these days) expands and contracts more than many other woods.
And when you put those two facts together, you have the reason that wide pine floors are a really bad idea, particularly in an outdoor location. All that movement will cause it to crack and split, and the joints will open.
Now if you want, you might be able to find quartersawn (vertical grain) douglas fir -- a wood that looks a little like pine. With quartersawing, the "face" of the wood is actually the 3/4" dimension. And most of the expansion/contraction takes place along the vertical axis.
Unless you're the lead dog, the view just never changes.
I just purchased some 1X4 T&G pine boards for the ceiling of a covered porch. Now you got me worried. Will the pine perform OK on the ceiling in an outdoor location?I'm going to be priming all sides and painting.Thanks
Maybe, maybe not.
The narrower width will help. Narrower boards don't expand and contract as much as wider ones. But they still move.
And unless the pine was harvested forty or fifty years ago, then quartern boards are not available.
The fact that your boards are on an outdoor ceiling as opposed to a floor is of little consequence. Neither is an envionment-controlled space. And painted/sealed wood doesn't absorb much water -- it's water vapor (which is everywhere) that is the problem. Paint and sealers do little to stop it.
My guess is that the vast majority of the boards will be fine. Which is not the case for the original poster, with his question about wider boards.
Unless you're the lead dog, the view just never changes.
As for how well she is known, I'm guessing not very well. They have left a fair amount of expansion (1 1/2"ish) but I'm thinking 1x4 fir is probably better, and I helped my boss install it before used it before (however, it seems to have shrunk/cupped a bit...it was stained, again a covered porch. Not sure if there was any way to avoid that). Any comments on materials, widths, methods? Thanks.
Young, poor, and eager to learn
"They claim"
sure
The porech must be inside a vacumn too.
There is enough moisture just in the air to cause them troubles with wide planks, especially pine, in exansion and contraction.
It is traditional to use 1x4 T&G CVG Fir sealing all edges first. Even that will have some movememnt. Anything wiser will cause them problems. using pine would be insane unless it is antique heart pine
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Yeah, I figured fir would be the best option, and I've used it on a covered porch before (the same CVG 1x4 you mention). I forgot to mention it would be painted, but I don't know that it would make much difference. They just mentioned several times the wide planks, and she is a designer, and sounds pretty set in that detail. I think price may be a deciding factor though, if anyone can offer an alternative. THanks.
Young, poor, and eager to learn
So, as a designer how well known is she
get yourself a written, signed contract stating that you will not be responsible for shrinkage, cupping, or warping from the use of 8" boards.
it's just as crazy as putting a hardwood floor on an outdoor covered porch.
i'll bet if you asked her if she would be comfortable putting hardwood out there, she would say "Of course not !'
carpenter in transition
"she is a designer,"THAT explains it all
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