Clients think they may want indoor/outdoor carpeting in the screened in porch I’ll be building for them. Help me convince them they are wrong.
Let’s not confuse the issue with facts!
Clients think they may want indoor/outdoor carpeting in the screened in porch I’ll be building for them. Help me convince them they are wrong.
Let’s not confuse the issue with facts!
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Replies
Going over what? Concrete? or other. Customer is always right. (ha) I would think tile would be a better choice or a more weather proof surface. Tile them in time the carpet can mildew if not able to dry out.
Astro turf over Trex..why not? don't forget the cup for putt-putt practice.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
I have seen it done around here. Gives the porch kind of a "homey" feel - no jokes about portable housing please :-) Assuming wood floor with gaps between the boards, it's good for keeping the bugs out. Whatever carpet material is used though, needs to be more "outdoor" then "Indoor", and needs to be able to dry easily, since it will get wet, and, as it will be in a shaded location it won't necessarily dry very quickly, especially if it's on the north side of the house. Also, get them used to the idea, that the material will likely need to be replaced periodically. Trapped moisture = mold/mildew, regardless of how durable the materials are. Wide overhangs would help.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I think in the long haul they will have more maintenance issues with the carpet. You can't just hose it down after little Johnny and his band of roving neighborhood pals track in a yard of mud. Cleaning mud from a plank floor is hands down easier than cleaning it from a carpet.
Normal care involes vacuuming, even if it's outdoor rug. And vacuuming sucks no matter where you gotta do it, whereas with plank flooring, use a broom and sweep the dust out the door. The only thing simpler is having the kids do it.
Then there's the whole rot issue if the stuff doesn't dry out when it gets wet, not if.
The final decision is theirs, but I would present a strong case against it without coming on too strong. Sometimes people have to be told what's best for them, albeit subtlety.
Consider an area rug that keeps the edges of the carpet away from the rain exposure. Using a porch with a wet rug on it is not pleasant.
It will mildew if it does not get enough sun and wind to dry it out between soakings. Also, with an area rug, you can roll it up seasonally, shake it out periodically, and easily replace it if it gets nasty.
We have indoor/outdoor carpeting in our 3-season porch, over redwood decking. It's never given us a problem in about 15 years. If it did, it's just loose-layed (with the edges fitting under shoe molding of sorts), so it can be taken up easily.
I'm not sure it would work out as well over concrete, though.
I don't think it's so bad. I had an astroturf like material on an old porch two houses ago and it was fine. And, yes, you can just hose it off if you buy the right material. I think the best carpet for this application is something like the carpet used in miniature golf courses, not a tufted carpet like Astroturf. Many grades and colors are made.
like I said..put in the putt-putt cup..<G>
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Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.