The floor of the front porch on my 1910 house is the original 1 by 4 T&G Fir, and it needs replacing. I’m thinking about using Ipe 1 by 6, milling a 1/4″ groove in the edges to carry a spline, and screwing it down, plugging the holes.
What I need to know is if there is a lot of movement with this material with changes in temperature & humidity (shrinkage or expansion), or can I install them tight & expect them to stay that way.
The porch is covered, open on two sides, but is on the lee side of the prevailing weather. We live in Vancouver BC, so it never gets really cold or hot, but it can get wet.
I plan on prefinishing the material on both sides, probably with a coat of tung oil before installation.
Does anyone have any experience with this material in this kind of application?
(Also posted in Knots)
Replies
Just out of curiousity, have you tried sanding a section of the old fir, just to see if it can be salvaged? That original flooring is such high quality material that it deserves a little effort, even if it looks rough on the surface.
Kaya;
You can buy 1x4 t&G ipe. As I just posted in another thread, put down each board with a dab of 3M 5200 adhesive on each joist and nail through the tongue with 15 gauge stainless nails.
Ipe won't move any more than other wood. However, you must coat the end grain on each sawcut with Anchorseal, and do it quickly after you make the cut. Otherwise, the wood will crack and check. The tung oil is a mistake. Use a UV protected oil designed for decking or the Ipe color will fade.
I also agree with the other poster, though, that you should give fir a chance since it is the traditional method and will hold up quite well with backpriming and good prep.
John
I haven't done exactly that. However, ipe does move. So much that you have to seal the end grain to prevent splitting.
Personally, I think your plan sounds like a hard way to serve the Lord. Ipe isn't particularly straight and true, and it's so hard and strong that you will have a heckuva time muscling the boards together. It's fine for decking, but when you start routering a groove in it and fitting it together like flooring, I think you're in for some real work.
Why not new clear vg fir porch flooring?
Sounds like you must be getting some #3 or 4 IPE`I hardly see any movement in it, and 99% is nice and straight"Why not new clear vg fir porch flooring?"I switched to IPE` ten years ago when the fir started coming with over 15% culls and too much sumer wood and no longer true vertical grain. It has been rotting far too fast lately.
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Thanks for all the input.Sanding the existing decking is not really an option. It's badly messed up - lots of cupping & cracking, rows of screws from previous owners trying to keep things in place, many layers of lousy paint jobs.It would certainly be simpler to go with VG fir - I have good access, and machining is not a problem. What I would like is a clear finish that doesn't require yearly maintenance - with a 98 year old house, I already have enough of that to go around without adding to the list. Any thoughts on what might be a good finish?I think I'll also poke around for some recycled material, see what I can find.I'll let you know how it ends up.
Look at Penofin's product line. It's what I've been using on ipe for the past 10 years.After the first couple applications, you should get 2-3 years of excellent protection on an open deck, even longer on a covered porch.A heavy traffic pattern might shorten those times.Mongo
Built Ipe decks a couple of times, all I can say is Ipe is not for fun, that is one tough wood. We did one where we pelleted all the screws, the drill press had a long day that day, burnt out 2 pellet cutting bits.
I agree with the other postings, can you sand the old down or replace with new T&G Fir, personally I would try and keep the original, the odd dent and mark adds to the look.
We can buy the IPE` with spline dado already let into it. They do that for thed EB-TY hiddden fastening system, which I don't like, but we do as you are thinking on one so far, using gorilla glue with the spline. PL Premium would be OK too.
IPE` is a pretty stable wood
You could also consider Tendura for this job It is a composite made to replicate the look of the old fir
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Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
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