i am concerned with the construction of a porch being built for my father. the treated t&g flooring is loose under foot, flooring has been down three weeks. the flooring is installed directly on 2×8, 16 oc. how should the flooring be fastened ideally? i feel like i saw the contractor using a finish nail gun. what can be done after the fact?
the painting that has happened is one coat of finish paint, period. i know it should have one coat primer and two coats of finish. how should they remedy the situation?
thank you for your help and comments in advance. brad
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I put down about 600sf of that stuff about 2 months ago.It was KDAT- kiln dried after treating
I used 8 pn galv. and blind nailed it through the tongue by hand. Was able to pull it up very tight with a nail set. Turned out great, we'll see how it holds up.
Joist were 2 x 10 on 16" ctr.
Porch was covered and screened in.
Actually, was the first time I had used it, but was very impressed.
NO SQUEEKS what so ever
dug
thank everyone for their input.
well, it seems that the concensus is a heavier nail should have been used. any ideas on how to tighten things up with out face nail/screwing?
The only remedy without face-nailing is to remove and reinstall. You could, however, face nail with 8d galvanized finish nails which would be rather hard to see (compared to screws or framing nails).
You might also consider face nailing with a finish nail gun and a good 2" nail.
BUT, if the lumber you used is actually treated lumber, then you have an issue with the type of metal you use in your fasteners. You should only use stainless steel nails. If you can find them, then you are in good shape... if not, I'd say to use the 8d galvanized and hope for the best over time. You see, the new treated lumber is treated with chemicals that will corrode fasteners that are not made of stainless steel.
I NEVER recommend using treated lumber for a T&G porch floor. I wouldn't use treated T&G for anything to be quite honest.
By the way... removing and reinstalling isn;t as hard as it sounds.... could be done in a day by one guy that knows how to work.
http://www.petedraganic.com/
thank you for the info pete.
brad
http://www.southernpine.com/porch.shtml
Check this out for one way to do it, if it is down, it may be too late to change anything.
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PT t&g flooring is a low end product. If I installed that I would expect some gaps and some wood movement. The usual in a lot of places is 1x4 t&g VG Fir.
Your material should have been installed with a flooring nailer or flooring stapler. Finish nails from a gun would have been totally inadequate.
What would you choose given T&G Fir vs T&G Mahogany? Northeast climate, covered but open to wind driven rain, etc.
Depends on the mahogany. I have seen some "mahogany" decking that looked about right for cheap cigar boxes. Good quality mahogany or VG fir would both be very serviceable.