Wooden front porch construction on slab

[nospam.swstadel]

I have a slab front porch with an overhanging roof that completely covers it. I'd like to dress up the porch by covering the slab with a wood flooring to make it more like a porch than a patio.

If possible, I'd like the floor to be tight -- no gaps between boards like you would have on a deck.

I have a little bit of Z-height to work with here, so I was considering laying down treated furring strips, and then screwing or gluing flooring planks onto them.

I do intend to paint it all when done.

My concerns include, of course, having the whole thing rot out under me. I'm also concerned about expansion if I don't have gaps between boards.

What have others done for this type of project? What type of wood would make sense for the flooring, both for the furring strips, and for the flooring itself? Is a gapless approach advisable? I know of plenty of old houses with porches that have plank floors without gaps, so there must be some good way to do it...

I appreciate any comments.

Thanks, Scott

[Bill Waller]

Back in the late eighties, I redid the front porch on my 1884 Victorian. Granted, it was above the ground by about three feet. The material used was

1x3 pressure T&G. It was laid in conventional manner, galvanized finish nails into each joist (furring strips in your case). The floor was painted with a coat of KILZ and two coats of semi-gloss porch paint. The area under the floor was, and still is relatively dry.

Although I no longer own the house, the last time I visited (last year) everything was still just fine.

You may want to consider a vapor barrier between the flooring and the furring strips. __________________ Bill Waller New Eagle, PA

[e-mail]

[dadiOH]

How much overhang? Does rain/snow get in? ___________

Should be NP, leave 1/2" or so at each outboard long side and cover the gap with trim. ____________

Two ways to lay...on top of T&G plywood made for the purpose or on sleepers as you propose. In either case, put down a visqueen vapor barrier on top of the concrete.

If you want the edges tight (no gaps) I can't see trying to glue.

[clare at snyder dot ontario do]

2 words - tongue and groove. No gaps, and the wood can still move

Cedar tongue and groove. (or white oak)

** Posted from **

[Swingman]

wrote

I gave up using wood floors on any porches I put on the houses I build (and they all make liberal use of porches and balconies, some over crawlspaces, some over slabs, and some, in the case of balconies, over waterproof roofing membrane).

In lieu thereof, I use a composite material, like "Weatherbest"

. It can be used just like wood and needs much less maintenance.

Pressure treated furring strips can be attached to the concrete with exterior construction adhesive (Liquid Nails works well for this application), without using any kind of "vapor barrier", and you can butt the composite 5/4 thick "boards" without having any of the expansion/contractions problems you will have with wood, it looks like wood, works like wood, and, if the colors available don't suit you, it paints like wood ... and it will be there far longer than wood with virtually none of wood's maintenance issues.

Something to think about.