Porch Wood Flooring

[msa123]

New home construction. Will be installing wood porch floor. Local lumberyard suggested 3-1/2" T&G pressure treated pine. I'd prefer a wider plank.

Welcome any tips for choosing, installing, finishing.

Thanks.

[Tom R]

Yeah, I wouldn't use anything wider than the 3 1/2", - - too much expansion and contraction on wide pieces, - - I prefer 2 1/2" TIG Mahogany for porch floors. Will outlast the pine, and it's much harder.

[Rich]

If I had my option I would say teak or ipe. Mahogany sure looks good too though.

[Tom R]

Some of us are budget-minded, - - some of us are 'Rich'! :D

[Rich]

haha.. yes Teak and Ipe are a little harder to find and hence you pay a little more.. um.. ok.. quite a bit more. Although I thought I saw a reasonable price on Ipe awhile back.. who knows where though.. mind is going.

[Tom R]

That's allright, - - no doubt your mind is on 'Big Sky' country!

[Rich]

going to be waiting awhile is the only bad part - :(

[msa123]

Thanks for the advice. Since budget is a concern, sounds like mahogany may be a better choice. How does it compare price-wise to the pine? Also, I'm in the Southeast (Central Alabama, 2-1/2 hours from Atlanta). Know of any good sources for the mahogany? I'll need about 500 SF.

Also, any advice on installing, finishing, etc. would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[VALENT]

If you use t&g on the porch floor, will there be a problem with water rotting out the floor? Also, don't you have to use all woman crews to do t&g work?

[Tom R]

You could use 'treated' wood, - - it's already 'wo(l)manized'! :D Actually TIG is standard for porch floors, - - you just need to keep it well protected.

[Cole]

Teak is nice, hehe

[VALENT]

I thought wo(l)manizing was illegal(well, at least immoral)