Wood for porch


David Miller

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We live in an old house, the garage is lined with what I thought was douglas fir, since the garage is being torn down I wanted to repurpose the wood to the front porch.  I left a price outside during a good rain storm and it bowed after 2 days. 

1)I'm wondering if it is Douglas fir and how can I tell?

2) if it isn't, is there something I can treat it with?

Its tounge and grove and already stained, beautiful patina from probably the 30's when the garage was built.

 

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It might be Douglas fir, but it's been sheltered and vertical ( I'm guessing). Clear Southern Yellow pine might be a bettter choice. A wood T&G floor will last best if it's got a good coat of enamel paint on it. Reusing old T&G wood is a lot of work. Leaving anything other than pressure treated out in the rain isn't a good idea. 

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I use air dried (for years) pressure treated Pine.  It holds paint for 7 or 8 years, then needs to be sanded, and repainted, but it doesn't need to be painted to start with.   There are other good choices, but reusing something that's not treated, or naturally rot resistant,  is not one of them.

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You asked if there is a way to find out if it actually is Doug Fir. There is a department of the federal government that will test a piece of wood and tell you the actual species, no cost. You can send up to 5 different samples per year. I forgot the link, but I'm sure if you Google it, you could find it.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

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This air dried, treated SYP porch floor was painted in 2008, with some sort of Sherwin-Williams industrial enamel.  The picture was taken a couple of days ago, to answer some questions about Scythes.  I left a small gap between the boards, rather than making it tongue and groove, since the porch was not screened in anyway.  We're planning to paint it again this August, when things are really dry.

 

CIMG2379.JPG

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8 hours ago, David Miller said:

Thanks guys, its definitely fir, just very old and very dry.  Will probably find another use for it if I can figure out a solution for decking.  The house is from 1906, I'm wondering what they used back then given there was no treated wood.

Rot resistant species, paint all 6 sides of each board, and expect to replace it in a few years. 1906 style! :lol:

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White Oak lasts a Long time for porch flooring, and around here, was pretty commonly used for porch flooring.  I know of one that's over 100 years old, on a South facing porch with a lot of overhang, a little over four feet off the ground, and protected from strong winds by a large, old stand of trees.  It was never painted.

People here on the lake built docks out of it for the first ten years, or so, that the lake was here.   They would last 12 to 15 years.  I never saw treated wood, around here, in the 1960's.

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Doug fir is a historical choice and can last a long time. However if it's not rift sawn, or what the decking guys like to call vertical grain don't put it on a deck. The change in moisture will cause it to twist and pull itself up from the nails. Also flat sawn will expand a lot width wise, meaning you better take into account expansion. Moral of the story, if it's not rift sawn don't use it. The this old house guys use it often if you want a reference. 

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We usually call it a porch when there is a roof over it and a deck when it's exposed. Back in 1909 a roof with a generous overhang was typical. Floor was probably painted fairly often. Any water that blew in was swept off after the storm. Every one I ever worked on had a slight pitch to encourage drainage.

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If you're going to use a tongue and grooved floor, there is a kiln dried treated Pine porch flooring sold.   I know Horizon Forest Products sells it.   If you do use that, since it's kiln dried, and going to be outside, don't nail it together extremely tight, or it will swell, and buckle.  I've used it, and would again in the right situation.  I forgot what I used for a spacer, but remember the spacers were metal.  Follow the instructions, and it holds paint as good as anything else.

https://www.yellawood.com/products/kiln-dried-after-treatment/kdat-tongue-and-groove-porch-flooring/

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Down in Florida white oak is inside only due to mold and mildew. I had a door that the mold would get under the spar varnish. Did it twice. Changed the door to mahogany. Working good. Cypress would be a good floor for outside.  Get clear lumber and kiln dried or air if long enough. Cypress will split from nailing. Pre-drill works fine. It could be painted or varnished. Paint is easier in the long run.

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