Tongue and Groove Porch Flooring Issue

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Tongue and Groove Porch Flooring Issue

by Karen
(Cleveland, OH)

Tongue and Groove Porch Flooring

QUESTION about Tongue and Groove Porch Flooring: We just replaced our front porch floor with pine tongue and groove. We bought the boards that are primed on all sides so as to increase its life.

While we took great care to install the boards as tightly as possible to each other, it is a couple weeks since installation and very small gaps are starting to be visible. We haven't painted yet.

Should we use a filler to fill any of these gaps before painting? If so what kind? How long do we need to wait before we paint?

The floor gets very abusive weather -- it gets a good deal of snow throughout the winter and brutal sun in the summer. Any suggestions would be more than welcome. Thank you!

ANSWER: Karen, thanks for contacting us. Like a few other types of porch flooring, tongue and groove by its very nature will expand and contract a little. New wood contains quite a bit of moisture and what you are experiencing is the boards drying out. Ideally, you would want to install the boards after they have dried thoroughly to prevent what is occurring on your porch.

So I wouldn't be too concerned unless the boards are completely separating and I would not use a filler.

I would wait to paint the boards for a few more weeks to allow them to dry properly. Then I'd use a really good primer and a quality exterior paint.

We have some tips on our site about porch floor paint as well as some helpful ideas about porch paint, in general.

Three things we like to share about painting porch floors:

Prepare the surface before painting

Buy the best quality paint your budget allows

You do not want to create a porch floor that becomes slippery when wet. We've seen painted porch floors that are really slick when it rains. One suggestion is to mix a little sand into your paint. Ask the place where you purchase the paint for their suggestions, too.

Dark colors look great on a porch floor but may show foot prints and dirt more than light colors.

Best,
Dave

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Tongue and Groove Porch Flooring Issue

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Tongue and Groove Trim Issue
by: Dave

Ken, glad you contacted us. A simple solution would be to drill drainage holes (very small drill bit) through the joint at the end of each board and through the bottom of the bull nose trim. However, it probably won't take long for those holes to become filled and you'll have the same issue unless you open them periodically.

Another solution, and if you really know the trim is stopping the water, is to mark the trim at the joint locations (ends of every board). Remove the trim and route an 18th dado at those points. I'd probably route a dado on the backside also so water can travel along the tongue and groove joint, down the dado in back and out the bottom.

You can't just rip 1/8th inches off the bottom of the trim as then it would not be strong enough to support any weight as in your case, the trim is part of the actual flooring.

My concern is the condition of the boards (joist or beam) under your porch decking. If it is in good repair and thoroughly dry, you might want to flash it to prevent any further water damage.

Dave

Tongue and Groove Trim
by: Ken

We replaced the tongue and groove wood floor boards a few years ago on our covered porch. Most of the wood is fine except at the front of the porch that is more exposed. The floor boards run out from the house to the front and there is a good slope to allow water to drain. However, water in the grooves are stopped by the step bull nose trim that runs all along the front. The water can not get by and likely gets drawn up at the ends. I can paint the ends but are there other options? We can not just take off the bull nosing because the floor boards are back about an inch from the edge.

Tongue and Groove Porch Flooring Issue

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Tongue and Groove Porch Flooring Issue