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GoneOffShore

(17,602 posts)
Tue Feb 28, 2012, 05:34 PM Feb 2012

New sunroom - need flooring advice, please!

We had a "sunroom" constructed so that we can actually use our backyard space in the spring, summer and autumn and parts of the winter. Too many mosquitos, no shade.

Two of the walls are masonry - we're in an end of row house - and the newly constructed walls are glass and aluminum. The roof is insulated and there is a plywood subfloor over tar paper.

We were thinking about cork flooring, but when I went to order it today at our local flooring store, they said that they would sell it to me, but wouldn't recommend installing it in a room that wasn't temperature controlled in someway. We're not springing for underfloor heating.

So the dilemma - we wanted something ecologically friendly, something warm-ish like cork or bamboo and something that would stand up to the rigors of a Philadelphia winter. The guy at the flooring store is telling me tile, but that's going to entail more plywood to keep the tiles from cracking.

And the other issue is that we have a very heavy - takes 3 or 4 guys to move it - table that is going to live in the sunroom. It did live outside.

What sort of floors has anyone here installed in sunrooms?

13 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
New sunroom - need flooring advice, please! (Original Post) GoneOffShore Feb 2012 OP
What about teak? cbayer Feb 2012 #1
warmish? you actually want it warm, or in color NMDemDist2 Feb 2012 #2
I'd go for the old standards, tile or slate Warpy Feb 2012 #3
I should have been clearer - GoneOffShore Feb 2012 #6
My sister got hemlock flooring in wide planks. It is gorgeous. And they leave the knots applegrove Feb 2012 #4
Message auto-removed Name removed Nov 2013 #13
Vinyl Plank Flooring Stinky The Clown Feb 2012 #5
i put that all through the Phoenix house NMDemDist2 Mar 2012 #8
We put a premium laminate (allock) in our kitchen. It is holding up well, but I wish I had gone with Stinky The Clown Mar 2012 #9
what color did you use? LaydeeBug Mar 2012 #10
i have no idea what it was called, but it looked like this NMDemDist2 Mar 2012 #11
I know this is an old thread... MadrasT May 2012 #12
And thanks for all the responses! GoneOffShore Feb 2012 #7

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
1. What about teak?
Tue Feb 28, 2012, 05:43 PM
Feb 2012

It's used for decking on boats for a good reason - very weather resistant, pliable, easy to walk on and insect resistant.

And, if stained and varnished, can be beautiful.

The floors both inside and outside of my boat are teak. The inside floors are gorgeous. Extra added bonus, they are really easy to clean.

NMDemDist2

(49,314 posts)
2. warmish? you actually want it warm, or in color
Tue Feb 28, 2012, 07:27 PM
Feb 2012

i think if it were me, i'd look into putting heating mesh into a stamped, colored concrete floor

the things they can do with concrete these days is amazing! i'm not sure the heating mesh you can buy for tile can be used in concrete, but i'd sure look into it.

otherwise, go with tile is my suggestion

edit to add links http://www.servicemagic.com/article.show.Concrete-Floors-Solid-as-a-Rock.14332.html

http://www.essortment.com/ideas-concrete-floor-treatments-14347.html

http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/interiorfloors/common-questions/cold-damp.html

Warpy

(113,130 posts)
3. I'd go for the old standards, tile or slate
Tue Feb 28, 2012, 08:09 PM
Feb 2012

because they don't tend to suffer much from temperature changes.

Eventually, though, any floor you put down will fail if the only thing you have on top of soil is tar paper and plywood. What you need to do, really, is have a concrete floor poured over the tarpaper. Then you can put the tile on top of the concrete once it cures and it will be stable. The tar paper will keep it relatively waterproof.

If I were doing a temporary floor over the kludge plywood/tarpaper floor, I'd do cheap laminate since that floor is going to fail sooner rather than later.

GoneOffShore

(17,602 posts)
6. I should have been clearer -
Wed Feb 29, 2012, 12:06 PM
Feb 2012

The subfloor is not right down on the soil. It's up on joists set on concrete footers.

applegrove

(123,112 posts)
4. My sister got hemlock flooring in wide planks. It is gorgeous. And they leave the knots
Tue Feb 28, 2012, 09:58 PM
Feb 2012

out of the boards as they lay them then they walk around with a woden mallet and hammer the knots back into the holes once they are done. Really nice and dark. Warms up a room.

Response to applegrove (Reply #4)

Stinky The Clown

(68,461 posts)
5. Vinyl Plank Flooring
Tue Feb 28, 2012, 11:21 PM
Feb 2012

Google that phrase and you'll see a lot of options. I think it will meet all your needs.

It looks and even feels like wood (on its surface), so it is nice and warm.

It is easy to install.

It is widely used, in the heavier gauges, in commercial applications, like department stores.

It is waterproof.

It will no doubt do fine in your three season room.

NMDemDist2

(49,314 posts)
8. i put that all through the Phoenix house
Sun Mar 4, 2012, 05:03 PM
Mar 2012

wore like iron (we only had to replace 3 planks in front of the dog door to sell after 7 years)

I noticed the big box stores had it in stock these days, we got ours as a special purchase from Costco over 15 years ago.

what's funny is that our PHX house got repo'd after we left and listed for sale last year (5 years after i left) it still had the same floors in the realtor pic

Stinky The Clown

(68,461 posts)
9. We put a premium laminate (allock) in our kitchen. It is holding up well, but I wish I had gone with
Sun Mar 4, 2012, 10:51 PM
Mar 2012

. . . . . . the vinyl planks. We may still do it.

MadrasT

(7,237 posts)
12. I know this is an old thread...
Fri May 11, 2012, 10:45 AM
May 2012

...but I have to agree on the vinyl plank flooring.

Inexpensive.

Easy to install.

Waterproof.

Looks and feels great.

As far as I am concerned, for practical, relatively inexpensive flooring, it just doesn't get any better than this.

I did my whole first floor last year, and I'm doing the upstairs bedrooms now.

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