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Floor for screened porch

last month

In the process of adding 12x19 screened porch on my 1950s mid-century modern Ralph Fournier house. I wanted to maintain the architectural integrity, that is, not just slap on a porch. My living room is full of huge windows so already feel like that’s my four-season room.

Looking for suggestions for flooring. Always loved large light sand or off-white tile that reminds me of the floors in lanais in Florida. thinking 24x24? suggestions? We will paint the knee walls same color as exterior of the house (Benjamin Moore Pashmina with a brown trim). first picture is front of my house ( porch will mirror carport but be on the back/right side). Diagram has three views: from front, side, back.




Comments (19)

  • last month

    a porcelain tile.

    durable and light, you could always add a indoor/outdoor area rug if you needed it.

    Why add the brown trim, just use the same color you use for the walls, so it has a softer, calmer feel, rather than stark contrast?


    Donna W thanked Lyn Nielson
  • last month

    Perhaps a terrazzo look 24 x 24 tile from Tile Bar? My parents had terrazo flooring ( the original type ) back in circa 1960. I like the look, don’t know if you do however.

  • last month

    I was going to suggest terrazzo as well. It's such a classic mid mod look. Slate is also found a lot in mid century flooring.

  • PRO
    last month
    last modified: last month

    Porch will be off the living room? What is the living room floor? For instance, it is dark. Your eye goes out to the deck flooring. I would like a smooth transition.





  • last month
    last modified: last month

    thanks oncape...it will be off the kitchen but the kitchen, dining room and living room all have the same LVL floor.

  • 20 days ago
    last modified: 20 days ago

    Lyn I actually LOVE that tile you posted. Do you know the manufacturer/name? And actually the only place I'll use the brown tile is on the top trim of the porch (again to match the house). Which raises a couple other questions...(all feel free to jump in).


    I totally have decision fatigue (furniture, rugs, windows no windows, etc). I over-think all these things. But ...

    (1) Inside the porch itself, one wall obviously is the exterior of my house (vertical wood siding painted BM Pashmina). There will be three knee walls. The exterior of the porch will be the same as the current exterior of the house (and now one interior wall of the porch). I just assumed the interior knee walls would also be wood, painted the same color. The plans the architect drew call for drywall. So now thinking: will drywall feel more "finished"? Should I do drywall instead of wood planks? I'm not really going for rustic - more of a sanctuary, retreat. BUT the bedrooms in my house originally had the wood vertical paneling on the walls. It's been removed in two rooms but I do like the look.


    (2)let's say I do the wood inside as well. Do I then add a baseboard over the edge between wood and drywall or leave a "strip" of concrete like the exterior of the house??


    (3)whichever I do? Again I was assuming I'd just paint the entire interior the same color: BM Pashmina. Most of the interior of my house is Revere Pewter. That's probably my favorite color ever. But figure I don't want a lot of contrast here in this space... very neutral (with pops of color in pillows, etc.)


    I know these questions aren't really "Floor" questions ... but open to suggestions. Last night I would have told you I'm absolutely doing drywall - but now I'm not sure. But definitely leaning toward painting it all Pashmina and adding baseboard (whether I do boards or drywall).

  • PRO
    20 days ago

    I don't think the porch is designed in the style of the home.




    Track windows that open up and down to reveal screen would work for the space.



    Or you could match the pattern of the house windows.



    If the floor will be exposed to the weather you should consider porcelain tile for durability and easy cleaning.






  • PRO
    20 days ago

    Lyn's light porcelain tile would look lovely with BM Pashmina walls.

  • 19 days ago

    Beverly - thanks. Definitely doing porcelain tile. And may eventually add windows (if we do, I want to absolutely copy the windows on the back of the house) but totally out of my budget right now.

  • 19 days ago
    last modified: 19 days ago

    Diana - I did find something today . similar to Lyn's tile (24x24) in an "oat" color and it looked great out there this evening next to the house. We shall see in the morning. (I pulled a few samples that were lighter and they totally washed out to nothing outside...)

  • PRO
    19 days ago

    https://ezebreezewindows.com/

    This is a reasonably priced source for porch windows/screens.

    Donna W thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
  • 17 days ago

    Using drywall in a screen porch will be a huge mistake! Exposed to the elements you will have issues the first time it gets damp or wet. Can not believe that was what the architect suggested. It might work if you were using the stackable vinyl window screen system, but even then, not a wise choice in an unheated space. Even humidity would cause problems.

  • 17 days ago

    Don’t use drywall! Humidity, rain, etc will just cause issues in a screened room.

  • 17 days ago

    Sorry about the repetitive post! The first one didn’t show up! 🤷🏼‍♀️

  • PRO
    17 days ago

    I agree about not using drywall in an unheated screened porch. We've done 2 of them, and in both we used wood. One porch is a transition space between the house and garage, so one wall is board and batten (garage), another is wood shingle (the house), and the other two are wood trimmed screen panels and doors. The other porch has three sides of screen panels and doors, and the fourth is the back of the garage, which we cladded in wood as well. All the wood is stained white or gray and has held up very nicely through many years.

  • 17 days ago

    Keep in mind that if you use a floor stone or ceramic/porcelain tile, glass breaks easily if dropped and I would assume that you might be bringing dinnerware and glassware into the sun-room/porch.


    Hoping for your sake that the addition is not to be built on a slab, and if so, wood would soften that. If built over a crawlspace, wood or VCT tile is still the best option. You want to avoid having any rooms in a home other than the garage on a concrete slab or hard tile surface floors.

  • 17 days ago

    And - avoid any use of black or grey in the house or addition. It never should have become trendy anyway (some people smoking something or drinking koolaid thought of using ugly in homes), and - thankfully grey and black are OUT now!

  • 17 days ago

    Please do not use drywall anywhere on a screened porch. I was a residential painting contractor for 35 years and I can tell you nothing good will come of exterior drywall. Paint is porous and allows moisture to travel through it and to the drywall. This moisture will develop into mildew below the paint surface and you will never be able to get rid of it. Drywall is not meant to be used outside.