Covering Deck Floor

[PastorPaul]

The previous owner of our home closed in the deck and attached the garages to make a sort of breezeway between the house and garage.

To improve temperature and humidity control in the breezeway, and to reduce the insect problem (particularly the flying, stinging type), we would like to install some type of floor over the deck boards. My question is how to go about it.

Because the gaps between the deck boards run from 1/4" up to as much as 1", I think I need somekind of underlayment before I put on the finish flooring. The problem is that I only have 1/2", possibly as much as 3/4" (if I can install a different threshold), to work with for thickness.

Our only concern for the flooring material itself is that it be durable, since this is a very high traffic area. Should I put underlayment down, followed by linoleum? Can I just use a pre-finished tongue and groove wood flooring and not worry about underlayment? I had thought about trying to fill the gaps between the decking boards, but they are so varied that it would probably take weeks of trial and error to get the job done. That's assuming that it could be done, since some of the gaps vary in width from one end of the gap to the other.

How about some suggestions?

Pastor Paul
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"If they don't have woodworking in heaven, I ain't going!!!"

[TDHofstetter]

That sounds to me like a good call for T&G flooring over two layers of 15# roofer's felt. I'd make doubly sure the decking is securely fastened down everywhere first, then run the felt & flooring perpendicular to the decking.

I think you'll want the felt to help keep the outdoors outdoors & the indoors indoors. Lap the joints in the two layers leapfrog-style and use blind nailing compound or plastic roofing cement to seal up the joints.

-- Tim --


There is food enough for every bird.
It is seldom, however, thrown directly into the nest.

[PastorPaul]

Tim,

Thanks for the idea. Would you use the prefinished T&G or the unfinished? If the unfinished, what would you use on it?

I'm leaning toward the pre-finished, just for the sake of less work and the fact that locally pre-finished always seems to be on sale somewhere at pretty good prices.

Pastor Paul
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"If they don't have woodworking in heaven, I ain't going!!!"

[TDHofstetter]

The prefinished seems to be beckoning here... the factory's got all sorts of fine equipment capable of giving the flooring an extremely uniform surface.

There's always the option, though, of ... no, wait. That's me, and I often get myself into a whole PILE of extra work... naw, making your own T&G is TONS more than you probably wanna do right now. :)

-- Tim --


Each of us
Is ultimately
Completely responsible
For our own interaction
With the world around us.

[PastorPaul]

Tim,

I woke up this morning (so tired from three days of our yard sale that I got up too late for church -- shame on Pastor Paul), with an idea. I know some folks in the flooring business, so I should see what kind of price they can give me. If nothing else, they may give me advance notice of special deals, or may get a damage lot that they can sell to me at dirt cheap price. Never hurts to try.

Thanks for the tip on using T&G!

BTW - to make the breezeway more weatherproof and usable year round, we had thought abound insulating under the deck. When I crawl under there with the insulation rolls, should I try to get a vapor barrier up in-between the joists, or will the rolled felt be enough of a vapor barrier? I figured to close it in with thin plywood or OSB, since it is an area that is not directly exposed to the weather.

Pastor Paul
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"If they don't have woodworking in heaven, I ain't going!!!"