From decking(!) to interior floors
This client had a deck around part of their house that became an interior floor when they enclosed it while expanding the home. Decking is great for outside, but as you can imagine, it’s not quite ideal for inside. So I needed to construct more suitable flooring for everyday living.
To start, I templated the entire floor so I could cut the ¼-inch plywood we would be using for subflooring on top of the deck. It’s important to use plywood instead of particle board or chipboard, and the thickness of the plywood used can vary from project to project—depending on whether (or how much) the subfloor needs to be raised. For example, if the new flooring will only be installed in certain areas, it needs to be flush with the existing flooring in other rooms. That means we need to choose the right thickness to make sure the subfloor is appropriate to meet that goal.
After each sheet was in place, we fastened and primed them, skim-coating to fill in gaps, staple holes, cracks, or other imperfections. Adding multiple coats also helped us level the floor, as the deck was a bit uneven.
Just like the drywall in your home, you shouldn’t be able to see where the joints come together on a subfloor. No, people won’t see it in the end, but it’s an indication of quality craftsmanship and a job done right. The subfloor and prep work plays a big role in how the finished floor looks.
Once the subfloor was complete, it was time to make another template of the entire floor, this time for the Marmoleum. We used this template to cut the material sheet by sheet, putting them in place and scribing them to fit.
The finished product is a nice orange-ish color, which adds a brightness to the area. Not only is it much better than an inside deck, it’s going to hold up for years, it’s perfectly safe, and it’s comfortable, too—the client’s 17-year-old cat gave us the seal of approval not long after we finished up!
Do you have a unique flooring need? I can help! Get in touch at (206) 327-5185 or email JD Jarmer for a consultation today!