# Converting deck into screened porch



## thegriffiths (Jan 15, 2004)

I am in the midst of planning my conversion of our back deck into a screened porch. Currently of course it has decking boards and I am thinking that it would be just fine to leave them as the flooring. But I am concerned that the small gaps between the boards (they are very small, maybe 1/8 inch) might allow bugs up into the room. Of course keeping bugs out of the room is why we are screening it in.

I was told by my in-laws that they never seem to have a bug problem and they have a screened in porch that has decking also. Something about the fact that bugs wont fly up into the openings between the boards. (sounds unlikely to me). It would be nice to keep the gaps if this is true so I could just hose the deck off as needed.

Any ideas or help would be great! I thought of caulking the whole thing and also replacing the decking with plywood. Anything else? Or do I need to worry about it?


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## cc-rider (Jul 29, 2003)

I don't know if this would work or be feasible, but could you go UNDER the deck and nail that water permeable landscape fabric to the underside of the deck? You wouldn't be able to see it from the inside of the room, and you could still water down the deck to wash it, but nothing could come up IN through it??


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## firegirl969 (Nov 3, 2008)

We converted a deck into a screened porch and I can tell you that misquitoes will fly up into the porch through the little cracks in the decking boards. They are the only pests we had a problem with, but we decided to put some astro-turf carpet down. We just roll it up, take it outside and hang it on the clothesline and give it a hosing down to clean it and sweep the porch, then we put it back down when it is dry. Just an idea of what worked for us. We bought the part of a roll of the astro-turf at Lowes as the end of the roll, they cut the price like 25% off, so the whole thing for the porch plus enough to go in front of our camper cost like $38.


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## Old Vet (Oct 15, 2006)

Any of the responses is correct. Or you can put a sheet of plywood or OSB over it and paint it. It doesn't have to be thick but only thick enough to cover the cracks.


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## Queen Bee (Apr 7, 2004)

I know of two people who have done this and yes they had bugs come up thru the cracks--flies, qnats and mosiqutoes! One put down 1/4" plywood over the entire floor and painted it like a fancy rug..looks great.. The other one used indoor/outdoor carpet and it works fine..more expensive..


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## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

we threw a thin indoor outdoor carpeting down over the deck boars..works like a charm..


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## thegriffiths (Jan 15, 2004)

Well I guess that I have my answer about the gaps then! 

Thank you all. I am going to just remove the decking boards (and use them somewhere else) and put down 3/4 inch plywood tongue and groove flooring. Its going to be about 40 dollars more than I could have otherwise so its not a big problem.

Thanks again!


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## wvstuck (Sep 19, 2008)

Personally I put cement board down right on top of the decking boards and put slate tile over that... Screened in, easy to clean and looks great.


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## Guest (Jun 21, 2009)

I closed in and screened in the part under the deck.


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## frankva (May 21, 2009)

I screened the perimeter to the ground.


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## Witterbound (Sep 4, 2007)

I put misquito netting under our floor.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

A friend screened in his porch. He removed the deck boards, laid stapled metal window screen across the deck joists, then put the deck boards back on.

I'd be concerned about using plywood on screened porch. Rain during a storm can still blow thru the screen and soak the floor. This could cause the plywood to rot or ripple.


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## mtman (Sep 2, 2004)

cut 2 in. styrofoam stick it inbetween the joist cut it snug then caulk around the edge cheep and a lot easyer


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## Shepherd (Jan 23, 2005)

I definitely think you'll have a problem with bugs/mosquitoes if you don't protect against it.

I would either go with this:



firegirl969 said:


> We converted a deck into a screened porch and I can tell you that misquitoes will fly up into the porch through the little cracks in the decking boards. They are the only pests we had a problem with, but we decided to put some astro-turf carpet down. We just roll it up, take it outside and hang it on the clothesline and give it a hosing down to clean it and sweep the porch, then we put it back down when it is dry. Just an idea of what worked for us. We bought the part of a roll of the astro-turf at Lowes as the end of the roll, they cut the price like 25% off, so the whole thing for the porch plus enough to go in front of our camper cost like $38.


or this:



Cabin Fever said:


> A friend screened in his porch. He removed the deck boards, laid stapled metal window screen across the deck joists, then put the deck boards back on.
> 
> I'd be concerned about using plywood on screened porch. Rain during a storm can still blow thru the screen and soak the floor. This could cause the plywood to rot or ripple.


You're gonna need to clean (hose down) the floor now and then. Firegirl's method offers a great way to do it because you can wash it off, hang it up to dry, sweep the decking if needed and put the astro-turf back in place.

It also sounds to me like it would be a cheap answer, as well as the easiest way to remedy the problem. Good luck with this project; I'd love a screened in porch!


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## Randy Rooster (Dec 14, 2004)

Its easiest probably and cheapest to just staple screening to the deick undersides. I did it when my folks had their deck screened in.


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## doohap (Feb 23, 2003)

Question. If one puts screening or some other material under the deck boards, wouldn't that catch dirt and eventually build up between the boards? I've heard that allowing a buildup of material between deck boards can lead to rot or decay as the materials gets damp and holds moisture.

Just curious. 

We eventually plan on screening our back porch and will opt for the same solution as firegirl above.

Peace and Smiles,
doohap


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## Witterbound (Sep 4, 2007)

We've had screen under our deck boards for 3-4 years. There is a little accumulaiton (sawdust, leaves, etc), but not that much. Our floor screen is stabled above the joists and below the floor.


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## thegriffiths (Jan 15, 2004)

Well now I am torn. I have most of the deck boards off since I was going to do the plywood. But Cabin Fever has a point...the wood may warp if it gets wet. I had thought of putting a forever floor down like I saw in Backwoods home mag. 

I still have some time to decide...I have to build the extension to the deck floor before I go any further. So keep giving me pros and cons!!!

My choices now are either to plywood the floor then put a forever floor over it to protect it or put down screen then put the deck boards back on.


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## snowshoehair (Jul 3, 2008)

Since you have most of the decking up, I would vote for putting down screening and then put the deck boards back. I would think you could later add a permanent floor over the deck boards if you decided you wanted one.


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## Home Harvest (Oct 10, 2006)

Guess I'm a little late jumping in here, but we also did this conversion to an existing deck, and we also installed indoor/outdoor carpet over the deck boards to make the room look "finished" and to prevent bugs from coming up. That seemed like the easiest option.


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## bringselpup (Jun 15, 2009)

*IF* it ever stops raining up here in Maine, :help: and I manage to get the lawn mowed (now waist high). I'm hoping to start a deck/screen porch project. My plan was to frame and deck with plywood and drop a full sheet of linoleum over it before the walls went up. A neighbor gave me a pair of sash that are 5 ft wide ea so framed openings for windows would be screened but able to be closed tight to the weather with the sash. Hopefully the enclosure can double as a small greenhouse in early spring.


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## foxtrapper (Dec 23, 2003)

Some does depend on the nature of your bugs. Many folks around here have screened in porches with regular deck boards, and no bug problems. Our mosquitoes are the ankle biter types, so they don't fly up high enough. The flys and such fly to sun warmed surfaces, and the underside of a deck is not sunwarmed. So you get flies landing on the wall screens, but hardly ever flying up from the underside.

Lot of heat loss through those open slat floors. If you're considering storm windows for the future to make it a year round room, then sealing (and insulating) the floor becomes much more important.


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