07-14-2013, 11:29 PM
Since we've got a few other members posting such things, here's mine. I have two-family house and rent out the first floor to a nice single lady. A few years ago (4 or 5?) I had tried tiling the front entrance to her apartment. I put down 1/2" plywood, 1/2" concrete board and then the 12" x 12" tiles.
That was a failed experiment. Apparently the sub floor and 1/2" underlayments I put down weren't sturdy enough. Some grout between the tiles cracked during the winters, moisture got into the concrete board and the whole thing was disintegrating as seen here:
![[Image: IMG_20130703_103624_990-r_zps9e0a1c8e.jpg]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/kenm10759/Misc/IMG_20130703_103624_990-r_zps9e0a1c8e.jpg)
I pulled up all that I had done a few years ago and tossed it. Then I put down 1/2" hardwood plywood. On top of that I installed tongue & groove mahogany, blind nailed except for the two end pieces. After nailing it with the stainless steel nails, I painted it with two heavy coats of an oil based "porch and deck paint" that I got from the lumber / mill shop around the corner from me. (The ones who sold me the T&G mahogany.) That oil based stuff is now illegal to sell in Massachusetts, but they have a small supply remaining so I snapped it up.
After the paint dried (takes at least 24 hours), I laid down three 2" wide strips of a 3M product intended for use in slip prevention as you see it here.
![[Image: IMG_20130714_162205_043-r_zps11a6abd1.jpg]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/kenm10759/Misc/IMG_20130714_162205_043-r_zps11a6abd1.jpg)
The surface does see a little snow but rarely any direct rain, so as long as I keep the wood covered in that paint I should be good for a long time to come.
That was a failed experiment. Apparently the sub floor and 1/2" underlayments I put down weren't sturdy enough. Some grout between the tiles cracked during the winters, moisture got into the concrete board and the whole thing was disintegrating as seen here:
I pulled up all that I had done a few years ago and tossed it. Then I put down 1/2" hardwood plywood. On top of that I installed tongue & groove mahogany, blind nailed except for the two end pieces. After nailing it with the stainless steel nails, I painted it with two heavy coats of an oil based "porch and deck paint" that I got from the lumber / mill shop around the corner from me. (The ones who sold me the T&G mahogany.) That oil based stuff is now illegal to sell in Massachusetts, but they have a small supply remaining so I snapped it up.
After the paint dried (takes at least 24 hours), I laid down three 2" wide strips of a 3M product intended for use in slip prevention as you see it here.
The surface does see a little snow but rarely any direct rain, so as long as I keep the wood covered in that paint I should be good for a long time to come.
