Home Building Diary

Mahogany porch floor

May 3rd, 2006

Mahogany tongue-and-groove flooring has been installed on the first floor porch. The price of the mahogany is competitive with composite decking, so I went with the luxury stuff.

I used Cabot Australian Timber Oil to finish it. My local building supply company only has the natural finish oil, but it may have been better to use Cabot’s “mahogany flame” colored oil. The wood’s color varies greatly from plank to plank and the red oil might even it out. I’ll find it somewhere and try it on the second floor porch.

The mahogany is great stuff — hard, stiff, clear grain and relatively straight. The planks that were bowed or twisted even a little were difficult to force into place because the wood is strong. A Bowrench and clamps helped. I drilled pilot holes through the tongue and fastened the planks to the porch frame with stainless steel ring shank nails.

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