TimberSIL for a Porch Floor

[Texas Exile]

I'm a brand new member. This looks like a great forum for information on tools and woodworking. Just bought a new Craftsman 21829 to do some work on our old Victorian house and came across this website searching for info about accessories.

My current project is repairing and replacing elements of my exterior porch floor. Although roofed, it is open. Some of the porch tongue & groove flooring has begun to rot and needs replacement. It is over a hundred years old and is consequently full 1" thick with a 4" reveal. I plan to cut down and shape some 5/4" x 6" material but am against using pressure-treated because even painted I believe it will shrink considerably (and probably cup and twist as well). Although I could use a composite, I'd rather stay with wood for the old house.

I'm looking at using TimberSIL treated wood. It sounds like it will last as well as being harder than it was before it was treated. Has anyone used this product before? Were there any problems cutting or shaping it?

[crokett]

You can use pressure treated if you are patient. Let it dry and cup/twist as much as it is going to and then mill it. I've painted pressure treated several times, you just have to wait till it is dry enough. How will you put the boards down? People build decks out of PT all the time. I've built 3 and always use screws as fasteners.

[Texas Exile]

Thanks for the advice. I've built decks out of pressure-treated also and like it for that use. I can be patient but unfortunately the job won't wait. My house is being painted now and I need to repair the porch. I also don't really have a good spot to stack and let pressure-treated lumber dry. Regardless how I fasten it down, treated lumber always tends to shrink which will not help the new boards match the rest of the tight seams on the reveals of the original tongue and groove. I think I've found a good material solution in TimberSIL (a treated lumber that uses a different treatment process that comes drier and purportedly less likely to shrink). I'm curious whether anyone on this forum has ever used it and what their experience was. Thanks again for the advice and the quick response.

[crokett]

Since it will be painted, I am inclined to go for a composite. However if you really want to stay with wood, I looked at the TimberSIL website and it seems it would do what you want. Another option is to look at a rot-resistant wood. Since it will be painted I'd look at white oak. Around here it is used for fence boards and lasts for years on a fence with no maintenance. It will take paint.

[kimmey]

Okay, I am trying to repair scratches in my wood floor. It has an oil based finish on it and they are just surface scratches I believe, but I would like to see them repaired easily. I am wondering if there are any types of cloths that you can wipe and blend. I am not trying to sand and do all kinds of work as my daughter puts a scratches in the floor often and I would only like to completely refinish once a year. Please answer me.

[docrowan]

No experience in this, but have you tried Johnson's paste wax or Minwax in an "inconsipicuous" spot? Not sure if it will help, but if it did, it would be easy to apply and reapply.