My mission this week is to choose the flooring we’ll be installing on our porch. Not that we’re finished with our structural work yet, but it’s always good to be ready, ya know? The top priorities are environmental impact and price. Oh yeah, and looks. And durability.

There are fewer options when looking at outdoor flooring. For example, oak wouldn’t be the way to go. Although it’s a perfect interior hardwood, it’s not water, insect or mildew resistant.

Right now it’s looking like we’ll end up with a local wood such as cedar or douglas fir, but I just started internet research mode and haven’t visited a flooring supplier yet.

Here’s the rundown:

Local woods include pressure treated pine, cedar, redwood and douglas fir. Pressure treated is full of chemicals, although not as harsh as they once were. Redwood is becoming scarce, so that can’t be very eco-friendly. That narrows it down to cedar or douglas fir, both soft woods.

The exotic wood species are more durable and more beautiful. Although FSC wood can be purchased easily enough these days, it still doesn’t sit right with me. Not to mention the price and difficulty of working with such hard woods. These would include the ever so popular ipe, mahogany, teak and tigerwood.

Of course, if we go the recycled route, we can justify any wood. This would be our number one choice if we can afford it. You’ll be the first to know what we decide.

I should mention that composite decking is yet another option that has come a long way. IMO, it’s not wood. It’s fake and it looks it. If we were talking a back yard deck, I might have a look into it, but this is the front porch of my soon-to-be gorgeous house. I just can’t….