When you're flooring an interior room, you can choose almost any materials. All you really have to think about is whether it'll resist damage when you fumble and spill a pot of soup or a can of soda on it and whether it'll look good. With a three-season room, you don't have to worry about the weather, but you've still got to find Three-Season Flooring Ideas like these that won't warp during cold months since it's not insulated.
1) Interlocking Vinyl Planks
Interlocking vinyl planks are one of the best flooring choices if you don't have heating. They don't need a lot of spacing between them and the wall because they don't expand and contract a lot. This means they won't warp and get damaged from being in an uninsulated space as easily as other choices. They also don't break the bank, and you can get ones like this that look like real stone and create a pouch like look.
2) Porch and Floor Paint
Floor paint is an excellent option for any outdoor or basement setting since it's relatively cheap and low effort, but you can also use it for a three-season room. If you want your three-season room to feel like a porch, then using the same kind of paint is a great way to give that impression. It's also inexpensive, and floor paint like this is designed to be over an unheated space and handle temperature changes.
3) Loose Lay Vinyl Plank
There are a couple of types of vinyl plank, and as a general rule, it doesn't expand and contract as much as other styles of flooring. This is good because your three-season porch materials will expand and contract when the outside temperature changes, and it can cause them to get damaged. Loose lay expands and contracts less than other vinyl plank styles, and you can lay it yourself using a video like this one from Floors To Your Home (.com).
4) Ceramic Tile
Tile is one of the most durable floor choices, and it's a great choice for outdoor settings. While you won't need weather-resistant flooring, you'll need something like tile that can handle the expanding and contracting. Since it has an outside door, you'll also probably be tracking mud and walking through the room in wet shoes. This means your best option is to have a weatherproof or waterproof material, too. Ceramic tile like this is resistant to both water and temperature change, and it'll be easy to clean. This tile also has a neat stone look that'll make your porch beautiful.
5) Composite Wood-Look Tiles
Composites are decent flooring choices for areas that are unheated since those places are going to have a lot of expansion and contraction, and while composites aren't as good as tile or vinyl plank, they'll resist temperature change better than hardwoods. The great thing about some composites is that you can get ones like these that look like hardwood so that you can have a hardwood look without the expense. Since they don't expand and contract as much, they won't wear out as fast.
6) Mexican Tile
Mexican tile is a beautiful choice for a porch. It gives you the feeling of hanging out at a hacienda and creates a relaxing environment. The tile also gives the porch a traditional look and it's bright and pretty. While it works well as an indoor tile it does expand and contract a lot, so you need to make sure to lay it properly and take precautions. Before laying Mexican tile or other clay tiles, read this article to learn about precautions to take and hire a professional to do it right.
7) DIY Tile
Your three-season porch will likely have a lot of foot traffic from outside, so make sure to pick a type of flooring that'll hold up to a lot of foot traffic and moisture. You'll also want something designed for outside temperature changes, like porcelain or ceramic tile. The problem with tile is that it can cost a lot per square foot, so you'll want to find ways to mitigate the coast if you're on a budget. One way to do that is to lay it yourself using directions like the ones in this article from DIY Network.
8) White Porch and Floor Enamel
Your porch is enclosed, but that doesn't mean it has to feel like an interior room. After all, you want to be close to nature and take advantage of the fresh air and sunlight that comes with a porch. One way to make it feel like an outdoor room is to use floor paint or porch and floor enamel-like this. Since this is white, you can even stencil it to make it look like Mexican tile or some other decorative tile.
9) DIY Engineered Flooring
If you want a hardwood look, you might want to avoid real hardwood. Until the room is insulated, you'll have a lot of expansion and contraction that can damage the floor. Since there's an entrance to the outside, you'll also want flooring that can get wet. Think about getting engineered flooring since it holds up well under these conditions. It's typically designed to look like hardwood, too, so you'll have a high-end look without the problems that come with hardwood in this environment. Try laying it using one of the methods in this video to save money.
10) Hexagons
Tile is one of the best choices for an unheated or even a fully exposed room, so it's more than adequate for a three-season room. It also makes the porch look pretty and more like an outdoor room, but sometimes you want something unique. Try getting a porcelain tile like this that's shaped like hexagons to create a neat look that's different from typical rectangular stone or square tiles. This pattern, in particular, will give a modern look to the area.
11) Slate Tile
Stone is a common and effective outdoor flooring choice because it's a natural material that holds up well to the elements. If you want a natural look, there's nothing better for a porch. Like other tiles, slate or stone tiles are durable, easy to clean, and they stand up to the temperature changes and the wear from debris and water getting tracked into your porch. If this sounds like an interesting or attractive look for you, check out this article to learn more about using slate tile.
12) Bamboo
Bamboo is an unusual flooring choice that creates a high-end look, so if you want a unique look, this is a great choice. It'll look similar to hardwood, but it doesn't expand and contract as much, so it can handle more temperature change as the porch cools off overnight and during winter. The bamboo will be similar to composite flooring, but it's made from real bamboo instead of manufactured materials, making it great if real wood is important to you. You can learn to install it using this article.
13) Click Lock Engineered Planks
Engineered materials don't expand and contract as much as hardwood flooring, which makes them a better choice for areas that aren't insulated. While it's not as good as tile or vinyl, it'll look more like real hardwood, making it more attractive and making your porch feel more like a comfortable interior space during the warmer months. You can get click lock engineered wood planks like this from Amazon since they're easy to lay, and you won't need to hire a contractor.
14) Broken Mexican Tile
Broken Mexican tile is a beautiful and traditional tile choice. It'll brighten your three-season porch with beautiful and colorful designs, but there are some inherent issues you'll have to prepare for. If you like the look of Mexican tile like this, you'll need to get a professional to install it since clay tile absorbs water. This can be an issue in an uninsulated space, so you need to make sure you get a professional to install it correctly to account for expansion during warmer months and contraction during colder months.
What kind of look are you going for? Did any of these flooring options sound good for your porch? Tell us about your choices in the comments below.
