WOLF SERENITY™ PORCH BUYING GUIDE

Porches are inviting spaces that allow us to enjoy nature without leaving the comfort of our homes.

Wolf Serenity Porch is an easy-to-install, highly durable PVC flooring product that comes in a range of colors, suits a wide variety of homes and eliminates many of the hassles associated with traditional wooden porches.

Wolf Serenity Porch with ColorWatch™ Technology offers the same benefits as Wolf Serenity™ Decking, only it features narrower-width, tongue-and-groove boards that create a solid surface area in the customary style for porches. Wolf Serenity Porch offers tremendous curb appeal that will be the talk of the neighborhood.

FEATURES

Here are some key benefits of the Wolf Serenity Porch:

• It looks real. Our PVC porch materials mimic the texture and color variation of real wood. 
• It’s available in various sizes. Our Tropical Hardwoods and Seaside collections offer 1-inch X 3 1/8-inches planks, while the Americana collection is available in 3/4 inch X 3 1/8-inches planks. All come in 10-foot, 12-foot and 16-foot lengths.
• It’s also available in a variety of colors and textures. Wolf Serenity Porch flooring comes in seven beautiful and distinctive colors that allow you to complement the style of your home. The Tropical Hardwood collection, for instance, offers rich colors with natural grain textures such as Amberwood and Golden Cypress, and the Seaside Collection features cool, coastal hues like Harbor Grey and Sand Castle. The Americana collection, available in Pewter, is the perfect replacement for worn-out wood porches.

• It retains its color. Wolf Serenity Porch features Premium ASA ColorWatch™ Technology, a low-maintenance material that protects the flooring against UV rays and helps it retain its attractive color.
• It’s stain- and rot-resistant. Our PVC porch flooring is highly durable and resistant to staining, rotting, delaminating, splitting, and cracking.
• It repels moisture. The flooring does a fantastic job of repelling moisture, and resists mold and mildew. This makes it a great option for rainy and humid climates. It’s also ideal for porches near water, such as docks and pool surrounds.
• It’s easy to install.Our outdoor porch flooring installs like tongue-and-groove flooring, and can be easily assembled with traditional and hidden fastening systems.
• It comes with several warranties. Wolf Serenity Porch comes with a Limited Lifetime Warranty, a 25 Year Stain and Fade Warranty, and an Extended Wolf Pro Labor Warranty.

INSTALLATION

The following steps explain what you need to do before and during the installation of your porch:

1. Adhere to local codes. When installing Wolf Serenity Porch, don’t forget about local building regulations. It’s your responsibility to make sure that your installation adheres to the building and safety codes of your municipality and state.
2. Get it inspected. Your porch must be installed properly. Wolf will not be liable for a product that is improperly installed and recommends that your porch be reviewed by a licensed engineer, architect or local building inspector before you install it.



3. Store it properly. When storing your Wolf Serenity Porch, make sure it’s on a flat surface. Space the supports evenly to prevent sagging.
4. Don’t use boards for support. The boards provided by Wolf Serenity Porch are not intended to be used as supports or beams. They are also not to be used as a support or structural components of railings.
5. Provide ventilation. You should leave a clearing underneath to allow air to freely circulate.
6. Inspect existing joists. If you’re installing your porch on an existing support structure, ensure that the structure is suitable for building. All joists should be level and structurally sound without any nails or screws sticking out.
7. Use the right spacing. The joists must be spaced correctly. Space the joists 12 inches apart on center to achieve best results. Don’t exceed 16 inches center-to-center spacing for the planks perpendicular to the joists, and do not exceed 12 inches center-to-center spacing for planks that are diagonal to the joists.
8. Create a slope. Make sure that the framing slopes away a 1/4 inch for every foot from the building. This allows run-off and water drainage to occur. You can install tongue-and-groove porch boards on standard joists that are spaced up to 16 inches center to center. The joisted should be installed to slope away from the structure at 1/4 inch per foot.
9. Use traditional tools. To install the porch you can use an electric nail gun, a pneumatic nail gun or a screw gun — the same tools used for installing wood porches.
10. Use the right fasteners. To fasten the boards together, use either serrated nails or trim head screws. Nails should be at least 2-inch barbed or serrated steel cleat “T” nails or “L” cleats. For screws, use a minimum #7 X 2-inch 305 stainless steel trim head screws with #17 drill point. Use 1/4-inch bead of construction adhesive to keep expansion and contraction to a minimum.
11. Install in the right order. Install the planks with the groove side against the structure. If your boards are to run perpendicularly, begin at the outside edge. As close to the structure as you can, put one fastener through the face of the board into the joists. Then each joist should be attached by putting a fastener through the tongue. This should be done at a 30- to 45-degree angle. Screws should be countersunk so that the next board can be inserted. The grooved edge of the next board should then be inserted over the exposed tongue.
12. Maintain consistent board spacing. Then, adjust the gap between the boards until you get it the way you like, and keep that spacing consistent for the entire installation. As before, attach the joists through the tongue with the fastener. Repeat these steps until you reach the edge of the board.

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER

If installed properly, your porch should not experience significant expansion or contraction. It’s a good idea to install the board as soon as possible after it’s cut to avoid any changes in temperature. Some other things to keep in mind:

• Tighten butts and miters. Make sure end butts and miters are kept tight.
• Space boards farther apart during freezing weather. Installing the porch in freezing temperatures is not recommended, but if you must do so, leave a 1/16-inch space between boards.
• Allow for ventilation. Your porch must be installed in a well-ventilated area so that the structural integrity of the joists is maintained. If the area under your porch is not well ventilated, your boards may get warped and deformed. This will also void your warranty. Using soffit vents and lattice will help ventilate this area.

• Create larger gaps on rooftops. If installing on a rooftop, you must leave a 3/8-inch gap in between boards and any fixed structure to both allow for expansion and contraction and to increase airflow.
• Use different fasteners near salt water. If you are installing a porch in a saltwater coastal area, you should use 316 stainless steel fasteners.
• Avoid exposing boards to excessive heat. Excessive build-up of heat from sunlight, fire and other sources can damage the surface of the porch. Sunlight reflected from Low-E glass can damage the surface even more because it generates higher surface temperatures than sunlight by itself. This reflected light can cause damage in the form of melting, warping, sagging, discolorations of the surface and unusual weathering.
• Install differently when not under a roof. If you’re installing your porch that will not be covered by a roof, your framing should be adjusted to 12 inches on center and you should place construction adhesive on the joists.
• Maintain a distance from other objects. A 3/8-inch gap should be left between the porch and any fixed structural object. 

STAIRS

Wolf Serenity Porch may be used as stair treads, but you should first check your local code to see if there are any requirements as to how they must be built.

CARE AND MAINTENANCE

It’s a good idea to regularly clean your porch to remove dirt, stains and debris. You can use regular household cleaning products and a garden hose. To get rid of rust stains, a toilet bowl cleaner works well. Some other suggestions to help you maintain your porch:

• Keep harmful chemicals away. Products such as insect repellent and sunscreen may contain chemicals that could affect the surface of the Wolf Serenity Porch.
• Keep non-porous items away. To keep from discoloring the porch surface, avoid rubber-backed mats, tarps and other non-porous items for long periods of time.
• Remove ice with calcium chloride. When removing ice from a Wolf Serenity Porch, use calcium chloride products to avoid damaging the porch surface. This may leave a white residue, which can be removed.

PRODUCT WARRANTY 

Wolf Serenity Porch is backed with a generous warranty. A lifetime limited warranty is given to single-family residences, and a 20-year warranty applies in all other cases, which include commercial use, condominiums, and multi-family residences. The lifetime warranty option will last the lifetime of the original purchaser as long as he or she owns the property.

25-YEAR STAIN AND FADE WARRANTY

In addition to the standard residential Lifetime Limited Warranty, Wolf also offers a 25-year warranty for staining and fading.

BROWSE OUR PORCH COLORS

The Wolf Serenity Porch is a great choice in terms of both function and form. Its exceptional durability allows you to enjoy the outdoors without the hassle of maintaining wood, and its variety of beautiful, high-quality color options makes it easy to match the porch with the rest of your home. Check out our selection of porch colors or speak with one of our dealers to help you find the right one.