Almost anything is possible if you have the budget, but logically depends on your construction, ie, type of foundation and setting for your porch(slab on grade, raised concrete stem wall, crawl space, basement walk-out or elevated deck, etc.).

What's your situation?

Thanks for the reply! The screenporch will basically have the same type foundation as the garage. Not sure if that is a slab or a stem wall but I think its the latter.

I was actually thinking about exposed aggregate concrete but might want something a little different.

In your situation, concrete will be the most economical flooring, if I understand correctly. It could be finished in many ways: saw-cut and stained, wood screeds with broom finish panels, exposed aggregate, etc.

Other alternatives include brick pavers (with or without the finished concrete), or perhaps wood or faux wood over sleepers, depending on the depths and elevations between the top of your porch slab and your finished interior flooring.

If you have severe rains and/or snow, freeze and thaw conditions, these may need to be considered in your flooring choice.

Good luck with your project!

I just put wood looking tile over my concrete floor. I love it!

Thoughts on slate?

Slate and tile strike me as pretty racy for an exterior, screened porch, but if it fits the style of the house, your fancy and budget--why not?

I'd spend my money elsewhere in the house, but that's just one opinion.

Properly installed and sealed, slate and tile should be very durable, except perhaps, in heavy usage (dropped or rolled equipment could cause damage) and/or extreme freeze and thaw conditions that could erode the grout and pop the tiles over time.

Slate is about $1.50 a square foot. Is that really too expensive?

Here is a picture of the screen and covered porch on the back of the house...

The material costs of slate aren't that cheap unless you are buying the box store stuff that has about a 40%-50% cull rate. And the installation costs for slate are a LOT higher than almost any other natural stone, which is in turn higher than any porcelain. Because even gauged slate will vary a lot, slate is a lot of work to get set correctly without a lot of lippage. It's best set in an old fashioned mud bed rather than with conventional thin set, and there simply aren't a lot of people out there that have the skills to do that anymore. Plus, it takes up more thickness for the floor, and you have to account for that from the beginning of the design if you want flush transitions.

If this is to be a completely covered 3 or 4 season room, then I'd recommend some type of porcelain, even a faux slate if you like the look, together with underfloor electric heating cables, or hydrionic if you're doing a boiler. Electric won't soley heat the room in winter, but if you are using a woodstove, it will help keep your feet warm. If you do the PEX for the water, it will provide a toasty warm and comfortable environment for the winter months if you also use good quality windows. If you're not up for putting in high dollar windows, then forget heating the space int he winter and have a 3 season rather than 4 season room. You should make sure that your slab is insulated properly from the surrounding soil regardless of if you choose in floor heating or not if you want to use this in the colder months.

Thanks for the reply. Can you point me to a type of porcelain that you would recommend so I can see a few ideas? Thanks.

I've spec'd the Emser Bombay series a couple of times for renos, and it's always a good look no matter which color you might pick. Their Perspective series mimics vein cut marble and travertine quite successfully without worrying about it etching or the need to keep it sealed. They also have a new line, Sakai, that looks a lot like bamboo, and I've been waiting for the right project to put it in. These have run between $2-$3 a square foot from my supplier. I'd consider running the tile all the way through the kitchen and breakfast areas as well.

Bombay

BTW, these porches will make your interior very dark. I hope you are OK with that and that this is intentional. You may want to add some solar tubes or skylights.

Here is a link that might be useful: Emser Bombay

Slate or tile in my opinion.

Love the examples! Keep 'em coming!

Yes, I know the porch will decrease the light some. We have floor to ceiling windows on the back of the house wherever possible.

If I am reading it correctly, the screened porch is 16 ft deep. That will decrease the light coming in to the room a lot.

I guess that's the trade off of having a screened in porch! Good thing there are windows on the other wall in that room.