Kinds of Flooring for Victorian Porches

Wood Flooring

• Victorian porch floors often were made from tongue-and-groove pine that ran perpendicular to the house. The Victorian porch floor usually was unfinished, bleached pine which gave way to polished floorboards in darker tones. If these soft wood floors were painted, the homeowner frequently used gray or green to imitate concrete or grass. Flooring colors were chosen to coordinate with the home's exterior.

Tile Flooring

• Victorian architects tended to use flooring that best suited the particular application. Porch floors needed to be durable and preferably decorative. Highly geometric in their design, Victorian tile porch floors were encased in elaborate borders that framed the entire porch. Sometimes the porch tile design carried into the home's entrance hall. Ceramic tile floors are available today that replicate the original porch floor styles.

Stone

• A variety of hardscape materials were used for Victorian porches. Limestone, sandstone, granite, slate, brick, flagstone, Italian marble and serpentinite -- a green-veined metamorphic stone -- all graced Victorian porch floors. Portland limestone was a white stone used in England. Orange-colored Bath stone was a beautiful sandstone that was favored for porch flooring. Even redder was Permian sandstone which weathered to a pitted or honeycomb texture. Permian Limestone was so dark it was almost black and featured white quartz veins that ran through its surface. Bricks used in Victorian porch floors ranged in color from yellow to greenish-yellow and red to black. A number of granites were used, including Cornish Granite which was black and white speckled, Shap Granite featuring pink, black and white coloring, and Black Granite also known as Gabbro. Many granite floors were made as cobblestone features. Flagstone flooring was also popular in the Victorian era, highly favored due to their rough, non-slippery surface.

Floor Coverings

• Victorian era homeowners frequently placed oil cloths -- painted canvas rugs -- to decorate their porches. They were placed at entry doors, under tables or used to anchor a seating arrangement. Woven rag rugs were another popular choice of floor covering, especially in cooler weather. In warmer months, mats made from straw, cloth or coconut matting replaced the heavier fabric floor coverings.