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Wood Garage Floor & Insulating

PedroTheMule | Posted in Construction Techniques on March 9, 2009 05:24am

I’m thinking out of the box again so either throw me back in or close the lid so I stay out.

Looking to spread out the construction of a shop at my house. Build it out of pocket when I’m bored and finish it in less than 50 years. Central NC so frost heave is not a real issue.

1st part I already have a firmly packed #57 pad for parking. When I put it down I stayed 1′ off what will become the perimeter walls of the shop.

2nd part will be to build a pole barn type carport. I have access to nearly free treated 4×8 posts that I’ll sink 3′ into the ground on a foot of #57 stone for drainage. Runoff is excellent and water table is way down. I’ll put down a latex roofing mat on top of 2×10 ceiling joist & 3/4″ osb. This now gives me a bit of shelter for the tractor and a couple of vehicles.

3rd part is to gambrel roof it and close it in for storage.

4th part is to close in the walls, running them to the ground on top of stone, pretty much a treated wood foundation and tie it to the posts. Wrap it in foam board and hardie plank it to match the house and other buildings. This leaves the inside open to future wiring and will eventually sheetrock for fire safety.

BIGGEST QUESTION:

5th – Floor it – Concrete is nice but wood floors are so much nicer to spend time on. Thinking about 2×4 treated sleepers 12″ oc on the current gravel floor, top with 3/4 treated plywood, 1/2″ foam board, then 3/4 osb. Apply a maple stain and clear marine epoxy to the osb.

I know a guy that built a 20×24′ shop with 2×12″ 12″ oc spanning 10′ that glued and screwed 2 sheets of 3/4 plywood down. He’s parked cars in there for 30 years and never had a problem. I figure my idea will be at least that sturdy.

So give it to me gentlmen……

Pedro the Mule – Need enough room for feed hay and buggy

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Replies

  1. rez | Mar 15, 2009 07:34pm | #1

    Greetings  Pedro,

    This post, in response to your question, will bump the thread through the 'recent discussion' listing again which will increase it's viewing.

    Perhaps it will catch someone's attention that can help you with advice.

    Cheers

    94969.19  In the beginning there was Breaktime...

    94969.1  Photo Gallery Table of Contents

     

     

  2. JuanTheBuilder | Mar 15, 2009 09:39pm | #2

    Pedro,

    It sounds as if you have a good plan in mind. We would suggest to go at it and once you require some adjustments then we could help a bit more. Truth is that we have done some sleepers systems before in garages and they worked  great! The walls gave us some additional connection oportunities...

    1. Lansdown | Mar 16, 2009 02:48am | #6

      rez, the juxtaposition of these two names needs your attention methinks.

  3. AitchKay | Mar 15, 2009 10:02pm | #3

    I'm planning on doing much the same thing, but in order to get dust pipes down into the floor (the only way to keep them out of the way for a table saw), I'm planning on using 2x6 floor joists. Only a little more lumber than 2x4 sleepers, but a LOT more room to fish.

    Mine will be on a slab, though. Also, to tweak the floor as dead=flat as I can, I'm thinking of first gluing and shooting down treated 1x3s (if I can find 'em). Then I won't have to use treated 2x6s, and I'll have something to shim and fasten the joists to, as well.

    1 1/8" ply would be best, and might even mean I can go out to 16"centers. Probably 12", though. We'll see what the engineer says.

    Also, I don't want any sort of dish to the floor -- that plays havoc with outfeed tables, etc. So I'm thinking of building the floor dead flat, but sloped back-to-front for snow-melt drainage, with two long drain slots, or maybe just evaporation pans, about where the wheel wells will be.

    Let me know what you end up doing.!

    AitchKay

    1. andybuildz | Mar 15, 2009 10:19pm | #4

      There's always radiant heat coils you can lay down and pour a slab over em'...if you have the dough that is..radiant heat sure feels nice...

       

       

       

      http://www.cliffordrenovations.com

      Why do I keep...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ZkQC0riwc

      http://www.ramdass.org

       

      1. AitchKay | Mar 15, 2009 11:49pm | #5

        Yeah, a buddy of mine did that in his garage, and I'm going to hire him to help me. That joist space will end up being pretty warm! I wonder if I should pump air through it? Maybe stop the plywood a foot short of the wall on both sides, and build a 1'x1' plenum box up from there. But I'd have to use really good furnace filters, or that space would fill up with dust...Probably better to keep it sealed tight, and fire-stopped.AitchKay

    2. PedroTheMule | Mar 16, 2009 05:30pm | #7

      I'm planning on doing much the same thing, but in order to get dust pipes down into the floor (the only way to keep them out of the way for a table saw), I'm planning on using 2x6 floor joists. Only a little more lumber than 2x4 sleepers, but a LOT more room to fish.

      Good thinkin' - I'll be able to semi bury my pipe in the gravel....everything else is going to be around the perimeter wall unless I missed something?

      Table saw dust pipe - In floor

      Bandsaw, Scrollsaw, Drillpress, Routertable, Joiner, table pad & beltsander & a few for benchtop and automobile interior cleanup - All around the perimeter.

      Have I missed somewhere I should run dust pipe?

      Pedro the Mule - I hate hacking up wooden dust balls

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