Shed Floor

[echnidna]

Going to build my new shed soon.

Was thinking of putting a couple of inches of crusher dust down then laying TP Sleepers for the floor

Any comments or suggestions welcomed

[Calm]

Is there a reason not to concrete it??

How hard would cleaning/sweeping be.

[echnidna]

I prefer timber floor over concrete any day
and I have enough 75mm sleepers in hand

[Terrian]

sleepers will warp and twist over time...

[echnidna]

Thought of that.
I need a planning permit if my sheds over 3.3 metres high from ground level which is a pita as I hate tp and unnecessary permit costs.

I want a pitched roof so I'm building as high as possible while keeping as close to the ground as possible.

[Calm]

Bob

How will the sleepers go when you want to bolt a machine to the floor or even for a flat place for machines to sit.

Do you do any welding or other hot jobs.

[Andy Mac]

I've worked on a sleeper floor before and it was right pain in the arz. The slight changes in level and the gaps between meant it was always dirty (dirt/shaving collectors), hard to sweep, and worst of all, really difficult to move anything over the surface without it snagging. I can't imagine getting the gaps to a decent minimum?

Good luck!

[echnidna]

Didn't think about bolting machines down, but they are all stable or fixed to benches and don't need bolting down.

I NEVER use the welder etc in my wood shop

[echnidna]

Thanks AM, good input.
I suppose if I go ahead I'd need to put a membrane down and sheet it with yellow tongue or masonite underlay. Did think it mighta been necessary. now I know it is.

[Harry72]

If you got plenty of time and patience you could slice up the TP sleepers and cut them into 65x25mm floorboards(allowing for a T&G) and a heap into joists/bearers.
This way you'll end up with a proper wooden floor... don the respirator tho!
It'll look good too.

[echnidna]

I thought about that too Harry but its a lot of extra work.

Also considered traditional bearers and joists too but that'll lift the height by about 400mm odd. I just begrudge spending a few hundred dollars on Town planning bs

[Vernonv]

Following on from what Harry said, you could put down a membrane and then lay some sleepers on the ground (membrane) as bearers and attach the TP "floor boards" to them.

[damien]

Dont me to hijack the thread, but what do people think about concrete pavers, anything from 300mm x 300mm all the way up to 600mm x 600mm. All probelms that anyone can forsee?

Rather than laying a concrete slab that is?

[echnidna]

I didn't consider pavers as I want a timber floor,
pavers/concrete are a lot harder on the legs and tools that get dropped

[Groggy]

I once worked in a large factory that had sleepers "on end". They were 3' long when new (WWII) and were barely worn. The workers said it was the best surface to work on - bar none - easy on the knees, back and feet. Dropped tools usually don't shatter either.

Machines were bolted to the floor and plugs inserted when they were removed. The factory building itself was over one mile long and 1/4 mile wide. The wooden floor area was about 200sqm. It was quieter than the rest of the factory and less dusty. Wooden floors are the go if you can get them.

[echnidna]

thanks Groggy I'll chew that over and see if I can figure out how to do it.

[Groggy]

In the factory the floor was suspended and there were bunkers underneath. As the floor wore, they bashed the sleepers with sledges from underneath. You may be better off with a slab with segmented sleepers lain over it, then sanded smooth. It'd be a heck of a floor :)

(segmented sleepers could be repositioned to even wear)

[echnidna]

Redgum springs to mind as a better timber than TP for that type of floor

[Stuart]

Mmmm - interesting ideas. I could do the whole floor of the workshop like a massive endgrain cutting board (if I am interpreting Groggy's post correctly)

[echnidna]

I wonder if the blocks should be glued together to avoid horizontal restraints

[BobL]

I can just see one warping enough so that 5 years later when I'm carrying that delicate piece of a project or a tool and my boot catches on that 3 mm edge poking up . . . . . . Tr . i . i . i . p, not worth it. Also isn't pine is a bit soft and will wear out in the long term?

[Groggy]

I wouldn't glue them, the ones in the factory were loose but clamped somehow using cables (? not sure). In a shed I think using wedges driven down near the walls would keep them snug.

As for bits sticking up, an arbortech, belt sander or 20lb persuader should keep it tidy.

[echnidna]

cables seem the way but there would be few needed.
Wonder if HT fencing wire would work with suitable tensioners
You couldn't lever against conventional walls/stumps without possibly harming the structure.

I think tp would be quite ok from wearing perspective and it's termite immune which is the big advantage over redgum etc (and I have a heap of TP). Expansion contraction due to humidity change may be the biggest problem with it.

[Vernonv]

Wonder if HT fencing wire would work with suitable tensioners

Gripples would probably be OK for the task and are easy to use.

http://www.onesteelwaratah.com.au/products/accessories/gripple-series/overview.aspx

[Groggy]

You couldn't lever against conventional walls/stumps without possibly harming the structure.I was thinking the wedges would be only lightly tapped in, not driven hard. Wouldn't imagine they would need to be (but am a long way from being an expert).

[echnidna]

but if the tmber swells against tight wedges to walls/stumps there may be troubles

[Dean]

+1 for concrete. May be a little more costly in the start, but will hold up to almost anything. Plus its basically a "set and forget" type of floor. Virtually no maintenance required. I don't even clean mine :rolleyes:
Some of my chisels dont like it though :p My grinder enjoys the extra attention however :p

[Ronaldo451]

I'm a concrete sort of guy, but also appreciate the economy of using what you've got and that you prefer a wood finish to walk and work on.

The comments about possible lips and edges raise some concerns though- depending upon the size of the area you are talking about, would an option be to lay the sleepers as you propose but then cover them with sheets of ply or particleboard? That would give you a flat, sweepable wooden surface and minimise the effect of any distortion in the sleepers later on.

[echnidna]

I'm a concrete sort of guy, but also appreciate the economy of using what you've got and that you prefer a wood finish to walk and work on.

The comments about possible lips and edges raise some concerns though- depending upon the size of the area you are talking about, would an option be to lay the sleepers as you propose but then cover them with sheets of ply or particleboard? That would give you a flat, sweepable wooden surface and minimise the effect of any distortion in the sleepers later on.

That was the general line of thinking if the sleepers weren't adequiate by themselves, though I don't like yellow tongue or ply close to the ground, obviously there would need to be membranes