Newbie, Wood floor thanks

[chevytruck]

I just bought an old house that has a 28x44 foot, two story garage, Built on a hill. drive in either side top or bottom.
The garage was used as a auto repair shop for many years i was told and the floor is wood and in rough shape. The structure is 8x12 metal i beams 28 feet long, spaced every 12 feet. with 2x12 on 16 inch centers between beams. Above that is 1x8 toungue and groove at an angle with 3/4 plywood on top of that.
I had the structure looked at by an engineer before i purchased and he said the structure itself is sound and plenty strong to hold up too 6 cars above.

My main question is what can i do to make the wood floor look better and more user friendly. Concrete will not work because i think it will raise the floor to high for my entry. Already fairly steep asphalt ramp. Any suggestions for alternative floor coverings? mats? tiles? another layer of plywood and repaint?

Sorry for being so long winded just trying to find suggestions before summers here.

thanks and i will try and get some pics

Glad i found this site looks great

 

[WolverineCoatings]

I'd like to see the pictures...

We have a bunch of options from simply coating to create a monolithic membrane over the wood... to... resurfacing with an 1/2" epoxy/concrete hybrid material... to 1/4" epoxy mortar. * These options depend on what I see in the pics

The challenge in coating a wood structure like you are speaking about is to get adhesion that will also take the flexibility and expansion/contraction of the wood... WHILE... being chemical resistant enought to resist the kinds of chemicals that you are going to have in the garage. The problem is that coatings that are flexibile (like simple acrylic latexes), in general, have really low chemical resistance and high permeability.

Permeability- If you have a porous coating, chemicals will be able to penetrate it and eventually get to the wood. Then, the wood will act like a sponge. Once the chemicals begin to adsorb into the wood, they will spread and attack both the wood and also the coating from the bottom of the coating. Eventually, you will have chemical soaked wood with delaminating coating. And, as we all have experienced, dry wood is stronger than wet wood. So, if you use a coating that traps the wetness, well...

Chemical Resistance- Obviously, from your post... you want an easy to clean work surface and only want to do it once. If you use a coating with lower chemical resistance, stuff like brake fluid (or other chemicals) will break it down quickly and then you're back to the wood. One potential problem I see is that most 'garage chemicals' will break down the new low voc waterbased adhesives that are now making their way into the plywood at your local 'Big Box' stores.

OK... I guess I took the 'Long Winded' title from you... Anyway... post up some pics so we can talk a bit more intelligently...

 

[wythors]

Alternatively, if the floor is flat, RaceDeck will go right over what is there and make it look new. Also, it won't be subject to cracking or flaking due to movement of the wood floor below it.

 

[chevytruck]

I thinking racedeck might be my easiest and best option

 

[comp]

need pics,,, you may be able to sand and seal

 

[rsanter]

I think it more about what you want and what you can afford as well as what will you be doing there.
options
sand/stain/seal
sand flat and then racedeck
sand flat and then aluminum diamond plate

bob

 

[i12flytoday]

Have you looked at the tiles from home depot? I think they are very similar to race deck, and I think they are like $2.50 a sq ft, which is very competitive with them I think.

I'm in the process of doing VCT tile myself, and I'm happy with what I have down, but I'm not sure how it will work over wood. Could be good, could be bad, you will have to talk to an expert regarding flooring to be sure on that.

But as far as the easiest, quickest, best bang for your buck, I would look at the snap together style tiles myself.

Wade

 

[sjsfire]

Just my 2 cents but I wouldn't put any "snap tiles" on a wood floor. I'd think that moisture would be trapped promoting rot. If it where mine, I'd go rent a floor sander and put a nice sealer down. Don't try to fix what is not broken....

 

[chevytruck]

The plywood is so oil soaked i dont think it could rot. Was thinking about pulling it up but has a billion nails in it. Was gonna overlay with new plywood but would cost as much as racedeck. I will be rebuilding snowmobilies and i think the carbides on the skiis would be rough on the wood. thats why i thought racedeck would be good

 

[i12flytoday]

The plywood is so oil soaked i dont think it could rot. Was thinking about pulling it up but has a billion nails in it. Was gonna overlay with new plywood but would cost as much as racedeck. I will be rebuilding snowmobilies and i think the carbides on the skiis would be rough on the wood. thats why i thought racedeck would be good

I had 8" Carbides on my Yamaha when I lived in Alaska. They will cut through racedeck tiles like butter. Just moving the machine across the floor once will leave gouges in the tiles. Hell, mine left gouges in my concrete. I ended up building some dollies to put under the skis with heavy duty casters.

Regarding above, I was referencing any of the racedeck type tiles, (traficmaster, racedeck, etc...) that snap together or interlock. I don't believe that moisture would be a problem, as these tiles have a web or matrix design under them. The water runs out from under them without sitting, and isn't trapped, so it shouldn't be any worse than just the wood itself. Many, many, people on here have had great success with those type of tiles, but I think you will be disappointed with anything really, as the carbide runners on the skis will leave a groove in just about anything. I definitely wouldn't go through the trouble of refinishing the floor or putting down a really nice floor unless you are going to protect the floor from the skis.

All I did was take some 2x4's, and made a dolly with a 2x4 on either side of the ski to keep it from moving around. The space under the carbide runner was open, so the runner didn't sit on wood or touch the floor. The I put 4 casters on each dolly. It was great. I could move the machine around much easier as well just by lifting the track a little.

Wade

 

[Sundowner]

at $10.85 for a 4x6 PT timber from Home Depot, you could overlay the whole floor for ~$3/sf, OR you could buy a Prazi beam saw and slice them in half and do it for about $1.50/sf. Keep the plastic where it belongs: in the drainboard with the rest of the tupperware

 

[chevytruck]

thanks everyone, guess ill have to rethink my flooring, Maybe ill just finish house remodel, sell house and build a new 1000sq foot house with a much larger garage/shop in the mountians somehwere