Can anyone who has a wood garage floor comment on it. Good or bad. My 22x 22 concrete slab is sunk and cracked and Im not too keen on replacing it with concrete. Wood seems to be a sensible option and is 1/3 the price. Please dont lecture me about the oil and gas theory my cars dont leak and I have a sprinkler. And we dont have termites where I live. Thanks.
Wood garage floor
- Thread starter Mike99
- Start date
ddawg16
Well-known member
Welcome to GJ
Seeing how you have touched on all the main points.....I'm guessing your mind is made up.
Just don't walk on it barefoot...splinters
I'm sure the warping that will eventually happen won't bother you.
And I doubt you will be bothered by the small creatures that will move in under it.
And if you spill anything on it, well, it will just add to the character.
But eventually, this floor is going to be sunk...and splintered.
Seeing how you have touched on all the main points.....I'm guessing your mind is made up.
Just don't walk on it barefoot...splinters
I'm sure the warping that will eventually happen won't bother you.
And I doubt you will be bothered by the small creatures that will move in under it.
And if you spill anything on it, well, it will just add to the character.
But eventually, this floor is going to be sunk...and splintered.
TexasShooter
Well-known member
I bet the "attitude" in your posts will surly get you a ton of feedback. Not being an *** will likely get you some answers.
MrBalll
Well-known member
How do you know what he said to you isn't fact?
How do you know he isn't a carpenter and works with wood all day long?
A lot of us around here do a lot of different things. I'd rather hear the opinion of someone who's an expert in the field versus someone who just has the product.
I own a Liftmaster jackshaft but I'm not an expert.
How do you know he isn't a carpenter and works with wood all day long?
A lot of us around here do a lot of different things. I'd rather hear the opinion of someone who's an expert in the field versus someone who just has the product.
I own a Liftmaster jackshaft but I'm not an expert.
Farmall450
Well-known member
You get more bees with honey than vinegar
TexasShooter
Well-known member
While I sell, and lay tile for family and friends, I would not recommend that for a sunk and cracked slab. That slab gets to moving and cracking and will crack and possibly break the tile loose from the mortar.
Firebird 1
Well-known member
I like the idea. Depends on what type of wood you plan on using. Around my parts I can get rough sawn oak planks a couple inches thick for a song. Have the mill surface one side and there you go. Put several coats of a poly and you will have a good looking floor. I have been in many, many barns that have wood plank floors that tractors and equipment have been parked on. A lot of them have been in place for centuries.
Red Voodoo
Well-known member
I recently demolished a 12' X 20' shed for reasons not related to the floor, which was constructed much as you described. It was floored with 2 X 6s and 2 X 8s, and was one of the best floors I've ever worked on. It was about 60 years old, had a lot of character, and was easy on the feet. If you can fit the boards close together and keep them dry, you'll have a great floor. This one had no finish whatsoever by the way.
lakeroadster
Well-known member
Mike,
- Are there zoning laws in your area? I'm wondering if a wooden floor in a garage is a code violation?
- Might be detrimental to the re-sale of the property. I know I'd pass on a garage with a wood floor.
- Also wonder about home insurance... seems like your agent may have an issue with this too?
ddawg16
Well-known member
Well....seeing how mom was from the boonies of Florida and lived in the country.....yea...speaking from experience.
Let's see....2 bedroom farm house....one of the bedrooms had a dirt floor.
Used the 2 seater outhouse until the 60's
I remember many a time taking a bath in one of those old galvanized farm yard water tanks in the kitchen. Hang crank at the sink...fill up a pail...boil it...toss it in the tank.
There is a good reason you had a lot of rugs....they helped to control the dirt and protected your feet from splinters.
So...please....go do the wood floor.....please.....you will love it
PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
;
Sounds like you've already made your decision.
I'll give you one vote for validation purposes.
Dr Stan
Well-known member
Did more or less the same with my shop floor in NE. It was built in 2 sections with one concrete floor about 3/4" lower than the other. Poured a cap then used commercial vinyl tile to cover the whole thing. Looked good IMHO.
Northislander
Well-known member
We have a few garages in my neighborhood that have wood floors. Both are suspended floors one is over a 3 foot crawlspace the other has a workshop under both are built from 2 x 10's old growth Douglas fir installed on edge spanning approx. 12' both built in the 50's. still good structurally. I think concrete would look pretty economical to install in today's prices for old growth fir
$1700 cad using 30 4x4 pt posts and covering with 2x8s. Concrete,$6000. Original concrete pad didnt last 30 years. And rotten boards can be easily replaced. Could knock 200 bucks off using 3/4 inch ply wood but think boards are the more durable solution.
I guarantee your homeowners insurance will laugh you right out of your policy.
The reason you don't hear from people with wooden floors in the garage is because nobody has one. Nobody has one, because it is dangerously stupid.
The reason you don't hear from people with wooden floors in the garage is because nobody has one. Nobody has one, because it is dangerously stupid.
Heard back from insurance company. They are fine with it. Seemed pleased I had a sprinkler installed. Told me they were more concerned with wood decks and bbqs than wood floor garages because really when was the last time you heard of a car spontaneously combusting.
Orionrising
Well-known member
well there were those self igniting ignitions a few year back.
You could try adobe or earthcrete. Or old fashioned brick. or gravel and stone dust.
You could try adobe or earthcrete. Or old fashioned brick. or gravel and stone dust.
bczygan
Well-known member
Save the 2K.
Just compact it and park on the dirt.
Bill
Just compact it and park on the dirt.
Bill
Does anyone have experience placing pt 4x4 directly on compacted 1/4 down? I built my deck using 4x4s on 12 inch cement pads to keep them out of the water but wont be getting much rain in the garage. Just what dribbles off the car. I will be placing 5 or 6, 4x4s under each wheel track so that should be a big enough foot print to prevent sinking. I could use cement pads but that would make the floor higher than I want.
Tdaddy185xlt
Member
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2013
- Messages
- 16
Seems high to myself also. Where are you located, just curious. I just ran the numbers and our price would be around $2500-$3000 w/ tearout. Somebody is making good money doing concrete for $6k. Lol
Boilerhouse
Well-known member
My parents had a garage, roughly 12 x 20 with a wooden floor on the property that I grew up in. The garage was likely built in the early 50's and my father, with the help of some buddies, logs as rollers, and a tow truck, moved the garage across town and onto our property in the late 60's. The "foundation" were logs, probably spruce that were milled flat on the top and bottom. The finished height of these logs was around 10 or 12 inches if I recall. I don't remember the spacing, probably every couple feet. As far as I know the logs sat on the ground. The floor were spruce planks, full 2 inch thick and likely 8 or 10 inches wide. They were never painted. There was a ramp, also made of wood which led up and into the garage. This type of garage construction was fairly common in the town I grew up in. Over the years, my father parked the Strato Chief, Impala, Ford LTD and Olsmobile in the garage. There were no machine tools in there, the garage's purpose was to park vehicles and for a bit of storage. My parents sold the place in the mid 80's. The garage still stands, with new siding it looks better then when we lived there. I have no idea what sort of maintenance, if any, has been done to the floor or the foundation logs, since we left.
bigcow94
Well-known member
I'm not going be a nay sayer but I'll leave you with this thought. Have you ever been on a outdoor deck that has 2x8's for the joists? Even a 10x10 deck with 2x8s has a bounce in it. If you're set on 4x4 posts you wont be able to notch your posts to put a 2 ply beam structure together. You could do "in-floor" beams but them you're talking a mess of hangers to support your floor system as opposed to a 'below' deck set up. I would suggest putting your posts on at least a concrete post base. 6k for concrete seems high, but like they say "opinions are like "elbows", everyone has one".........
he who laughs last, thinks slowest
he who laughs last, thinks slowest
bigcow94
Well-known member
I forgot too add my credentials
10 years of residential and commercial carpentry and 6 years of remodeling and property Maintenance work. If you're dead set on a wood floor it might not be a bad idea to stop into the local Lumber yard and they should be able to get you a drawing that would be engineered to support the kind of 'loads' you're going to be putting in this garage
he who laughs last, thinks slowest
10 years of residential and commercial carpentry and 6 years of remodeling and property Maintenance work. If you're dead set on a wood floor it might not be a bad idea to stop into the local Lumber yard and they should be able to get you a drawing that would be engineered to support the kind of 'loads' you're going to be putting in this garage
he who laughs last, thinks slowest
glentre
Well-known member
Old barn wood plank floors were raw and unfinished for a reason. Boards will warp if exposed to different levels of humidity on either side. Finish sealing the top exposed and not the bottom surface will result in the bottom picking up more moisture than the top and the board will warp. You might be able to control the warping if you use some heavy screws but nails will pull out over time.
Glen
Glen
Angelfire
Well-known member
Another option if you're set on wood is to come in with a layer of sand, then fill the space with short pieces of 4x4, 6x6, or whatever you have access to, with the end grain facing up. Factories used this type of floor for years. Biggest risk is probably oil/flammable spillage which then gets sucked up into the end grain creating a potential fire hazard over time.
James-W
Well-known member
Many years ago, that type of floor was used in numerous factories and it worked out quite well.
Personally, I really like hardwood floors, we have hardwood floors in our home and they are great. But I don't think a wood floor in a garage is such a good idea. To each his own I guess, we all have our own thoughts on it. My thinking is that sooner or later you will spill something on the floor, like gasoline or oil, or whatever. Also, if your vehicle doesn't leak any fluids today, wait awhile, as time goes by it will most likely leak something.
If you do any welding, or if you have a plasma cutter, or an oxy-acetylene torch, or anything that could potentially start a fire, you would have to be VERY careful. There are welding blankets you can get and use, but again, you still need to be careful because of the potential fire problem associated with wood.
holt2ton
Well-known member
A few of the factory hardwood floors that I have worked on (on top of actually!) were Pecan. Not sure why this was but, they were very nice and damaged areas were easily replaced. I can't say personally that I would want a wood floor in my personal garage, but I also understand the your monetary reasoning
I don't have any history with actual wooden floors but we have tons of customers that want to achieve this look without giving up the perks to a modular garage flooring system. If the wood flooring route does not pan out you may want to check out an alternative which will achieve the wood look but you will have a garage floor that functions and lasts decades. Not pointing you in our direction, simply saying there are great options out there that will last many more years. Good luck with whatever route you decide.
Attachments
Skiff Builder
Well-known member
Mike, I posted up a thread today on a plywood garage /shop floor I built.The floor has been down for 8 months now, through a Summer/Winter cycle. Its had hot tires, antifreeze,oil, brake fluid, all manor of paints spilled or dripped on it.Cleans up nicely. Cars and boats jacked up and heavy castered loads moved around on it. The plywood is just tacked down with good screws- no swelling or movement problems so far.
It's been pretty nice working on vehicles and boats there.
Check it out.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=357734
Awsome. Thats exactly what I was looking for. Thanks. What type of agregate did you use? I have been debating whether to use plywood or boards for the top. Did you use pressure treated plywood? The inspectors in my area say I need to use pt wood in direct contact with the ground or I will need to get a permit and an engineering report so this is perfect.