Fire proofing a wooden floor

[magnusk750]

I know this has been discussed before, but a posting in the Gallery section made me think we could have a go again.

There is a thread on a Ford dealer running their business in cool old buildings. The workshop have a wooden floor, plank, installed in the 70s. I asked and the owner, or I think he's a son in the owner family mentioned they have no issues with welding or grinding, even dont mark the floor. He thought there could be some treatment made to the floor yhough could't say what's been made.

I'd really thought of a wooden floor in my coming garage build but fire risk really is something to consider. Anyone know if there are some kind of fire proofing oil treatment or varnish that could work on a wooden floor?

 

[shanker]

ive seen some 18wheeler trailers with wood floors that were made out of 2X? that were on their end and engineered together...i'de LOVE to have a floor like that...I'de even like it more if it was used with all the age and abuse showing.....

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

I know this has been discussed before, but a posting in the Gallery section made me think we could have a go again.

There is a thread on a Ford dealer running their business in cool old buildings. The workshop have a wooden floor, plank, installed in the 70s. I asked and the owner, or I think he's a son in the owner family mentioned they have no issues with welding or grinding, even dont mark the floor. He thought there could be some treatment made to the floor yhough could't say what's been made.

I'd really thought of a wooden floor in my coming garage build but fire risk really is something to consider. Anyone know if there are some kind of fire proofing oil treatment or varnish that could work on a wooden floor?

No issues with welding and grinding until an ember catches a piece of cardboard on fire at night when no one is there. Everything has a combustion point.

 

[slip knot]

I've known some guys that could work the wood floor in a garage but they were absolute neat freaks. Myself, I'm too messy,I'd have it burnt down in a month. As Legacy stated everything has an ignition point.

Depending on the work you plan to do in it wood may work out for you. A lot of old cabinet shops around here were built on pier and beam foundations. Dont see many welding shops with wood floors tho!

 

[theoldwizard1]

ive seen some 18wheeler trailers with wood floors that were made out of 2X? that were on their end and engineered together...i'de LOVE to have a floor like that...I'de even like it more if it was used with all the age and abuse showing.....

Some old factories (like 30 years ago) had wood block floors. Like 6x6x6 blocks on end. This was a transmission factory so there was oil/solvent soaked into all of these blocks. (What ever it was the leather soles on my dress shoes literally fell off within a week of walking through that plant.) I think they were set in sand, but they could have been on top of concrete.

IIRC they were used because they were cheap, durable and absorbed the vibration from fork lifts.

 

[magnusk750]

Ive sent a question about it to a friend who's a fire rescue engineer, or whatever it's called in english. I think I'm neat enough to not be hazardous. Or, lets say if there are for example cardboard boxes catching fire it can be disaster anyway because a garage has a lot of combustible material evn with a concrete floor.

Another thing I like with a wooden floor is that it's DIY friendly. To pour a concrete slab you must have 3-4 men reasonably knowing what they are doing, with a wooden floor I can tinker myself.

I've also heard of those wooden block floors in older factorys, though never seen myself. Must be a rather bumpy experience to drive a forklift over such a floor?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Don't get me wrong. I agree with the wood block floor as a viable alternative.
When Ford and GM still had manufacturing plants in NJ , they both had wood-block floors in the maintenance shop. They used our products to fill in where blocks had given out.

They were very friendly to your feet and joints vs. standing on concrete all day.
Just be careful with the hot work.

 

[MoonRise]

'Old-school' plants/factories often had wooden floors. Planks, or end-grain blocks.

Cause wood was relatively inexpensive and durable 'enough' for the tasks. Among other possible reasons.

Nowadays, not so much so. Fire-codes, solvent or oil soak in (related to the fire-codes mentioned), and other reasons have moved away from that most of the time.

As to 'fire-proofing' a wood floor, you kind of have to soak or pressure-treat the wood with fire-retardent chemicals. Which may or may not have their own 'issues'.

Although I like nice interior wood floors and agree that end-grain block floors are 'nice' to stand on compared to a concrete floor, I'd skip setting up a shop/garage with a wood floor myself if welding was an anticipated use.

Also, slab/floor directly on the ground would mean that pressure-treated lumber is almost certainly called for. But pressure-treated lumber is almost never 'rated' for interior use.

Also, wood floor on-grade/ground is going to most likely be damp or down right wet. And trying to seal ground water 'out' of wood on the ground? Darn near impossible.

As to installing a concrete floor, a bit depends on how big the job is. Extra hands helping out (almost) never are a problem, the 'problem' with concrete is that it Waits-For-No-One. Once the water is added to the mix, it starts reacting and curing (not 'drying' but an actual chemical reaction is occurring) and the clock is running.

For concrete, do all the prep (digging, substrate/gravel, forms, etc) yourself on your schedule, and then if needed hire the actual pour and finishing out if the job is too 'big' or 'critical' for a DIY approach.

 

[KELLHAMMER]

Applying a coating such as oil or varnish is less likely to lower the combustibilty of wood. There are fire treated woods out there (expensive) that have a lower flame spread and combustibilty.

 

[shrapnel]

I love the wooden floor idea , especialy for it ease on leg joints etc. As for the welding , sparks etc ,,, never weld and walk out the door , always give yourself at least 1/2 an hour after welding or grinding. Another option is set aside a mig/arc welding area and lay this in concrete, same with heavy grinding.

As for wooden block flooring, here's a couple of links to websites for more info. Personally i like the idea of it and thinking of approaching a lumber yard for their off-cuts to do mine if I go that way.
http://www.deltaflooring.com/wood_block.htm
http://www.kaswell.com/

Shrapnel

 

[geologist]

I've inlayed a wooden floor before and it was later covered by a separate contractor with some kind of clear epoxy or resin of some sort. I couldn't begin to tell you if it offered any resistance to fire though.

 

[Inventive1]

I once read about some kind of wood that is quite resistant to fire. It's not native to North America, and I have NO idea how much it would cost, where it grows and whether or not it would be suitable for a floor. I wrote down the name of it....but can't find it now!

Personally , I'd like the idea of building part of the garage with a wood floor. Areas used for storage, a work bench, etc. could easily use wood flooring. In areas where vehicles will be repaired or welding will be done I'd much prefer concrete. There are several advantages of using different types of flooring. A smaller concrete slab is easier to poor than a larger slab. A concrete floor is ideal for auto repair and decent for welding. A wood floor is more comfortable and, in my opinion, more attractive. A wood floor is usually viewed as a more environmentally friendly choice as well.

Another option for a welding area is to use fire brick on the floor. This MAY be a better option if a person was trying to build this without any additional help. I'd assume the concrete pad under the firebrick wouldn't have to be perfectly smooth or level. (It would need to be close though) I've never laid a brick floor so it would be advisable to speak with someone with more experiece on the subject before attempting it.

If using a wood floor in an area where automotive repairs will be done, make certain the floor is reasonably smooth and even. Floors with uneven boards (or cracks in concrete) can make moving floor jacks and rolling around on creepers difficult.

 

[magnusk750]

I've come that far, that my buddy the fire engineer says there are some kind of chemical that can be used also on wood, mostly they are only for textiles. Haven't found the supplier though , the one he mentioned seem to be out of business. Cant believe it's just one supplier, but so far haven't found any other.

 

[Cruzin90]

Not a do-it-yourself, but...

LINE-X XS-152 - Will burn but will self-extinguish once the flames are removed.

LINE-X XS-252 - Will not ignite. (Class 1 fire rated.)

 

[HiWind]

Not a do-it-yourself, but...

LINE-X XS-152 - Will burn but will self-extinguish once the flames are removed.

LINE-X XS-252 - Will not ignite. (Class 1 fire rated.)

thanks Cruisin .. great suggestion and looks like a great product .. hopefully cost will not make it no better than just re-doing my wooden suspended floor (first floor garage space) with a prefab cast concrete one

Original Poster - Any other updates to your floor and what you decided on and have experienced? ANy insight welcome, thanks!

I am just thinking of safety/fire issues re storing my classic car club's collection in one place.

(ps - I am mostly just looking at storage for 20-25 cars for a light restoration space with a wash bay and grease trap, and a hoist/car lift on a concrete slab/pre-cast in the 2-3 car 'workspace'. Pic attached - Got to love the natural light and the feel of the wooden floors - issues re ambient heat though (its not ever below freezing here, ussally 20-30 deg C) will be dealt with later ... maybe some insulation or ceilings if we can avoid losing the classic-ness of the sawtooth roof.)

 

[xtremek]

Flamex is a product I've heard about from a different thread on here. Here's also a place in Texas that make a coating. Both products are supposed to make it so wood doesn't combust, just char when a flame is held to it

 

[Notgrownup]

We sell fire retardent liquids to spray on all kinds of products to our nursing homes... Mostly we get the stuff for fabrics but you can get the stuff for wood also....Google it.

 

[Lippyp]

I think Luca-jack in Italy has a wood floor in part of his garage salvaged from an old factory.

It's somewhere in his thread. http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36583&page=28

 

[HiWind]

thanks guys ... great to have so many ideas liberally shared so quickly ... :cheers:

I'll start a build thread once I've got the engineers report and prelim designs.
After a year or more of lurking and drooling, I hope I've learned something!

So what I've gathered from this and suggested threads above:
- various treatment alternatives (line-x xs 1&252, rosco flamex, line-x, envirotile from multy, robex toughseal or floorguard, intumescent coatings) .. time to get costing

- will cement board (coated with varithane etc..) stand upto cars being driven around? (hardie board etc...)

- linoleum might be helpful .. but not for fire issues

- clearly a metal plated (plate or ali), fire-bricked or concrete area needed for welding, grinding area, but need not be too big so workable

- any other pointers re sealants (epoxy and/or polyurethane or paint), that won't crack with the movement of the boards welcome! ... although I'm not holding my breath re 'no'cracks

- also might check out tarring possibilities although a smooth surface seems to always be preferable and more comfortable ... gotta love a shiny floor

cheers!
Matt