floor covering for loft

[St-rider]

Since it's not the "garage" floor, I put this here.

I have a 16' x 16' loft with t&g osb floor.
Looking for ideas on what to use on the floor.

I'd rather not leave it bare so my first thought was to prime and paint it.
Other options are prime and cover with vinyl tile, glued or peel & stick, or thin outdoor carpet.

It will have shelving and be used for storage with only occasional foot traffic. I don't think I'll be sliding things around up there so carpet shouldn't be a problem.

I did sand it to smooth it out. Underneath, the joists and exposed osb will be painted white.

 

[infinkc]

you can get peel and stick vinyl tiles, would be the easiest thing to put down. They cost $1sqft, so $256 but for budget wise, paint is definitly the cheapest. You might be able to acarpet store and see if they have any remnants of commercial carpet.

 

[The Cobbler]

I would install 1/4" luan underlay, put on VCT . cheap, durable, long lasting, easy to work with .

 

[930dreamer]

I left mine bare wood decking but don't go up there very often.

 

[ddawg16]

I picked up some engineered 'click and lock' wood flooring from HD for less than $1/sq foot. It goes down quick....and stuff slides on it easy.

But then again, the 2nd floor of my garage is part bachelor pad for my 17 year old and part storage

 

[johnnyradiant]

Out of all the choices including bare, even bare unsanded, peel and stick is by far the absolute lowest, on my list, unless someone considers broken glass as an option.

 

[ddawg16]

Out of all the choices including bare, even bare unsanded, peel and stick is by far the absolute lowest, on my list, unless someone considers broken glass as an option.

Broken Glass? It could make for a good non-slip surface....

 

[JOE.G]

As far as peel and stick are the newer ones better thne they used to be? I am thinking of going for this in my Man cave above my shop. it is a 28x28 area that is coming out real nice, I wanted to do a nice wood floor but the 4 custom doors that I had made wood all need to be cut down and honestly I just don't feel like doing that. Some of the Peel and stick look decent these days. I have T&G OSB decking down at the moment.

 

[u2slow]

Weight is a concern for any of my loft/attic spaces, so as far as I would take it is paint... like a decent porch & floor enamel.

 

[oldironfarmer]

I'd be concerned peel and stick would not stick very long to OSB.

Mine has been bare for twenty years with good results.

Paint.

 

[St-rider]

Thanks all.
Porch paint sounds good but I'm going to check for some sale or clearance stuff first.
I'll prime first regardless.

 

[JOE.G]

The Second floorof my shop was designed to be a full upstairs weight is not a concern, I also thought about Staining mine as the walls and ceiling are Ship Lap and T&G Stained, I have a few Different colors going on. The building is climate controlled.

 

[930dreamer]

I'd rather have a full sheet vinyl with one seam then a bunch of 12"x12" seams.

 

[JOE.G]

Yes So would I, I am looking at that as a option also, I would like a real wood floor, But I am not thinking Ill do that at this time.

 

[Stuart in MN]

It will have shelving and be used for storage with only occasional foot traffic.

It's your choice, but based on the intended use leaving it bare (I assume it's plywood) is the easiest and won't cost a dime. My garage loft is 20 years old, and other than a coating of dust it looks about the same as it did when it was new.

 

[ddawg16]

I think I paid $0.79/sq ft for this stuff. Easy to put down when you already have a lot of **** up there.
Easy to clean.

It's holding up better than I expected.

 

[Jon_E]

I have 3/4" T&G OSB as the second floor of my garage. Asking myself the same question, I will probably sand it and seal it with some kind of clear water-based poly. It will only be used for storage and maybe a model railroad setup, so I don't need to spend any money. The other option would be a gray or tan floor paint.

 

[rnixon]

Found a close-out sale at Lumber Liquidators on Hickory laminate.
10 mm. thick , made in Austria , tough stuff almost, impossible to scratch. $1.10 sq.ft.

 

[ddawg16]

nix....it looks great.

 

[St-rider]

Found a close-out sale at Lumber Liquidators on Hickory laminate.
10 mm. thick , made in Austria , tough stuff almost, impossible to scratch. $1.10 sq.ft.

That's beautiful.

 

[St-rider]

I think I paid $0.79/sq ft for this stuff. Easy to put down when you already have a lot of **** up there.
Easy to clean.

It's holding up better than I expected.

I like this too.

 

[JOE.G]

Rnixon that looks great, 10MM Total? That may be ok for me.

 

[nadogail]

My loft is white painted OSB on the underside and bare on the surface. I use scraps of new carpet to cushion my knees.

 

[Lightning rod]

I use this under the cars in my garage but it would keep the garage motif in the loft
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-7...y-Universal-Flooring-HK70DT717SGRHD/205185043
Two rolls and your good to go
There would be a bare 1 foot strip on one end or two 6” strips bare if you center them
$1.56 / sq ft it took me all of 15 min to unroll the floor
But paint would work well also

 

[rnixon]

Rnixon that looks great, 10MM Total? That may be ok for me.

Joe
Most laminates require some sort of underlayment , to control noise and allow movement . I used a premium padding. that added 3mm to the total thickness. The padding is just a luxury , common rosin paper will control noise and allow movement , and only add about 0.5mm.

 

[JOE.G]

Sorry for HiJacking this thread but I think my questions may help OP also. What ever I choose it needs to have a rustic look to it as that is what I have going on up there, It is coming out really nice just need to figure out the floor.

 

[St-rider]

Sorry for HiJacking this thread .....

No problem. It’s all good info for everyone

I bought porch paint yesterday. Cheap and easy. I figure I can always add something more substantial later if needed.

Thanks all.

 

[JOE.G]

Post some Pic's when you get it done if you can, I was thinking a Paint/Stain also.

 

[St-rider]

So, I primed and painted with porch paint. Looks ok but I think it could be better.

I found some laminate for $.50 sq/ft.
They said it should be installed around cabinets and not under since it's a floating floor. I'll probably have a couple tall steel 2 door office cabinets against one wall and will have shelving units along another wall and in the center of the area but I'm not sure about the exact locations yet.

For those that used laminate and have shelving or cabinets on top, have you experienced any problems like "buckling"?

 

[rnixon]

As long as the cabinet isn't anchored to the floor or a wall ,like base cabinets in a kitchen ,it will move just, as furnitures moves along with the floor

 

[jeep63]

I used Porch paint on mine 10 years ago and it is still holding up. I did my steps too, but added some grit for traction; they are also holding up well. I really like some of the loft pictures here, but mine is never going to look that nice.

 

[St-rider]

Here it is with 1 coat of porch paint. I’d prefer a smoother finish.
Has anyone used deck restore or deck over? Thoughts?
Pic of wall for reference