Laminated post or solid post

[kybob]

I am a newbie to this forum. I have been watching from a distance so to speak for a little while trying to pick up this and that. I am in the process of starting a pole barn. I am having a contractor do the job for me as I am too busy with work & do not have the time right now to do the work myself. More or less I am just having the outer shell put up with a concrete floor. I plan on insulating and finishing the inside myself as time and money permits. My building size is going to be either 40W X 64L x 12H or 48W X 64L X 12H. Will depend on money as to which one I go with. My mind was set on laminated post until I got talking with several buddies. They are telling me to go with the solid post. I assume 6 X 6 treated. I chose the laminated because it was my understanding that if done right, they were stronger & straighter than the solid 6 x6's. Is this true??

 

[Steevo]

Laminated.
Stronger, straighter, better.

 

[santagary]

I had Cleary build my 80' by 60' barn and all posts are laminated 2/6's or 2x10's where cattle might bump into them. Laminated posts don't warp and are less expensive than 6x's or 8x's. Probably most professional barn builders use this technique to avoid twisting and warping.

 

[383]

In my experience, laminated posts cost more than solid 6x6's. They are straighter and stronger, so you can decide if they are worth the extra cost. We typically use solid posts unless the ceiling is higher than 16ft.

 

[Shadowdog500]

My Morton building uses laminated posts for the reasons stated above.

Make sure you get a vapor barrier under that concrete and get thermax or some other insulation installed under the metal walls and roof as they go up. I know you are trying to save money, but do it anyway. These two steps help keep the humidity down in the building. A friend skipped these two steps on a 50x100 building to save money and everything in his building is coated with water on most mornings from condensation. Everything in that building gets rusted badly in a matter of months.

Also make sure the floor of the building is higher than the surrounding area, so you are high and dry. I know of a building that gets water in in when it rains because the floor was too low.

Chris

 

[larry_g]

I believe some of this is driven by location. I've not seen laminated in this area. We are blessed to be in Douglas Fir forests and poles are strong and straight.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[thightower]

The shop I have is a Morton, Dad built it in 1981. It has the laminated 6x6, still as sturdy today as the day they built it. It is a 40x70x14.

 

[camarotoolman]

Dad and me built a pole building using used power poles, that were free. Neighbor was a lineman. Its about 40 years old and still looks like day one. A little more work cause we notched the posts out for the purlins. Just an idea for guys to save some $$

 

[gayler]

Laminated will be stronger. Also treated solid 6x6 the treating will not go all the way through, treated 2x6 will be treated all the way through.

 

[rburke65]

Laminated

 

[sfd524]

Bob, I am also planning a pole barn. One of the options I found, and probably will go with are precast concrete pole bases that go in ground 42" then stick up another 18" with a steel bracket. Then you put laminated posts on top. They eliminate the concern of rotting wood in the ground and need for galvanized fasteners because of chemicals in treated wood, you just use regular 2x6's to build the post. They are a little more then using treated poles, but no rot. I am pretty sure I will be using them when I get building. You can Google "perma-column" for all the info. Good luck.

Lee

 

[coljar]

My 30 X 40 building has all precast "perma-column" concrete post in the ground with laminated 2x6 's bolted to them above. It was worth the extra cost to me to not have any wood in the ground.

 

[mtwaterguy]

Three built in Oregon, one in Montana. All with solid treated posts. No problems with twisting or rotting. Oldest one is over 40 years old.

 

[DHS]

Laminated is suppose to be better but around here the 4x4 and 6x6 have a higher level of preservative per cubic foot than the reg 2x4, 2x6, 2x8.... So I guess it depends on what you can easily get locally.

 

[joe_padavano]

I'm in the mid-Atlantic region (about 50 mi west of D.C.) and I've been unable to find a source for laminated 6x6 posts. I'd appreciate any suggestions.

 

[Cougar]

My 30 x 50 Cleary has laminated.
They built it on top of the slab.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I believe some of this is driven by location. I've not seen laminated in this area. We are blessed to be in Douglas Fir forests and poles are strong and straight.

I'll bet this has a lot to do with it !

Typical;y anything (roughly) East of the Mississippi will use Southern Yellow Pine or other "young" pine (pretty much no old growth left). SYP posts, even PT, is much more likely to split. Laminated won't.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Make sure you get a vapor barrier under that concrete and get ... some other insulation installed under the metal walls and roof as they go up. I know you are trying to save money, but do it anyway.

Yep !

You definitely want a vapor barrier and insulation under the slab !