shadango
New member
Hi all -- New to this forum.....hoping for some advice from folks who have "been there done that got the t-shirt, wore it out and now using it to polish the car". 
I have an MDM "instant tent garage"...12x24.....have had it for 10 years and it is time for a remodel. Use it for ATV, storage and an old smaller pickup truck.
The fabric lasted 10 years and is due to be replaced. The tent legs sit on patio blocks and is tethered to the ground. A few of the tethers need replaced. But the frame is like new.
The wood floor I built is the problem and why I have stopped by here for some advice and thoughts.
When I built it originally, I didn't need (or so I thought) to grade the area of the yard where it was going....it has a natural slight slope......it was a little uneven but wasnt too concerned.
I put down heavy plastic sheeting, allowing for about 20" of the plastic to come up above the floor level and stapled it to wood stringers to make a sort of tall lip around the floor on three sides, to try and keep out water and critters.
Then I laid down 3/4" tongue/groove OSB, 3 sheets across, 9 sheets....I had sunk treated 2x4 boards down into the dirt across the width of the tent at 8'foot spans so the 4' ends of the OSB would be anchored into them. The boards were ABOVE the plastic sheeting.
Worked great for several years but then a small amount of water eventually got thru the plastic at the edges somewhere on the high side and pooled in one area under the OSB on the low side where the wheel of my pickup sat.....that, predictably, sunk a little.
But it still worked ok.
That went on for a couple more years and that area's wetness increased little by little and then at some point a major breach happened and water got under the whole wood deck.
That created a moldy mess over the last two or three years in a couple spots on the low side....this year was the worst due a lot of rain and the high side got soaked....and molded quickly....so we pulled the flooring to redo it at the same time as the fabric.
The ground is (still) uneven in spots. The patio pads need re-leveled etc due to freeze/thaw I guess over the years...and a few tethers need replaced. Thats all easy. But the floor is where I am trying to decide the best way to go....without going over budget.
I was thinking I would bring in some sort of crushed stone or gravel to go down first......not sure how much I would need, but figure that would help level things out and provide drainage......enough to extend a few inches past the floor edges.
Then put down the old tent material as well as an old heavy vinyl pool cover I have in storage (about 18x22) as an underlayment and then splurge on a 15x 26 EPDM rubber pond liner....about $300 for the size I would need and still allow for a "lip" around the 3 sides......
Then put down the OSB on top of that.
That of course means the whole tent needs to be raised a few inches so I am going to replace the thin patio squares with thicker solid concrete blocks if I can find them.....they are about 6" thick I think.
Does this seem like a good plan?
Project creep is raising the budget, especially the thought of EPDM.
The EPDM liner may seem like overkill, and kills me.....$300 just for some rubber....but the plastic sheeting failed above the OSB's edge......under the OSB it was actually fine and hole free.....but the edges exposed to air (I assume) seemd to get holey....that and mice chewing it....LOL...and thats what caused the water issues.
We have a small pond I lined with the EPDM.....the pond has been in the ground longer and as far as I know has no leaks or torn areas....its tough stuff...should be tough enough to live under OSB right?
So what is the best type of stone to use for this?
Does it make any sense to leave the current plastic sheeting down as-is UNDER the gravel for additional vapor barrier protection?
Anyone know of a better way to go?
Needs to be dry and clean (as clean as can be expected when the tent bottom edges are open....)
My dream was to eventually put in a concrete slab and maybe put up a metal garage, but it just isnt in the cards and doesnt make sense for our situation.
Sorry for the long read and thanks in advance for your advice.
I have an MDM "instant tent garage"...12x24.....have had it for 10 years and it is time for a remodel. Use it for ATV, storage and an old smaller pickup truck.
The fabric lasted 10 years and is due to be replaced. The tent legs sit on patio blocks and is tethered to the ground. A few of the tethers need replaced. But the frame is like new.
The wood floor I built is the problem and why I have stopped by here for some advice and thoughts.
When I built it originally, I didn't need (or so I thought) to grade the area of the yard where it was going....it has a natural slight slope......it was a little uneven but wasnt too concerned.
I put down heavy plastic sheeting, allowing for about 20" of the plastic to come up above the floor level and stapled it to wood stringers to make a sort of tall lip around the floor on three sides, to try and keep out water and critters.
Then I laid down 3/4" tongue/groove OSB, 3 sheets across, 9 sheets....I had sunk treated 2x4 boards down into the dirt across the width of the tent at 8'foot spans so the 4' ends of the OSB would be anchored into them. The boards were ABOVE the plastic sheeting.
Worked great for several years but then a small amount of water eventually got thru the plastic at the edges somewhere on the high side and pooled in one area under the OSB on the low side where the wheel of my pickup sat.....that, predictably, sunk a little.
But it still worked ok.
That went on for a couple more years and that area's wetness increased little by little and then at some point a major breach happened and water got under the whole wood deck.
That created a moldy mess over the last two or three years in a couple spots on the low side....this year was the worst due a lot of rain and the high side got soaked....and molded quickly....so we pulled the flooring to redo it at the same time as the fabric.
The ground is (still) uneven in spots. The patio pads need re-leveled etc due to freeze/thaw I guess over the years...and a few tethers need replaced. Thats all easy. But the floor is where I am trying to decide the best way to go....without going over budget.
I was thinking I would bring in some sort of crushed stone or gravel to go down first......not sure how much I would need, but figure that would help level things out and provide drainage......enough to extend a few inches past the floor edges.
Then put down the old tent material as well as an old heavy vinyl pool cover I have in storage (about 18x22) as an underlayment and then splurge on a 15x 26 EPDM rubber pond liner....about $300 for the size I would need and still allow for a "lip" around the 3 sides......
Then put down the OSB on top of that.
That of course means the whole tent needs to be raised a few inches so I am going to replace the thin patio squares with thicker solid concrete blocks if I can find them.....they are about 6" thick I think.
Does this seem like a good plan?
Project creep is raising the budget, especially the thought of EPDM.
The EPDM liner may seem like overkill, and kills me.....$300 just for some rubber....but the plastic sheeting failed above the OSB's edge......under the OSB it was actually fine and hole free.....but the edges exposed to air (I assume) seemd to get holey....that and mice chewing it....LOL...and thats what caused the water issues.
We have a small pond I lined with the EPDM.....the pond has been in the ground longer and as far as I know has no leaks or torn areas....its tough stuff...should be tough enough to live under OSB right?
So what is the best type of stone to use for this?
Does it make any sense to leave the current plastic sheeting down as-is UNDER the gravel for additional vapor barrier protection?
Anyone know of a better way to go?
Needs to be dry and clean (as clean as can be expected when the tent bottom edges are open....)
My dream was to eventually put in a concrete slab and maybe put up a metal garage, but it just isnt in the cards and doesnt make sense for our situation.
Sorry for the long read and thanks in advance for your advice.