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Wood floor

RobSmith

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Feb 5, 2009
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NSW Australia
Has anyone tried fitting an "old" timber floor over an existing concrete floor.
Unstained and aged would look pretty good and comfortable to work on.:confused:
 
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RaceDeck1

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Oct 8, 2007
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Salt Lake City , Utah
I have seen this in a cool garage of a car collector, but you will have big issues if you drive in daily and/or work on your cars...It will surely stain and be difficult to clean.
We actually came up with a Tuffshield Woody floor for this type of look
 
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RobSmith

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NSW Australia
G'day Jorgen,
I'm thinking old timber, sitting on the concrete. No problem with stains...the more the better. Any gaps will fill with 'dirt' ...cleanable now a days with vacuums etc. Timber wall lining. timber ceiling. Warm, Rustic..atmosphere. a few cloudy windows with spider webs.
All the garages I see on this site are "operating room" pristine. I love that and wish I could have that; BUT I do stuff. I make a mess. I have decided that I will never have a "cool" & tidy garage but I can make it a "nostalgic" garage with disguised modern bits.
 

Frank Elson

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Apr 12, 2008
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Lancashire, UK
A friend of mine had a pile of tongue and groove given to him. Almost for want of anything else to do with it he laid it over a concrete garage floor. It's eight years old now and feels like an old friend to walk on.
No stains or varnish, he just let the oil and grease and bits and pieces weather it.
 

BooUrns!

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Mar 16, 2008
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Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Wood and concrete don't mix well over time. You could eventually have air quality problems from the decaying wood and mold growth under the floor. You'll need some sort of moisture barrier between the wood and concrete.

That being said, try calling a lumberyard about purchasing rough planks. It ounds like you're going for the old warehouse floor feel. It could be nice in that 'nice place to visit' sort of way.

Good luck with it.
 

ddawg16

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Jul 11, 2008
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S. California
I like the idea too.....

But as noted above, you need some type of barrier....or a way of it 'breathing'. I think you need some type of 'interface' bettween the wood and concrete. I wonder if someone makes some type of honeycomb material that would allow water to drain out but would also give you a flexible surface for the wood to sit on.

Maybe you lay down thin strips of wood permendicular to the top wood. You anchor the thin stips to the concrete and then you can anchor your top layer to the strips. If your floor had a slop, the lay the strips in such a way that water drains down hill.

Keep us posted....
 
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RobSmith

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NSW Australia
YAY ! good feed back...there is such a thing as a waterproof membrane that can be put down on concrete. The only thing that would be missed would be the 'spring' of a wood floor. I'm inspired ! Thanks guys.
 

rieferman

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May 18, 2009
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Collegeville PA (30 min west of Philly)
ddawg16 wrote:
Maybe you lay down thin strips of wood permendicular to the top wood. You anchor the thin stips to the concrete and then you can anchor your top layer to the strips.

This is the approach I've read about in multiple books (including this gem: http://www.amazon.com/Renovating-Barns-Sheds-Outbuildings-Engler/dp/1580172164)

I think using the strips as ddawg notes, and using the rough sawn lumber (rather than a tight tongue and groove) would allow air movement and prevent the other issues that were noted. That'll be nice on the feet and knees too!
 
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RobSmith

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Location
NSW Australia
In my situation there is absolutley no problem with moisture...no snow here ! I will be looking for a "shaped" board with maybe a bit of a gap to allow it to breathe.
 

plym49

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Sep 11, 2008
Messages
32
You can use tar paper underneath.

End-grain wood block floors were once common. 2x4 or 4x4 stubs two or three inches long work. Set them in tar on top of your concrete floor. If you have the headroom, this is a bulletproof way of adding some charm to your garage floor.
 

nzm.031

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Jun 4, 2009
Messages
17
Location
East Maitland, NSW, Australia
gday rob, greetings from up the road at east maitland! ive been wondering about a wood floor aswell, seems much warmer and nicer than concrete.

as for the moisture though, my frame and tin was put up and then the slab poured in... so it goes right to the edges of the wall.. this was done like 50 years ago, the garage isnt insulated at all. i have mats that slot together under my gym equipment, and they get moisture under them, even though it doesnt snow here. its fine as they are a rubbery type material, ive used them outside and they handle weather and moisture no worries..

cheers
Linton
 

mmhouse

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Aug 31, 2008
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Desert Southwest
If you decide to look into this further I'd suggest checking out Bituthene to put between your concrete and wood floor.
 
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