Garage Floor material

[Cliff_Johns]

Hi,
I'm going to build a garage behind my house which will
house my lawn tractor, a small CUT of some type and a
bench. Just a one car size, maybe 12X20. Anyway,
I can't get anything wider than 5 feet back to that area,
so if I used concrete it would take a lot of wheelborrow
trips (Perhaps 40 or so?) from the truck which would be
a hundred feet away.

What I'm wondering is, would it be nutz to use a very
strong wood floor instead of concrete? I'm thinking I can
set it on a 6" gravel base and let it float with the frost.
It would be cheaper and easier all around. Also lower
tax increase because concrete makes it a permenante
addition to the property and the tax goes up accordingly.

What would the drawbacks be for a wooden floor if I plan
to use it for a tractor? For the sake of argument assume
a JD4110 with FEL and BH. I have a feeling using wood
is just a bad idea, but I'm not exactly sure why.

Thanks,
Cliff

 

[bebster]

Wood will eventually rot and/or crack and/or bend under the weight of a heavy vehicle unless it's really thick and well fastened.

Why not use some sort of concrete pavers? If you go to Home Depot or other home center you'll see plenty of choices. You can put down gravel for drainage and then clean sand and tamp it down, and then set the pavers in that. Just make sure the pavers aren't too thin.

 

[PineRidge]

Cliff concrete is the best choice. We had a large patio poured 2 summers ago and the concrete man rented a gasoline power wheelbarrow to move the cement from the truck to the pour location. It worked well and took a lot of the work out of the project. Concrete is permanent and you won't have the worry of rotting wood.

 

[BigAl]

Cliff,
Why don't you just rent a concrete pump . Most ready mix companies will be able to give you a phone number of someone who has one . They are fast and easy and set up at the concrete truck and then just string a pump hose to the construction site .Most pumps charge by the yard . Sounds like you will be using about 5 yards of concrete including footing . Thats quite a bit of concrete to move by a wheel barrow.

Good Luck,
Big Al

 

[Mark_in_NH]

Cliff,
Most all concrete companys have the abilitiy to to put the concrete in what might normally be an unnaccesible lcatin.
For instance. Our local concrete company has a trailered mounted pump and a boom truck, whhich allows tem to put the concrete pretty much where they want it.
A concrete foundation might well be the best choice. And depending on the cost and your willingness to pay it. Well thats is up to you.
What kind of COLD temps. do you get in Illinois.
In my un -educated opinion, properly done a building with a structerly sound floor would last you many, many years.

 

[KYFARMER]

Cliff, they build houses with basement walls and floors made out of treated wood. There is no concrete. The treated wood is laid on gravel. Plastic is put on wood before back filling.

 

[Cliff_Johns]

I'd heard about the concrete pumps, I think I saw them
on This Old House or something, but I assumed the
cost would be very high. I will call around and find out.
maybe it's not so bad.

The frost line is 42 inches here, so I would need to dig
a foundation wall that deep. Lots of digging.

I figure I need a 4110 with a BH so I can build the garage
to put it in /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Thanks for the help, I will do a bit more investigation into
pumping concrete. Apparently I should not have discounted
that option. I am still a bit nervous doing a concrete
foundation since I've never even touched a backhoe before.

Thanks again,
Cliff

 

[Henro]

Cliff,

There is no question in my mind that a "proper" foundation and slab would be the best and most rewarding way to do what you want to do, and something that you'll appreciate long into the future...but...

I also think that you could think outside the box and come up with another solution using wood like you suggested in your first post.

For example, I have been in steel mills that have floors made of wood. Why? Because the wood gave a softer surface to put the finished coils of steel on, preventing damage to the steel. Now you would not use their construction methods, which was to have the wood standing on end, and stacked side by side that way to cover vast areas, but it can and is done.

If I were to use wood, it would be all pressure treated. I think I would sink a post at each corner to hold the building in place, but not to hold it up, just to keep it from shifting.

I would lay a surface of flat crushed stone on the ground, where I wanted the floor to be, and compact it as much as I could. On top of that I would put a framework of treated 4x4s, spaced a foot apart max. I would keep the size of the thing so that I could use full 4x8 or half 4x8 sheets of 3/4 pressure treated plywood on the floor. Your 12x20 is good.

After the 4x4 framework was on the ground, I would fill between the 4x4s with the same stone that you put on the ground in the beginning, up to the top. This stone would give extra support to the floor plywood between the wood supports.

THen I would cover the floor with a first layer of 3/4 PT plywood, in the normal alternating half/full sheet pattern.

On top of that I would put a second layer of 3/4 plywood, but would start it off with a half sheet [2x8 & 2x4], and alternate it in the opposite way, so that there would be no seams overlapping on the floor. I would probably use screws, rather than nails to hold the floor in place.

It might be better to use 6x6 PT for ground contact, but that would drive up the cost...your call.

Do you really need a nice, smooth floor? Otherwise you might find yourself pretty happy with a simple layer of stone inside a small pole type building... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif A crushed-stone floor works for me... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Mark_in_NH]

Cliff,
I suspect that you will find the cost of the concrete to be a little higher if they have to pump it. Thats why I said earlier "your willingness to pay it" in order to have a concrete floor / foundation.
I agree with Henro on the use of treated wood. If your site is properly prepped for drainage, levelness, compaction etc. I think you would get many many years of use out of a wood floor. If you use strong enough lumber and plenty of support you'll be fine. Figure what kinds of load you expect to put on the floor, planing for future growth and build accordingly.
Maybe build up a base of compacted gravel to keep your wood away from normal ground moisture, allow for plenty of ventilation and provide for an real nice overhang, to get the water well away from the building as it runs off the roof.

 

[moeh1]

Cliff,
what kind of building are you planning on putting up? I have a steel arch building, with a concrete floor to the company's spec. They use a "floating slab perimeter" which is 10" wide by 18" deep with alot of re-bar - at least for my 25' by 40' building. I put stone in the center for drainage,dug the "footers" with my small rototiller in about 2 hours flat. Then I put in outside plywood forms only, installed the rebar, laid down plastic for a moisture barrier and filled it with 4000 psi fiber reinforced cement. Cut some control joints the next day. Knock wood, no cracks after 5 years /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif We used a conveyor truck which had about a 50' reach, I think you'll need a pumper or /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif to get you as far as you need.