Wooden Floor Int' 'Shop

[Calpol]

I've been planning to concreting (sp?) the workshop floor for a while now (actually should've done it already) but thinking about it there's nothing really heavy going in so I don't think it's worth having such a heavy duty floor...

Soooo my question is how would I go about fitting a wooden jobby? There's nothing there at the moment so it's a blank canvas, ie no structure at all and I really don't know how to go about it, what size timber to use, if chipboard or ply would be better etc etc etc. So many questions to ask

Thanks everybody

 

[wizer]

Concrete or a screed would be easier to install. But the problem you may have (as do I) is getting literally everything out for 24-48hrs while it's laid and sets. Which is why I will eventually put down an 18mm plywood floor on a 1x1 framework.

 

[OLD]

What do you mean nothing there, is it compacted earth is it flat and level does it get damp, the size . i think we need more info to suggest something that will last etc.

 

[Calpol]

There is no floor, I dug up the old concrete and filled it with hardcore but at the height the floor would be there is nothing at all, ie it would be a very suspended floor...

Wizer, I thought it would be easier to install a wooden floor than a concrete one, why is it the opposite?

 

[woodbloke]

I have a suspended floor which I'm very pleased with apart from the fact that I don't have enough sleeper walls. I have one down the centre but ideally could do with two more (one each side on a 12' span width) which will definitely be needed when I upgrade my kit later on - Rob

 

[Calpol]

I don't suppose you have any WIP pictures rob? I don't really know where to start to be honest... Also what's a sleeper wall? I should probably point out I'll have a mate of mine helping who knows more about this stuff

Ta, Calum

 

[woodbloke]

I don't suppose you have any WIP pictures rob? I don't really know where to start to be honest... Also what's a sleeper wall? I should probably point out I'll have a mate of mine helping who knows more about this stuff

Ta, Calum

The 'sleeper wall' runs down the middle of the long axis of the 'shop as is used as a bearing support for the floor joists. Assuming a 9' span (say single garage width roughly) then you'd probably need one sleeper wall. You can see from this pic:

taken when I had a leak (long since fixed...ta again Pete ) that there's one sleeper wall which consists of a concrete pad, railway sleeper on it's side, dpc and then a folding wedge under the joist, but as the joists are a bit thin I need another similar wall in the middle of the span each side of the existing wall. Once the joists are in place I've covered them with 18mm chipboard and then some 3mm external hardboard. The advantage of a suspended floor is that it's nice and toasty in the winter time and don't damage tool edges if somat is dropped on it - Rob

 

[Calpol]

Aah I see! I think the size is 4500 x a wee bit more than that, but one wall is a full curve... Looking at the construction there Rob, is that those metal joist hanger you've used? That's another thing I wanted to know

 

[woodbloke]

Aah I see! I think the size is 4500 x a wee bit more than that, but one wall is a full curve... Looking at the construction there Rob, is that those metal joist hanger you've used? That's another thing I wanted to know

Yup, just a straight forward galvanized joist hanger, nothing complicated - Rob

 

[OLD]

Calpol I think a picture would help a lot here your answer was not very informative.

 

[woodbloke]

I think a picture would help a lot here your answer was not very informative.

So sorry, profuse apologies for an uninformative answer...maybe this will help? It's not too difficult to find out what a joist hanger is...just Google it - Rob

 

[OLD]

woodbloke
Sorry for the confusion i have edited my post.

 

[woodbloke]

woodbloke
Sorry for the confusion i have edited my post.

No worries...I did wonder though. Nuances of t'interweb :wink: :lol: - Rob

 

[Calpol]

Here's a link to the original thread

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/view ... t=workshop

 

[OLD]

I would concrete it ,smaller stone with compacted sand over the rough hardcore to level then lay thick poly, to damp proof ,four inches of concrete over that if you have space so the floor will not be to high put insulation (polystyrene)over the poly. then the concrete.
A wood floor is same as above then lay bearers say 2x2 at 16inch centres and fix t&g chipboard to them and of course you can fit insulation between the bearers.

 

[Calpol]

Would I not be as well just to concrete it then OLD? I was hoping to get away from concrete altogether if possible...

 

[wobblycogs]

I've been doing some research into floors for the workshop I'm planning on puttng together. A suspended wooden floor is certainly easier on the legs but if you go down this route make it good and strong because the last thing you want is it flexing everytime you move a bit of equipment around.

That half curve you have will make installing a suspended floor harder but certainly not impossible you'll just have to think ahead of time about how you are going to runthe floor joists. The problem is that if you just put a wallpate round the side and nail joist hangers to it they aren, obviously, goingto be pointing to the centre of the circle. Depending on the size I would consider stepping the joists in like this (bad ascii art alert)

     ______
____| |  |
| | | |  |
|_|_| |  |
    |_|__|_

the corners of each step would need to be resting on brick pillars with decent foundations and you would still need a sleeper wall up the middle.

Over all I think concrete would be the easier solution. Once it's got insulation under it it's not that old and you could even embed heating pipes in it and have a chip burner outside piping in nice warm water (ok I'm off in day-dream land now).

 

[Calpol]

Thanks for that wobblycogs, I thought it would be difficult to make a flat concrete floor in the curve as well which is why I then thought about a wooden floor...

Any ideas how to concrete in the curvy bit? I haven't given up on that idea yet, just I thought it'd be easier to 'wood' it but seems I was wrong :roll:

Is it a case of making a frame to use for levelling and then running a timber down that? Also would it have to be in 2 sections?

 

[OLD]

This is hard to explain,cast the half circle first .Shutter across to form the base of half circle top of shutter at FFL. Then fix a battern around the half circle with its under side at FFL get a board to scratch off and cut a notch same size as battern so the board ledges on batten and rests on shutter so the board under edge is at FFL .When thats cast remove all shuttering and batten and battern short end of oblong then scratch off the batten and concrete just cast.

 

[Calpol]

Hard to explain and hard to understand :-s, I'll need some kind of diagram I think...

I don't know any of these terms, FFL and shutter in particular :?