Tag Archives: wood flooring

Pole Barn Garage Wood Floor

Pole Barn Garage Wood Floor

Reader CLIFFORD writes:

“Hello,  I found where you had answered a question about a wood floor in a garage while I was searching the web asking “Wood floor in a garage?”.  Let me explain, I am a disabled veteran living on a fixed income.  I have a blood cancer as a result of being exposed to the toxic smoke of the burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq.  I was told that once I started treatment I would live 7 or 8 years, 10 if I am lucky, I have been on treatment now for about 3 years.  I bought my farm from my dad.  I have a double wide home that is set up on a basement (with garage door), the problem is it is only 7’ tall with a 6 and ½ ‘ door.  I don’t have anything that fits.  I plan on building a 24 by 24 workshop/garage.  I will build it much like a pole barn, for the simple reason I can build in phases.  One pole at a time so to speak, as money allows.  I am looking at wood for the floor, I know in the really old days wood floors were common.  The problem I am concerned about is the weight limit.  I have a Mack Truck that was given to me, basically a toy, but a subsidiary of Mack Trucks rebuilt it so it is real nice.  I need the floor to be able to support this.  My plan is this:  2×8 treated floor joist, 12” on center.  Topped with 2×8 lumber, then topped with ¾” T&G plywood – to get it smooth.  To be honest I will probably have treated plywood on the bottom of the joist and fill in between the joist with what they call around here waste rock.  Then top it off with the 2×8’s and plywood.  The joist would run from front to rear, allowing a chance for the load to be right on a joist.  I expect it would be about a 10,000 to 12,000 pound load spread on 6 tires, I am guessing about a 10” x10” patch for each wheel, the heaviest load would be the front wheels.  I am not asking for official specs, just a professional opinion.  I realize cost wise it could probably be built with concrete cheaper, but I have to build it a piece at a time, and to be honest it may never get finished.  Thank You.”

Thank you for your service sir.

There is an even easier method (plus more cost effective) and if you are not going to climate control, you can omit directly under plywood insulation: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2022/03/post-frame-plywood-slab-on-grade/

Concrete: Cured or Dried?

Concrete: Cured or Dried?

Recently I posted an article in regards to finishing a concrete slab-on-grade. I admit to knowing slightly more about concrete than I do about plumbing. Muy poquito – one of the few Spanish terms I can actually pronounce (and have used all too frequently when visiting South America).

For those of you who missed my previous article (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/12/how-to-finish-a-concrete-slab-on-grade/) I made reference to concrete drying out. I was corrected, as one reader felt I should have used ‘cured’ rather than ‘dried’.

Being fairly ignorant and having relied upon wisdoms (and terminologies) from actual professional concrete finishers, I broke out Google and went on a search. www.cement.org seemed to be a likely prospect for correct language and here is what I found:

“The terms curing and drying are frequently used interchangeably with regard to the moisture condition of new concrete slabs. The following definitions clarify these terms.

Curing

Curing of concrete is defined as providing adequate moisture, temperature, and time to allow the concrete to achieve the desired properties for its intended use. This would mean maintaining a relative humidity in the concrete of greater than 80 percent, a temperature greater than 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and for a time typically ranging from three to 14 days depending on the specific application. When these recommendations are properly specified and performed in the field, the final properties of the concrete mixture will be achieved.

Drying

Drying of concrete is defined as providing the proper conditions to allow the concrete to achieve a moisture condition appropriate for its intended use. The moisture condition of a concrete slab is of significant importance for the application of moisture sensitive floor finishes such as vinyl composition tile, linoleum, wood flooring, and non-breathable coating like epoxy. The moisture condition is specified as a maximum relative humidity by percent or a vapor transmission rate in lb/1000 ft2/24 hr. A typical value specified for relative humidity may be less than 75 to 80 percent to assure the successful application of the flooring materials, while a commonly specified value for vapor transmission rate may be 3 lb/1000 ft2/24 hr.”

Personally I can live with these terms being used interchangeably, just don’t try to do it with cement and concrete (read why here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/01/cement-versus-concrete/).