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How to design floor in shop

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trbomax
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 133 Starvation Lake, Mi
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2004-04-18          83503

I will be building a garage/shop for the NH this summer.I do not want a concrete floor.My plan is to build the deck useing 4x6 posts on 8'centers,then frame the floor joist on top of 2x12s that are on each side of the posts.My delima is,what size and span on the joist,and do I deck it with 1"t&g,or 3/4" treated plywood.I will lay a double layer of plastic over the sand prior to framing to control ground moisture.Part of the object is toget the deck well above ground level,since we normally will acumulate 2 or 3 feet of snow.I want to park the TC35DA w/loader on it as well as a jeep wrangler. Help?

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2004-04-18          83506

I guess my first question is why you want a wood floor in a shop. Years ago the only building I had for a shop had a wood floor. This building had been used for years ahead of me to overhaul tractors and general repair work. over the years enough oil had been spilled on the floor that it used to catch fire once in a while when I would be welding and I would'nt know it till I lifted the helmet. If your concern is to have an open space between the ground and the floor I think piers of concreet made with cardboard pier forms and prestresed concreet decking would be in much better shape 25 yrs. down the road than any type of wood floor. When I finally got a shop with a concreet floor I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven. Perhaps you have some underlying reasons for wanting a wood floor and those are none of my business, you need not share them if you choose not to. Just my thoughts, Frank. ....

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trbomax
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 133 Starvation Lake, Mi
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2004-04-18          83523

There wont be any significant oil issues,but if there are,thats what the pressure washer is for.
Where this is, it would be close to impossible to get a mixer truck in, stone is not a consideration, and my other shop already has a wood floor, for both the above reasons.The existing shop is only used for the sleds [another good reason for wood], and the quads.Its a bunch warmer when I have to lay on it,and the dreded "damp concrete under the arthritic body syndrome" is non existant.The floor has to be at least 18" above grade because I dont want to be shoveling the doors out all the time in winter, nor do I want the snow drifted up against them and then getting crusty before I get there to remove it.This is not at home,It is at the place in northern mi. ....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2004-04-18          83532

Turbomax; Now your reasons for a wood floor are much more clear to me. I fully agree that working on a concret floor at "Rocking Chair Money " age gets me in the knees real bad, so I found some used extra heavy floor runner type material that I've put down in front to the bench and some machines in the shop. I've also started buying better shoes than the 29.99 Wally World's I used to get buy with. As far as knowing the span that the floor joist's will support, I would'nt want to give an opinion on something I don't know much about, I think that's a task for someone qualified in that field. Enjoy your new project. Frank. ....

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Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2004-04-18          83533

I guess I am confused as to the distance problem. With the weight you are wanting to bear you need to span only a small distance I would think 6-8 foot on the 2x12. You would need to double deck the 3/4" plywood. Any load bearing structural floor I have seen has 1.5 - 3 inch solid decking. ....

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trbomax
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 133 Starvation Lake, Mi
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2004-04-18          83542

the 2x12 will run front to back,attached to the posts that are set on 8' centers.The floor joice will then run at 90* to the 2x12,on top of them, on 16" centers.The span of the floor joice will thus be 8'.The question is, what size floor joice.If I double deck it,would the sheets be staggered, with the span directions the same,or srt the sheets at 90* and stagger the joints? ....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2004-04-18          83547

I'd said I'd stay shy of the design part of the floor, but perhaps the use of torsion box structures to span the joists would add an imense amount of load bearing strength. Peters; I'm sure your familiar with torsion boxes, they simply two sheets of 3/4 ply with a 2x4 frame spaced on 16 in centers sandwiched between them held together with construction adhesive and deck screws. We used to mount some super heavy shop machines on them with heavy duty casters on the four corners to make them portable. I honestly think you could park a pickup on one without hardly flexing it. The stronger it needs to be you simply use 2x6's or 2x8's then with full inch ply instead of 3/4. Please understand I don't have any idea of the load bearing strengh in actual numbers of these boxes, we just built them till they looked twice as strong as we needed and never did break one. Just another thought. Frank. ....

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beagle
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1333 Michigan
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2004-04-19          83596

To answer your question properly, you need to know what lumber you will be using for the stringers and the joists, since the allowable fiber stresses varies widely for difference species of lumber. Even if you said pine, there are several different pines, and the allowable fiber stresses vary even with pines. The most common is Southern Pine, No. 2 grade. Your supplier will be able to tell you the type of lumber.

I would recommend a 200psf design load for the floor, checked for localized overstressing from concentrated equipment loads, which would give you the stiffness you need to not have "spongy" spots. This would need to be verified based on the governing building code in your area. Besides the sizing of the stringers and joists, foundation requirements and connections should be considered.

If you are able to give me a type and grade of lumber, I could recomend stringer, joist, and flooring sizing for you. All this would need to be approved by the local building department. ....

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trbomax
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 133 Starvation Lake, Mi
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2004-04-21          83812

Wow!, This is getting more complicated by the minute.I think I'll go snoop around some barns this w/e, a lot of them have floors with basements under that they park equipment on.Cant hurt to look at what works ! ....

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beagle
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1333 Michigan
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2004-04-21          83814

Great, let me know if I can help. This is what I do for a living. ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-04-21          83818

Turbo, especially with where you will building this shop, I would think there are probably dozens of small sawmill operations around.

If you were to build a floor using rough cut timbers it would probably end up stronger, last longer and by far cheaper than trying to build it with kiln-dried, certified dimensional lumber.

This is not an occupied structure, in most jurisdictions there is no requirement to use any minimum standard of lumber for buildings which are not occupied.

If you were to build the floor just like a regular pole barn it would stand up to just about anything short of a M1 Tank parked on it.

If you are able to use shorter peices of wood many mills will offer big discounts for 'shorts', usually these are at least 8' lengths still.

Best of luck. ....

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Blueman
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 243 Washington, PA
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2004-04-21          83828

I have to agree with Murf. I have a timber framed barn that was built around 1860, and the floor is made from rough cut oak, and the timbers are around 3" thick, and vary in width. They are on "centers" (did they have measuring tapes back then?) of about 3 feet. We have had all types of equipment in this barn. My only concern is fire, and we are very careful about pulling hot equipment into the barn, and cleaning any oil/fuel spills. This floor is very easy on the bones, but I believe when I build another one, it will be concrete. ....

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beagle
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1333 Michigan
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2004-04-21          83829

If you would like the floor framing designed, I can help. The ole' rule that "if it looks right, it probably is" works most of the time too. ....

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trbomax
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 133 Starvation Lake, Mi
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2004-04-21          83849

the lumber would be ground contact rated,which Ive always been told is "southern yellow pine".obviously,any existing barn floors I look at wont be built with that,probably a species of oak,which is a lot different strengthwise. ....

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drcjv.
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 334 southeastern pa
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2004-04-23          84036

Turbo after you get this floor done I would make a suggestion. I have a wooden floor in one of my garages and my workshop and did not like the wood as a finished floor for many reasons. Many garage type floors are very expensive and easily damaged. My solution was rubber stall mats they are 4'x6' 1" thick rubber mats. They are virtually indestructable. I drive on them, lay or kneel on them (very comfy) I do wood working and welding in the workshop with no problem clean up is simple and easy. I liked it so much I also put them on my workbench top. Cost is about $1.50/sqft. ....

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