Wood floor in shop?

[Rick Prosser]

I am having a 40 x 70 pole building built. Just started leveling off the site. I plan to live in half of the building maybe long term depending on housing market. I was assuming a concrete floor, but because of many possible changes of design as things progress, a wooden floor would allow lots of flexibility plus comfort.

Is there a general cost comparison between 2800 sqft 6" concrete floor, and whatever floor would be required to support a wood shop (nothing extra heavy - just standard stuff) What about backing the loaded truck inside to unload? Maybe a concrete pad in the bay?

I am also not sure about how to build a wooden floor inside a completed pole building. Dig down a few feet to install pedistals for the joists to sit on? This would give some crawl space to work in.

Anyone done this before or recomend a resource to check out? I can talk to a builder, but would like to have some knowledge first.

[Nate Carey]

My boat shop is on frost walls with a concrete slab. On the slab I installed sleepers, rigid insulation, and some utilities...the floor (working surface) is 2x6 T&G center-matched spruce. The shop floor is sturdy, bounce-free, I can nail and screw into it, and it's comfortable during long work sessions.

[Rick Prosser]

The idea (which I think now is not a good one) was to use wood instead of concrete - not on top of concrete. Rather than pour concrete, I would lay down a wood floor (much like a regular house). In order to support the floor, I was thinking I could dig out the sand floor 5-6 feet and install pillars to support the floor joists (like a regular house).

Now I realize that if I dig out the sand, I will be creating a small sand basement situation which would probably be a moisture problem.

I think I will have to go with the concrete floor, and possibly add wood on top in the future.

[David Christopher]

Rick, if you pour concrete I would put plastic pipe in the floor for heating purpose.. the pipe is cheap

[Mark Bosse]

I put a furnature and glass shop on top of a metal shop and wood mill. The big castings go on the first floor concrete. The second floor was built to 250 lb/ft2 and has a 7/8" OSB subfloor. On top is oriented bamboo flooring. It cost me $1.35 a ft2 and is so hard I can't dent it with a smooth face framing hammer.

Be sure to check installation cost. My installer did not charge me extra for this stuff but said he would for all future jobs. He had to drill and hand hammer. He "bent" a Bostic nailer on it.

I did need to scuff the stuff up a bit at thresholds. It was just too slick when wet. Mats would have worked fine.

Mark

[Judy Kingery]

Hey Rick,

Concrete may be the way to go, slab, then top as you see fit later, i.e. wood, mats. Course our shop was already a concrete slab garage. But my lathe well would suit a 6' guy (or woman for that matter) and I'm 5' 10" so my husband built me a nice platform right at about 1 and 3/4" then we put a cushion mat so it's a perfect height for me as well as comfortable standing, not cold nor hard. Perfect.

Best wishes in your plans and building!

Jude

[Lon Crosby]

Hope that I’m not too late. Would have expected a woodworking forum to know this. End grain white oak blocks laid like vertical pavers over a compacted rock base. How roads use to be paved before concrete and asphalt. From ~1900 to 1950 how all heavy industrial plants were floored but they started with concrete and set the blocks into a hot tar base. The floor was easy on dropped tools, easy on the feet, didn’t get slippery even when oil was spilled on it, extremely durable and if a block got damaged, it was pulled out and replaced.

White oak cants are pretty cheap these days so a 6” thick brick locked into place with sand should be pretty feasible. Did I say that the look is spectacular. There is at least one company that specializes in this type of flooring but they do high end shopping centers now.

[Rich Aldrich]

You might want to consider going with a crawl space. Here where it gets cold, we have footings down 42" minimum (for houses) and lay block to get to the level where the floor starts. Then go with floor joices or floor trusses, standard stud walls and then you could go with roof trusses on 4 ft centers and perlins. You couldnt use this as a standard garage, but that is not what you are building anyway. With the standard stud wall, you are ready to finish off the inside. If you want pole building metal for the sides, you could even put rows of perlins on the stud walls to make it easier to attache the metal sheets properly.

My shop is built pole building style. It has the floating concrete slab, but the walls ended up with so much wood, it would have been less expensive or work to do the following. Put footings down 4 ft, concrete blocks up two rows above the slab, pour the floating slab, then construct standard stud walls, the put trusses on 4 ft centers and continue as a standard pole building.

Just a few thoughts. I do think these ideas may cost more.

[Ted Jay]

Hope that I’m not too late. Would have expected a woodworking forum to know this. End grain white oak blocks laid like vertical pavers over a compacted rock base. How roads use to be paved before concrete and asphalt. From ~1900 to 1950 how all heavy industrial plants were floored but they started with concrete and set the blocks into a hot tar base. The floor was easy on dropped tools, easy on the feet, didn’t get slippery even when oil was spilled on it, extremely durable and if a block got damaged, it was pulled out and replaced.

White oak cants are pretty cheap these days so a 6” thick brick locked into place with sand should be pretty feasible. Did I say that the look is spectacular. There is at least one company that specializes in this type of flooring but they do high end shopping centers now.

Lon,
At least one company still does... and beautiful wood floors!
http://www.kaswell.com/index.htm
To use the space as a garage you would want to use the fibre block material.

Ted

PS: Check out their historical page:
http://www.kaswell.com/historical.htm