One of my clients has a plastic garage/shed (11x22) he wants me to put a sub-floor into, then lay down vinyl tiles. (He uses it as a woodworking shop, so easy sweep-up is important.)
Since the floor is already plastic (24x24 tiles with ribs underneath), I am thinking that should act just fine as a vapor barrier, and I can just glue down some 3/4" pressure-treated plywood then 1/4 sub-flooring over that, then lay the tiles.
That should give him a nice solid floor point-loads wont dent into, and the nice easy clean-up he is after.
Anybody see anything wrong with the idea ?
Here is the building, the flooring is already strong enough to park a car on, but a point-load (wheels on a tool cabinet, legs on a table saw ect WILL eventually sink in and create a dent). Dad had a Keter 8x10 of the same type so I already know the limitations of the building type with respect to condensation ect.
What are the chances of water seeping through the plastic existing flooring?
Pretty slim, he said he had a professional site-prep when ha got it in a few years ago and has had no issues since. I am guessing either 4 or 6" of gravel but aint about to move the building and dig down to find out
What is being done to prevent water damage?
Just whats already there. Factory rain gutters, and he runs a dehumidifier in the summer to handle the condensation.
Any interior pics of the actual building, or it's builder's .com?
What type of tile are you planning on installing?
10-year peel-and-stick from Home Depot.
What type of mastic are you using?
Construction adhesive, probably Bulldog, for the plywood.
My only thought now is a vapor barrier needed between the plastic flooring already there, and the sub floor?
Edit: That plastic flooring will sweat a lot. May want to check into laying down some .6 mil? I have not done this before, but that is where my concern lies at the moment.
[This message has been edited by Tony Kania (edited 04-09-2018).]
My home is built on a slab. It had carpet when it was built. I have since removed the carpet in the living room and hallway and installed bamboo hardwood flooring. The recommendation from the seller of the flooring was to put a sealer on the floor if I was going to glue it down or put down a vapor barrier and install it as a floating floor. Both methods was because there is still a natural draw of moisture from the ground. The carpet could absorb and evaporate it, but with a more solid surface, problems could occur.
The only problem I had was the cost of the adhesive and that the vapor barrier only came in a 50 x 1000 ft roll and added considerable cost to the conversion, but it was less than a painted urethane barrier and adhesive and didn't require drying time. Luckily, one of our club members had a roll from former employment and gave it to me. If you use a vapor barrier, turn it up on all perimeters then trim it back flush with the flooring or cover it with base molding. That protects the edges from moisture.
Seems like a few coats of a good garage epoxy floor paint would do just fine. Save some money plus it would be chemical resistant and be easy to sweep.
Seems to me just the idea of plastic square tiles...with gaps...is not any kind of barrier to water. It just comes thru the gaps somewhere. Id even consider an unbroken layer of EDPM rubber that would come up an inch or two on the walls to seal it...then lay your finish tile on that. Theyve been using that on RV roofs for years to seal out water.
I have a similarly constructed shed (although smaller) sitting on a bed of gravel, and the plastic floor panels do "sweat" from temperature / humidity changes. So I think a vapor barrier would be a good idea.
Seems like a few coats of a good garage epoxy floor paint would do just fine. Save some money plus it would be chemical resistant and be easy to sweep.
During the site prep they must have thoroughly compacted the gravel bed it sits on. Seems sturdy. If I was the redneck engineer I'd cover the existing floor with 2x2 Sleepers, a minimum of 10 mil plastic then 3/4 marine grade plywood if the budget allowed. If not try THIS
One of my clients has a plastic garage/shed (11x22) he wants me to put a sub-floor into, then lay down vinyl tiles. (He uses it as a woodworking shop, so easy sweep-up is important.)
Since the floor is already plastic (24x24 tiles with ribs underneath), I am thinking that should act just fine as a vapor barrier, and I can just glue down some 3/4" pressure-treated plywood then 1/4 sub-flooring over that, then lay the tiles.
That should give him a nice solid floor point-loads wont dent into, and the nice easy clean-up he is after.
Anybody see anything wrong with the idea ?
Here is the building, the flooring is already strong enough to park a car on, but a point-load (wheels on a tool cabinet, legs on a table saw ect WILL eventually sink in and create a dent). Dad had a Keter 8x10 of the same type so I already know the limitations of the building type with respect to condensation ect.
Hey man, about flooring you can try epoxy flooring, it's the best and can last for long time take note of this guys that helped me in previous projects [Edited by Cliff Pennock: Link removed]
