LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Garage floor in bad shape -can you use plywood to cover the floor?

5K views 39 replies 17 participants last post by  Andybb 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi guys

I have a small garage and the floor is 60y old, cracked and in bad shape, smaller caster get stuck when I try to move a table or anything on small casters

I just saw this picture on Kijiji which inspired my question:


Is it common to use plywood to cover the floor? (provided it is properly set)
 
See less See more
1
#2 ·
Moisture barrier is advised, unless you like soggy limp plywood. It might be best to run stringers on the floor first to give you an ability to level the floor. Use pressure treated lumber. Regardless of the load of your machines, if you run stringers, use 3/4 inch plywood and not OSB.

If you run stringers, make sure that you anchor them into the concrete with the proper fastener. Use either a Ramset type powder actuated tool or use the type of concrete fastener that you have to drill out first and insert in the hole then crank a nut down to expand the sleeve in the hole.

Keep your stringers under 12 inches on center or closer depending on the load of your machines or run blocking between the stringers perpendicular them.

I put a plywood floor in my man cave on top of the sealed cistern floor where my man cave is. The cistern floor was bowled and my plywood floor is dead flat and I'm glad I did it. I used stringers and shimmed the low spots to compensate for the floor falling away from the treated 2×4s.
 
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
well you could but the problem is your gonna get moisture trapped under it and it's gonna rot and get mold growing.you could seal the concrete first but if you have cracks moisture is still gonna get through.maybe fill the cracks too.also you could use treated plywood.
looks like mike was typing as i was.
 
#4 ·
If you do I would use some type of vapor barrier and some way to deter mold growth. You should probably do some googling to see what the proper method is. Before you do that get some clear plastic several mils thick and tape a 2' x 2' piece down so that it is sealed on the edges and leave it overnight. When you return a day later you should have a better idea how much moisture is coming out of the floor. If you have water droplets under the plastic it is a wet location. Doing this wrong could be a disaster you don't want.
 
#6 ·
I'm not disagreeing with the above said precautions, but my experience, here out west:

Maybe it's just that I had older concrete and live in a dryer climate, but I laid down about 30 sheets of 1/8 mdf in my painting area and used gorilla tape to tape them down. I just moved, but they were there for a little over 5 years, with no mold, swelling or moisture. You can see it below, there could be 100-150 coats of overspray on it but… I didn't have any problems. YMMV

Wood Floor Shipping box Flooring Hardwood
 

Attachments

#7 ·
It could be that your concrete floor was not designed for the loads you are putting on it, and covering it will not solve that problem. A 500 lb machine pressing down on four casters ?
 
#8 ·
I am thinking a leveling compound might work. I would look up some flooring and/or concrete professionals to give you any estimate. You will quickly find out if they think it will or won't work. Even if you will do it yourself let them do some leg work and who knows, you may like the price and let them have at it. The plywood may detract from the house value but a nice level smooth floor should add value IMO. Should make sweeping easier too.

I see flooring contractors level floors all the time and install floating floors over it. I call them click clack floors and I am sure a vapor barrier is still required.
 
#10 ·
Hmm I have not considered the moisture aspects.
It looks like below, can it still be polished and pour concrete over it?


- MiniMe
you probably could,id call a concrete contractor and get a quote on what could be done.
 
#12 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hmm I have not considered the moisture aspects.
It looks like below, can it still be polished and pour concrete over it?


- MiniMe

you probably could,id call a concrete contractor and get a quote on what could be done.

- pottz
you can't trust them sorry, they will say it has to me removed and redone
if the job is too small they won't bother
I am considering renting a floor grinder or whatever it is its name and then pour the concrete myself if possible
 
#13 ·
no that is a light weight workbench
I added the casters, they are too small for the granularity of the floor and the table gets stuck

- MiniMe
yeah id switch those to 4" polyurethane casters,it will make a huge difference and cheaper than the solutions given.
 
#14 ·
You could pour new concrete over it like controlfreak mentioned.You can look into the self leveling cement but you would have to look into it handling the load you put on it. If you do pour concrete on top you want it rough and might have to use a concrete binding agent to help it grab the old concrete.
 
#15 ·
You could pour new concrete over it like controlfreak mentioned.You can look into the self leveling cement but you would have to look into it handling the load you put on it. If you do pour concrete on top you want it rough and might have to use a concrete binding agent to help it grab the old concrete.

- corelz125
looks pretty rough right now-lol.glad you jumped in you were missin all the action buddy.
 
#16 ·
You could pour new concrete over it like controlfreak mentioned.You can look into the self leveling cement but you would have to look into it handling the load you put on it. If you do pour concrete on top you want it rough and might have to use a concrete binding agent to help it grab the old concrete.

- corelz125
there is no load there, just pedestrian traffic to call it so , a ridgid table saw ts3650 is the heaviest piece there
so I don't think that the load is a problem
I could reinforce with some rebar or chicken wire (I just read this ) . How thin can the layer of new cement be?
 
#17 ·
Large wheels on the tools. over 3" and 4-6" if you can. They will roll over lots of unevenness. Small wheels even on a good floor will be stopped by a small piece of wood that a larger wheel would just roll over.
Also, unless you have a really bad floor or it's still moving you can skim it. When they put porcelain tiles down they often have to use the mastic material to level the low spots before doing it. It's hard stuff like cement and sticks really good… it holds tiles down so it should stay on the floor by itself. Maybe a line, a level, and a good large, square trowel might do it???
 
#18 ·
"I could reinforce with some rebar or chicken wire (I just read this ) . How thin can the layer of new cement be?"

These are two opposing items, the thinner you are pouring the less room to reinforce. Have you ever tried to get chicken wire to lay flat? It will be like cat herding. You may be able to find a fiberglass reinforced material. I know they have this for concrete but not sure how thin you can make it. Whatever you end up with don't forget that they make tints you can mix into it while it is still in the truck so wear won't discolor the finish.
 
#20 · (Edited by Moderator)
Don't overthink/spend this!. Looks like about 15 mins. on your knees. I'd buy a half gallon container of mortar mix or crack sealer to smooth out the floor then buy larger softer casters and call it good. I used mortar mix 8 years ago and it's still going strong. It takes a cold chisel and hammer to dig that stuff out kinda like the glue bond being stronger than the surrounding wood.
 
#21 ·
Hey Pottz, yep this year I've done a lot of concrete work. It all depends on how thick you want to pour. To use rebar or wire mesh it would have to be at least 3" thick which is over kill. The self leveling cement can be feathered out where you might have high spots. Some of the mortars you really can't go to thin.
 
#22 ·
+1 Call several professional concrete repair companies for quotes.
Why?
The pics show cracks, with calcification of concrete nearby, which means floor sees regular moisture intrusion. Also see several rust colored stains (possible rebar/wire exposure), and blue colored stains (copper pipe exposure). The rough crumbling surface could be due constant water exposure from bottom, or it could be due poor quality concrete. Another issue that complicates the repair is if they installed a vapor barrier underneath when it was poured. The professionals will know best way, and cheapest way to fix it.

Depending on the response from professionals, it might be cheaper to cover it up, or it might not?

FWIW: Leveling a concrete floor is not too hard. The hard part is knowing what and how to fix the substrate before you cover it up. If not fixed, the cracks open, and the damage returns over time. Best case; you just need to level the floor with leveling compound ; worst case - you have bad concrete mix at day 1 that is slowing evolving back to sand/rocks/lime and entire floor needs to be replaced.

+1 Use larger wheels.
With rough floors, you can't use < 3" casters anymore. Even 4" are not larger enough for most heavy cast iron tools. Rockler All Terrain mobile base has 5" wheels and easy rolls over pea gravel. Unfortunately, it is about only commercially available mobile base with large wheels, unless you make your own.

Best Luck.
 
#23 · (Edited by Moderator)
Not that it matters but I think that floor looks like it may have originally had a rougher grade of concrete that has been coated in the past.

Remember that concrete contractors will give you a contractors solution. The floor is 60 years old. After getting some estimates I'd first try the trowel and mortar mix route. If you're not happy you can always pay to have it done.
 
#24 ·
There are a lot of products that are self leveling epoxy that is an easy do it yourself project. After cure, it will hold up to shop tools and casters as long as the wheels aren't steel. It will help in a re-sale as well. Even Home Depot and Lowe's carry them. I'd say look into it at least.
 
#25 ·
@CapitainKlutz: no exposed rebar, just stains there; the floor is 60y old obvioulsy some decay is happening
The crack you see in the picture is from settlement I think. I have been watching it for 4 years no movement or agravation.
No humidity there other than probably some natural condense when colder or warmer air enters the garage in cold or warm season

I am inclined toward the solution suggested by Andybb and tblank
tblank, could you please name the products you have in mind ? I thouhg epoxy needs cement first , can I pour it over the cleaned floor ?
 
#26 ·
I've used self leveling concrete many times over rough floors in prep for tile, or carpet, or even just to leave a nice finished surface in a utility room. Just the stuff you get at the big box stores works fine.

I grew up in the Mid-Atlantic, and dealt with wet basements, garages and sheds all the time. I know the pain of plywood on concrete and the mold and deterioration… Whatever you do, try to avoid OSB. It's almost as bad as particle board as far as I'm concerned.

I remember using a product a number of years ago that was plywood bonded to a black plastic that had big bumps all over it to space it up off the concrete. That seemed like a super smart idea. But, as I recall it was not inexpensive.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top