Flooring my shed - suggestions?

Sounds like a good plan - though I think 60cm is a little too far. 40cm is good, 50cm probably ok.

It's a good idea to lay some DPM over the concrete before you screw in the joists.

I's probably use 3/4" exterior grade ply for the floor, then finish with whatever I want. I'm not a fan of chipboard, especially if there's any chance of high humidity.

Depends on what the wooden floor is - if you use T&G softwood floorboards then it's not necessary, they can go straight onto the joists.

DPM = Damp Proof Membrane?

Whats the best way of doing this?

If I just layed T&G softwood floorboards onto the joists would I just need to varnish them and that would be it?

Yes.

It's just a thick polythene sheet - you buy it from a BM (builders merchant) and lay it out onto the concrete.

That's entirely up to you. Main thing to bear in mind is that untreated softwood floorboards will a. scratch and dent easily and b. absorb stains easily. Varnishing eliminates b. and helps a little with a., but is by no means necessary.

For my workshop I used the strip form of DPM normally used in walls.

In this application it strikes me that it might be better to do this rather than covering the entire concrete floor and to arrange some ventilation below the insulation - e.g. a couple of air bricks in the wall; and to arrange the joists in an alternating pattern so that air can move through. For belt and braces, pressure treated joists and then spray the underside of the boards with clear solvent based preservative.

.andy

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Just been looking at flooboards on the web. I also spoke to a chap at Wood2U.com and he recommended this:

"The floor is unfinished constructed on plywood faced with a 6mm thick solid Oak wear layer and a bevelled edge. Price per metre £35.75"

Now this seems hard wearing and stable (the "office" will get cold at night) but a little pricey. Any recommendations?

If you want oak, you can get solid 22mm T&G floor boards for around £30/m^2.

Much better value for money and will last somewhat longer.

.andy

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Not sure if I want Oak or not.

Just want the best combination of price and durability. I have approx 10m^2 to cover and would like to spend around £150.

You probably won't get much in hardwood for £15/m^2.

That's closer to laminate prices, but of course laminate looks like.. well.. laminate.

.andy

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Laminate would be OK. It just has to be OK in an environment where it might get very cold at night then warm through the day.

I would like to be able to nail it to the "joists". Is this possible with laminate?

If I cant nail it to the "joists" would I have to screw (or nail) chipboard floor panels to the joists then glue the laminate to the chipboard?

Would pine floorboards be OK? Or will they buckle with the changes in temperature

As much as I like laminate (sorry Andy, but I do!), I wouldn't use it in a shed. Unless it's bathroom grade stuff.

No, you can't nail it - it has to be laid as a floating floor. Otherwise it will definitely distort.

It's the accompanying changes in humidity that may cause problems. But the worst that will happen is that small gaps will appear between the boards. That's softwood floor boards for you.

This is why I like ply - it really is dimentionally stable.

You would need to lay a floor of chipboard or ply first and fit the laminate to that.

.andy

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That would be OK as long as you buy properly dried boards. The main effect is through changes in humidity rather than temperature.

.andy

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I'm not sure that it's suitable for being laid unsupported anyway is it?

.andy

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No, i'd lay it floating on top of 3/4" ply.

Laminate is marvellous! It has transformed my three bedrooms where before there were horrid old floorboards. Now the floors look the best part of the rooms. And cheap, too.

MM