shed flooring

What's the cheapest sort of panel boards (6x4 ideally) that we can use as flooring for a newly installed metal shed.

As there's no effective barrier to prevent water seeping in from its concrete slab, we're thinking of using a pond liner as a waterproof layer and cut down couple of 6x 4 panels to use as a flooring material.

What's the best type to use on cost/resilience basis? OSB (what used to be Sterling Board) MDF (thick or thin) Marine ply Chipboard.

I'm not really up on new board technology so any guidance would be appreciated. The shed will be used for storing tools / garden stuff.

Cheers all OG

Reply to
OG
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mdf is useless when wet, but not sure if you would actually need and damp proof layer and boards, seal/mastic the shed sides to the base is all I would have done

Reply to
Kevin

So is chipboard. But if it's going to be wet, any of them will rot.

Andy

Reply to
Andy Champ

Given the way the base is assembled, I can't guarantee that running sealant around the base would be 100% reliable, so the idea of a liner with boards appeals.

I probably will run sealant around anyway.

Any more thoughts on boards? What's the cheapest per m^2 boarding?

Reply to
OG

Maybe not a good advertisement, since mine's been damp for the last 5+ years*, but 18mm OSB/Sterling board has survived remarkably well.

  • I really *should* do something about it, but the amount of junk I've got stored makes the job tiresome.
Reply to
Mike Dodd

None of the above.

I had the same problem with a metal shed & made a slatted floor from treated roofing battens. Keeps stuff off the concrete base, allows it to drain.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Lay 50mm x 50mm floor beams (pressure treated) on the concrete. Tack strips of DPC along the top face of the beams. Screw 18mm OSB down onto them. The DPC will prevent water ingress from the beams and the under-floor space should provide sufficient ventilation to keep things dry enough.

I wouldn't use the a pond liner or any waterproof sheet across the floor area. If water does get in it will be trapped there.

Reply to
Neil

Lay 50mm x 50mm floor beams (pressure treated) on the concrete. Tack strips of DPC along the top face of the beams. Screw 18mm OSB down onto them. The DPC will prevent water ingress from the beams and the under-floor space should provide sufficient ventilation to keep things dry enough.

I wouldn't use the a pond liner or any waterproof sheet across the floor area. If water does get in it will be trapped there.

Reply to
Neil

Don't try and keep it perfectly dry, make sure it's ventilated, i.e. have space between the wooden flooring and the cement.

I've just used some wbp ply to replace a rotting shed floor (soil and sand had spoilt the ventilation), but I'm not sure it's necessarily the best material, just easy to work with.

Reply to
tinnews

Yes, definitely, I've posted a similar comment. Air space to let it dry is what's needed.

Reply to
tinnews

Which is why a raised wooden floor is ventilated.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

I would put down 50mm polystyrene board and then 20mm Chipboard over that.

Reply to
Baz

Thanks for all the tips. In the end, I ignored the suggestions about keeping the underfloor ventilated by raising the floor - the headroom isn't brilliant any way, and losing another 2 or 3 inches didn't appeal. We've put down 2 layers of pond liner pulled up to at provide at least 4cm depth all round and 11mm OSB on top of that. We'll see how things go on over the winter, and if the OSB seems to be getting damp in any way we'll re-consider.

Thanks all.

Reply to
OG

If I understand that correctly, you have made a shallow pond and put the shed in it. You are now hoping that the rain running down the sides of the shed will not fill the pond up. Even if the liner is pulled up at the edges *inside* the shed, any condensation will be trapped.

Andy

Reply to
Andy Champ

sounds like it :-) not one reply thought the pond liner was a good idea yet the OP went along with that idea , lets ask for help and as long as its what you want to hear its ok if not ignore the answers,OP must be a manager eh :-)

Reply to
Kevin

You misunderstood :-) Of course the liner is inside the shed - anything else would be daft!

Any condensation on the walls will run down the walls and will be 'outside' the liner.

There is a fair amount of ventilation from under the eaves so condensation shouldn't be a significant problem

Reply to
OG

Any condensation on anything stored in the shed will drip onto the floor, and accumulate. It better be dry.

Ask yourself why no-one else ever does this.

Andy

Reply to
Andy Champ

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