Floor in shed or not?

8 years ago

Hi, I have a cement pad, actually a continuation of my driveway, where I current have an old metal shed. It's a very flat pad. I want to rip it down and put up a wooded shed. My g/f says we must have a wooden floor, which would mean raising the shed off the ground, installing the floor and then having a slope to wheel in the snowblower, lawn mower etc. I don't want a floor so that the cement driveway is the floor of the shed, easier to get things in and out, and just treat the shed footing with a preservative. She says that's not the right way to do it. What's the best way?

Featured Answer

krnuttle

8 years ago

I think there is one unknown. One what do you plan on storing and doing in the shed, and how weather tight do you want it.

You could get the shed weather tight with out the floor, but you would have to seal the wall to the cement. This could be done using a good adhesive and placing the wall plate directly on the cement, or creating a footer onto which the shed wood be built. An indirect result of a floor or gluing the wall to the cement is a more stable building,

I don't know about you but my shed has fertilizer, charcoal, or other things that get stored on the floor that you don't want to get wet. If the wall is not sealed to the pad then water can come under the wall, in a heavy rain or minor flooding. If the drive is old then the grass has created a low dike around the pad which will prevent water from flowing away from the shed increasing the likely hood that water will come under the wall. In another case, sometimes I work on the lawn tractor or mower and I end up sitting on the floor, It is not pleasant if it is damp or wet.

If the wall is not sealed to the floor it will be more difficult to keep clean as dirt can come in under the wall. Storing rodent consumables in the shed is another reason for an air tight shed.

While it is minor a wooden floor, ie plywood panel, would be easier to keep clean.

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Comments (7)

loger_gw
8 years ago
Can you share an approx 2ft high pic of the matter to help
visualize the challenge? This could be a
exciting project or a challenge!!! Have
fun anyway you see it will work best for your needs.

My questions are:
1. Is you drive elevated approx 4” above your yard?
2. If you use the drive as the floor, how would you
  keep water off the drive out of the shed?
3. A wooden floor might invite visiting rodent that
  the slab would not.
4. Ideal would be that your Shed is on a slight
  sloping drive away with an extended Car-Port.
Good Luck!
Emily Dickson thanked loger_gw
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Emily Dickson
Original Author
8 years ago
the metal shed is still in place, but the driveway does slope slightly down away from the shed. i've had feedback from another site and i'm now thinking for a wood shed a raised floor is essential. Appreciate the replies.
trickyputt
8 years ago
I would point out the driveway is unsealed and will migrated water. What was said that re oriented your plan?
Emily Dickson thanked trickyputt
Emily Dickson
Original Author
8 years ago
that there will probably be standing water inside the shed if there is not sufficient gradient (there is now!) and that no amount of treatment will prevent rotting as the shed will not get any circulating air underneath to dry it out
trickyputt
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I agree, to the degree of limiting the design to a wood/driveway connection. However you may wish to consider a course of masonry around the base, which is a hybrid design, and it places the wood higher upon the wall at a point of dryness which may need to be 2 concrete blocks high due to wicking. To this I add one observation; A wood floor height or design that considers the biological fact that for every pest there is a predator, so if the floor design assists the predator there will be less pests. This design will inherently flow air.
ssewalk1
8 years ago
Just a further observation , should the op still wish a wooden structure . The use of cedar for the floor on top of 6 inch hemlock piers will provide a durable and long lasting base . Common spruce lumber and plywood would suffice , all though pressure treated sile plate are the norm in this form of application . Have built numerous such structures with no issues over the yrs .