Rotten Shed Floor. Update

[Bigwolf]

There was already a shed in the back yard when I bought my house.  Every time it rained, a lot of water would run in under the garage door of the shed.  As soon as I could, I looked for a quick and cheap way to correct that.  At that time, I had spent every bit of cash I had, just to buy the place,  so "cheap" was a necessary factor.  A piece of half round and some aluminum flashing made a suitable dam behind the door and the flashing kept the water off of that and the threshold of the doorway.  Well it worked for a little while anyway but was a short term fix that I let overstay it's usefulness.  Rain began to seep under and around it.  The fact that my riding mower and my garden tractor tore it loose from a couple of nails that had secured it did not help.

So the floor of my shed began to rot!  Yep, right there in the doorway and all along that end of the building to about a foot in from the outside.  I didn't take many pictures but here are a couple of the old flooring after I tore it out.



I cut the old flooring out 4 feet back so that I could replace it with 2 full 4x8 sheets of new flooring.  Of course that had to be notched out for the walls since the walls were added after the floor was laid down.  I framed up some extra joists to support the new flooring close to the walls.  Everything was going well until I went to shove the flooring in place.  I had raked the rotten flooring out from under the door frame and planned to slide the new flooring about 2 inches in under the door frame.  Not so fast!  The door frame had sunk about an 1/8 inch.  I had to jack the door frame up and the slide the new floor under.  I slid it right up to the jack, then, after removing the jack, I was able to drive the new floor the remaining 10 inches into place.  Repeated that for the second piece of flooring and screwed it all down.  First coat of deck paint on the new part.



I I'll be putting a second coat of paint on it as well as moving everything out of the shed so that I can clean and paint the entire shed floor.

When that is all done, I have an aluminum diamond deck plate that I had folded up to make a useful and sturdy sill plate.  That should keep the water out and be durable enough to last a long time.  I am happy to be getting this done.

[hubcapsc]

I wonder whether or not to paint the deck in my new shed...

-Mike

[Jess from VA]

I think a sealing-penetrating stain (more aimed at preservation than beauty) is better than any paint.  Every paint I ever put on any floor flaked off over time (a mess).  I stained my marine plywood (clear).  I probably didn't need to (it's been stone dry in there for almost 30 years).  More than anything, it made it easier to clean (or blow off) from time to time, as it is a smoother finish than bare wood.  But not slippery.  

Now over time, I ended up throwing down (cheap) pieces of carpet remnants in my bike shed (flat, not shaggy).  Not to protect my floor, but to make it easier on my knees and feet working out there.  And once a year or so when both bikes are out, I run the vacuum over it.  The bikes roll over it just fine.  So I probably didn't need the satin at all, except as a sealer.  The carpet also keeps the dust down more than a bare floor, and is dirty and stained here and there, and who cares?

Nice work Jerry.    

I inherited a small home-made shed when I bought my house.  It was only big enough for two lawnmowers and bags of fertilizer and hand tools.  It was old and rotten so I commenced to tear it down.  It had five thousand black widow spiders (and termites) in it though, so I had to bug bomb it a few times before the tear down.  Then I beat it to pieces with a sledge hammer.  

[f6john]

I have never seen a piece of AdvanTech rot away like that before and I've had pieces of it laying out in the weather for years at my old place. Guess it's not as impervious to weather and water as I thought.

[Bigwolf]

I wonder whether or not to paint the deck in my new shed...

-Mike

Mike,
If You are going to be putting a bike in that shed, it would probably be best to follow Jess's advice and only use a Stain/sealer that penetrates deep.  Be careful if you do a second coat because some areas might become shiny and that could be slick.

I think a sealing-penetrating stain (more aimed at preservation than beauty) is better than any paint.  Every paint I ever put on any floor flaked off over time (a mess).  I stained my marine plywood (clear).  I probably didn't need to (it's been stone dry in there for almost 30 years).  More than anything, it made it easier to clean (or blow off) from time to time, as it is a smoother finish than bare wood.  But not slippery. 

Nice work Jerry.    

Thanks Jess,
Yes, I too have tried paint on floors and always had flaking paint very soon after.  Deep penetrating deck or marine paint is best.  What I am using in this shed is the same as I used on my deck.  It is a hienz 57 mixture of deck toner, redwood stain, deck paint that was rejected for color, and one gallon of solid black deck paint.  I paid top dollar for the gallon of solid black paint to bring the mix into a grey scale instead of a rosey off white for my deck.  I just could not bring myself to put a lite pinkish stain/paint on any deck that I was going to call mine.


F6John,
Yes, along that end of my shed, even the inside walls are showing water damage at the very bottom.  I think it had already started to deteriorate when I bought the place.  It was getting a lot of water standing on it during every rain back then.  That was 10 years ago so I'm not complaining.

[OnaWingandaPrayer]

Nice repair work . I am guessing the garden tractor to be a Gravely probably an L model.

[Bigwolf]

Nice repair work . I am guessing the garden tractor to be a Gravely probably an L model.

Thanks.  So I'm guessing the plow gave it away.  I have 2, an L model that needs a cyl. rebuild.  I can't even run it because it oil fouls the plug so quickly.  And I also have a Gravely 10 horse commercial.  These old Gravelys are no nonsense machines.

[Hook#3287]

I have never seen a piece of AdvanTech rot away like that before and I've had pieces of it laying out in the weather for years at my old place. Guess it's not as impervious to weather and water as I thought.

Same here.  I've got some that has been out in the weather for almost a decade.. My guess would be that Bigwolf's floor never dried out.

[DDT (12)]

Jerry,

Mighty impressive! Hard for this aging rider to comprehend all the projects you tackle and complete! Just the stuff you do that I've seen myself are enough to cause wheezing and shortness of breath for this vintage has-been, but... all the stuff I read about, too... well... What's even more amazing is that you're my age! Dang, amigo... you got more energy in five minutes than I do all week!!! I think I'll go take a nap now...

DDT

[shortleg]

How about digging a trench to divert the water someplace else.
seems like a one time job and done.

[cookiedough]

IMO no wood exposed outside in the elements last a lifetime unless treated regularly, say 30 years or so but much past 40 to 50 years and it will rot, or has been my experience anyways.

[Bigwolf]

I now have the sill plate in.  I searched the internet for one but found nothing.  So, I sketched up what I wanted and had a local shop make it.  Cost was $168 for the sill plate but I believe it will be well worth it.  All that is left to be done is a few finishing touches to trim and, when I get out and buy it, new seals for the door.

[Valkorado]

Ooh, shiny chrome.      Beautiful finishing touch!

[Bigwolf]

Jerry,

Mighty impressive! Hard for this aging rider to comprehend all the projects you tackle and complete! Just the stuff you do that I've seen myself are enough to cause wheezing and shortness of breath for this vintage has-been, but... all the stuff I read about, too... well... What's even more amazing is that you're my age! Dang, amigo... you got more energy in five minutes than I do all week!!! I think I'll go take a nap now...

DDT

Bruce,
As you know, I have a Carzy woman here that feeds me a lot of great Southern food.  I'm going to blame the energy and willpower on that.  I have to burn those calories somehow.  

Bigwolf

How about digging a trench to divert the water someplace else.
seems like a one time job and done.

Short leg,
The water coming in was running down the door and in under/around the door, or so I thought.  While making this repair, I realized that some of the water was actually wicking up the outside wall from a small amount of dirt that had been pushed up against it.  I am planning to dig that out.  Again, this shed needed some preventive care when I bought this place.  I made a quick temporary diversion for the water but then never got back to it.  Eventually, the flooring just fell apart.  The floor joists are all in perfectly good shape with no damage at all.  There is an open slope under the shed so the only place a ditch might help is right at the doorway.  It had a blind ditch there but that one end had filled in a little bit with some dirt.  I am going to dig that out so the water does not wick up the outside wall.

[Bigwolf]

Ooh, shiny chrome.      Beautiful finishing touch!

Oh yes!  My mistake!  The sun is really bright reflecting off that shiny thing........mighty blinding throughout a large part of my shed.

Bigwolf

[Valkorado]

Ooh, shiny chrome.      Beautiful finishing touch!

Oh yes!  My mistake!  The sun is really bright reflecting off that shiny thing........mighty blinding throughout a large part of my shed.

Bigwolf

Hindsight.  Blindingly bright hindsight.   

[Bigwolf]

Ooh, shiny chrome.      Beautiful finishing touch!

Oh yes!  My mistake!  The sun is really bright reflecting off that shiny thing........mighty blinding throughout a large part of my shed.

Bigwolf

Hindsight.  Blindingly bright hindsight.