Barn Floor

[ET]

I'm currently in the middle of my new barn build and would be interested in some ideas for a floor beside concrete. Sorry I have not posted nor started a thread on my barn build yet, but I promise a big one to come.

Concrete may be too expensive for me to do now, so I was wondering if anyone has floored a new pole barn with a wooden floor. I have lots of wood and wont cost me anything but my labor sawing and installing, plus nails.

The barn size is 60' wide and 104' long. I'm planning a showroom to sell my lumber 20x30 and a new woodworking shop 20x30. Leaving me with a 20x44 sawing area and a remaining 40x104 storage area.

I thought about stoning the storage area and putting wooden floor for the rest. All suggestions welcome! Ernie

[Dave Shepard]

I can't think clearly enough now to respond about the floor, (I currently have a head cold that is going to rank at least in the top ten in all recorded history, how I'm still mobile is beyond my understanding), but I think 20x30 might be a tad small for a wood working shop. That's what we had, or perhaps a little more, were I used to work, and there was just barely enough room for the machines, and not much room for assembly or bench areas. Also, working with anything over about six feet was a pain.

[ET]

I already have a 30x30 shop (freestanding) for my forge, welding, and general farm maintenance; plus all my woodworking stuff is in their too. I will be removing all my wood working power tools into the new shop. I was hoping it would be big enough. Table saw, jointer/planer, bandsaw, drill press, clamp table, lathe, planer, etc. Im not into cabinet making, just small stuff. I know once I get things going I may want some new toys. Since it will be within the barn, I could always knock out a wall and make it bigger. Its just me, no employees except wifey ha. Also concerned about heat if it gets too big. Im more concerned about getting a floor. Could i also hot water heat the floor using wood.

[DaleK]

I could see wood for the showroom and shop but not the other two. You might like reclaimed asphalt for the others instead of stone.

[Farmerjw]

I remodeled a double sided drive thru corn crib on my farm into my wood shop.  Connecting the two cribs with floor joists, I put down 2x8 rough cut pine planed on one side, ship lapped edges.  Warmer and softer than concrete by far. 

[red]

I always liked the End Grain Floors . . .

WWW.Kaswell.com

[hardtailjohn]

I was thinking end grain too!!  Those are some really awesome floors!!!
John

[Al_Smith]

FWIW many of these old banked dairy barns in this area had "threshing floors ". Heavy duty oak planking over super strong joists .Those still standing have survived the test of time if they kept a good roof on them .

It would seem to me though on a ground level floor you'd need to be certain you had both access heigth under plus good cross flow air ventilation .

[Al_Smith]

Another thought .You don't have to concrete the whole thing .My buddy has the same sized barn and only concreted about 30-40 feet of it .An area to do repair work on machinery .He can still pull a tractor with two hopper wagons full of grain in the end door and out the side door if a big rain comes up .

My shop which is 60 wide 70 deep has one area 30 by 40 I just used bank run .All that's on it is a couple tractors ,a D4 Cat and ten tons of junk .Don't need concrete for that .

[Wellmud]

Unless you are going to have an elevated floor, seems like you would have to buy treated wood for joists, which is money that could be put toward concrete, and possible sell some of the wood to put toward concrete. A concrete slab that size is very doable for 2 people, I poured a 35x52 slab a few years back with just my dad and I and it turned out fine. I like the idea of the wood floor in the showroom, I would just be concerned with moisture rotting it if it were to close to the ground.

[red oaks lumber]

i really think if you use something other than concrete you'll be kicking yourself.

[ET]

Im planning on putting in a concrete rat wall between each post down 32" and a piece of closed cell rigid foam board to help keep the ground from freezing under the barn. I would hope this would also keep moisture from migrating. I would also put a heavy duty sheet of plastic vapor barrier down under the floor.

I probably have an easy 100,000bf of hackberry that could be used. Its really tuff and is good for trailer decking so im thinking it should stay dry. Im also on a glacial ridge with lots of good drainage.

Concrete under the mill would be nice if just to help with sawdust cleanup.

Stacking pallets of stickered boards would be fine on stone if I had a good vapor barrier underneath, i would think better than air drying outside like ive been doing for years.

An End grain floor sounds interesting but unless they would be sawed rather large, like 6"x6", we would be literally talking thousands of cuts.

[Al_Smith]

So then you are talking about a wood block floor like they used to install in factorys?

If so I think there are several ways they were installed .One is tight butted but the problem with that is if they a get a lot of water on them they literly explode out of the floor from swelling .

Another way  they are installed is with silica sand acting as a bedding material .Kind af acting as grout . I'm pretty certain there are other methods also .

[Al_Smith]

Well here we go again the good ole forum software shut me down before I was through .Makes me no diff I'll just make 50 posts if that's what it takes .

Before  I was rudely interupted the reason they used block factory floors was several fold .One it easier on the factory workers than concrete from standing long hours on their feet .

It was also easier to remove blocks,pour a concrete pad to hold heavy machines than jack hammering out concrete .

[ET]

Al, that process sounds doable as long as I could use large blocks. Would certainly be easier than doing T&G or shiplap. There would be no way water could get to it I dont believe. I like the idea being easier on the feet.

[Al_Smith]

I don't know how to do it.I've seen it done but never payed much attention other than the two methods I listed.--Google maybe ---

[54Dutchman]

I am in the planning process of a shop also, :P I will have a wood floor between 4 foot frost walls.  The plan is to lay down a poly sheet, add foam insulation, build floor (span supported by concrete pilings) about 1 inch above foam, use pour-able foam like is used in boats to bottom of the joists, put Styrofoam to fill most the space between the joists and fill-in the cracks to the top of the joists with more pour in foam.  This should encapsulate the wood from moisture, insulate and give added support the flooring.
Still debating on in floor heat, solar and wood boiler heated. ;D ;D

[LittleJohn]

If you are planning on heating with hot water, in slab is definately the way to go; plus with 6ooosf thats a lot of thermal mass.  I know $$$ are a huge concern right now, but could you not pour the floor in sections say 1 or 2 cement trucks a year until floor is complete.

[D L Bahler]

Moisture migrating from the ground is not the only concern, it is just one of many

There will also be moisture migrating from the air, the ambient humidity. This will be high in the exterior air during the summer and as that air circulates inside it will find cooler spots where the moisture will have to condense (air can only hold so much water relative to its temperature, so when it cools it releases moisture)
Then there is the moisture from your body and any engines that might ever be run inside. Being based on hydrogen, fuels such as gasoline and diesel release large quantities of water into the air when they burn.

So when you totally isolate the wood from ground moisture, it seems like you are protecting it but in reality you are leaving it dangerously vulnerable to atmospheric moisture. To push the point, I have seen it literally rain inside of large buildings that were too well sealed -the moisture has no where to go, condenses on the structure, and pours down to the floor.

[drobertson]

ET, good post here, learning a lot on this end.   Our old barn, now gone, was like one described earlier, a drive thru, with lofts and a tact room.  the last part to go was the old tack room, the floor was solid oak on heavy 2x's joists, all sitting on flat rocks.  This was an old barn, so there was varmints and such underneath, but the floor did hold up for many years,   

[47sawdust]

Fella,told me about an end grain floor made from tamarack rounds.He said it was beautiful and durable.It was in a horse barn in Minnesota.No doubt a lot of work but a real attention getter.

[Holmes]

  ET  how did you do with your truss situation?  I read the manufactures rep was coming to look at them a couple of weeks ago.  Every thing ok?

[ET]

Everything is fine now, new trusses are arriving tomorrow. Ill pm you with the details. Ernie

[Billbob]

ET, I use interlocking rubber mats on the aisle floor of my barn.  I put down about 4 inches of tailings, compacted it with a tamper plate then the rubber mats on top of that. It's been 8 years now and they haven't moved.  I the stall floors I used 2 x 6 hemlock.  The old timer's around here used to use poplar planks in the stall floors. I think that tamarack would be better than the hemlock or poplar. I was in a large horse barn yesterday that has wood plank floor in the center aisle.  Looks good and is nice and solid.

Bill