Using a brick garage as a workshop

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

You could just level any big depressions, put down a large sheet of heavy duty polythene that runs slightly up the walls, taping any joints with duck tape. Now lie a simple floor of 18mm ply,or OSB on top.

I have had no problems with OSB, as it is intended for load bearing use, but the heaviest tool I have is an X2 mill, not a bridgeport…

bct.eco.umass.edu/publications/by-title/choosing-between-oriented-strandboard-and-plywood/

"OSB is our future"

Neil

[John McNamaraParticipant @johnmcnamara74883]

Hi Baldric

If you do use self levelling compound You will need to check the floor for level prior to using it. It can work out quite expensive if you have large depressions to fill. I would check level the floor first by placing stacks of thin MDF squares of varying thickness, or whatever other sheet material you have to hand in a grid pattern using a builders spirit level on top of any two stacks then cross checking adjoin stacks and adjusting them. Try to start at the highest point. With a good level you should be able to establish a flat plane within a few mm. If you have access to a good quality Laser level you could use that to level the stacks. You will then be able to calculate the quantity of material required. The alternative is to drill the old floor and using a cheap plastic plug set nails or screws in position levelling them as you go. (make sure the hole is deep enough to allow the nail or screw to be hammered in later) when the new floor is being poured they can be left in position until the pour is finished. They can be driven in with a hammer and the finish touched up with a trowel as they are no longer needed. This is the way truly professional concreters (if you can find one!) work. If on the ground they use short wooden pegs.

When you set the nails or screws watch out, they are a nasty tripping hazard.

If the floor is dirty or greasy it will have to be cleaned first. Once cleaned There are materials available to assist bonding In Australia one well known brand is called "Bondcrete". This should reduce the chance of the new coating delaminating from the old floor.

levelling compounds are not very strong. They are usually covered with tiles or other flooring.

Oh and pre fill every hole and crack, the ends of formwork are a favourite spot, anywhere the levelling material can get away. If you don't it will disappear, in the end leaving a depression in the finished work..

If the floor is cracked the floor will crack again at the same places as the existing cracks when the floor moves, and it (will) move again. If it is badly cracked It may be better to replace it if it is for long term use.

Regards
John

 

 

Edited By John McNamara on 20/05/2015 15:55:11

[BaldricParticipant @baldric]

John,

Re the strength of the levelling compound, the one I linked to says it is suitable as a finished surface, under the FAQs it says OK for a garage so I assumed this is a stronger one, I did also find floor repair compounds for factory use that can have a feather edge so I guess they are good, but perhaps not self levelling. The hints about using screws to mark out floor levels is a very handy hint.

pgk pgk,

I will look for a thin floor screed with waterproof additive so I don't loose the headroom and compare with a "paint" and screed.

Baldric

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

I helped a friend insulate a concrete panel pitched roof garage as a workshop.

We merely patched the floor, to get it somewhere near level, before covering it with chipboard.

We insulated the walls with polystyrene sheets and covered that with a polythene sheet as a vapour barrier (DPC) (taking care to position the wiring where it would be safe from screws or nails), before fixing 6mm ply panels as the inner wall. The steel roof trusses got much the same treatment, except for the DPC and plywood panels.

So far, there seem to have been no problems with damp or rust, on the lathe, or materails. (He uses the one end to store some of his two wheeled machinery , none of them show any signs of distress several years on)

Howard

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