Feedback wanted on basement shop floor idea

[Scott Barrera]

I'm putting the finishing touches on my new basement shop and would like some feedback on what I was thinking about for the floor. Originally I was looking at a product carried by the blue box called dry deck which is basically 3/4" osb with a plastic "deck" under it to raise it off the floor. At $2.50 a sq. Ft. It just seems too high to me. I noticed today that they carry a treated latice strip which is .5"x2" wide for about $1 each. Currently 3/4" t&g osb is $19 a sheet. I wa thinking about furing the floor out with the treated strips and then putting the decking boards over it. What do you think? Would it work?
Thanks

[Chuck Saunders]

One thing that the plastic layer is providing is a vapor barrier to prevent the osb from getting wet especially from wicking. That would not be present in the lattice

[Scott Barrera]

What if I put a layer of the 7mil plastic sheeting down first?

[John Jendro]

Plastic sheeting or felt paper would work. Make sure you run it up the wall 4 inches or so. I was just wondering how your going to keep the seams of the osb together. The 1/2 inch lattice isn't a lot to screw into.

[Scott Barrera]

I was planning on putting some of the flathead tapcons around the perimeter of each sheet and using advesive in the tongue and groove joints.

[Callan Campbell]

I don't know the cost of it, but several people around the SMC have used Delta-FL underlayment or plastic subfloor as their way of providing a vapor barrier between the concrete floor and the OSB or plywood flooring of their shop. You can download more info at the website, and I thought some Lowes carried it at times.

[Alex Leslie]

ULINE has some garage mats that are pretty good.

[Tom Hamilton]

Scott: I've had a wood floor in a garage shop and now an exposed basement shop based on the FWW article from 2000 or so. I've got a PDF copy I'll send you if you send me your email.

Short story is:

6mil plastic down first, tape the seams.
Pressure Treated 2X4 around perimeter and on 16 inch centers
T&G sub-flooring screwed or nailed to the grid. Grid is not attached to concrete.
Coat the T&G with BLO and a couple coats of Poly and you're good.

Best regards, Tom

[Scott Barrera]

Tom-I sent you an email via this site. Please let me know if you don't get it. I look forward to reading the article and looking at any pics of your shop you would share.

[Joe A Faulkner]

As part of my shop remodel, I plan to do something similar.
Tim Cleary added to my post an alternative to dry core - delta-FL . You might check out his suggestion in the thread at:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1375659#poststop (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1375659#poststop).

In addition to the vapor barrier, I want some insulation, so I plan to put rigid foam between the sleepers. See Michael Herrernan's and Darren Almeida's solutions.

Tom, I am intrigued by the option of having the floor float; due to clearance issues with my service door, I have to limit total height from slab to finish to 2.5". In your installation, are the 2x4's standing 3.5" tall? Also, how long have you had the OSB with BLO and Poly finish in service? How is it holding up. This is one of my biggest concerns with using OSB decking as my finish surface.

[Tom Hamilton]

Joe, I sent you the PDF this AM. Let me know if you did not receive it.

I had the floor in the Houston shop for 5 years. It is Tongue and Groove Plywood sub-flooring, not OSB. The current Georgia shop floor is 6 months old. Naturally the varnish shows wear in the traffic areas but it is easy to recoat. The 2x4s are laid flat so the rise is 1 1/2 inches. The machines hold the floor to the concrete so it seems to me that fastening the 2x4's to the floor is unnecessary. YMMW.

Best regards, Tom

[Prashun Patel]

I humbly suggest some kind of coating on the concrete floor instead of raising the floor with wood. Cement will do better at absorbing sound than a raised frame of wood will.

Properly coated, it'll also be easier to sweep than wood.

Epoxy coatings are cheap per sqft, durable, and attractive.