putting in a new floor sucks

[nick brigg]

hey guys, just an update/rant of the shop to be. i pretty much have a soup dish for a garage floor(cement) so ive decided to put in a plywood floor and shim the joists below. wow...drilling into this 30+ year old concrete is not fun, at all. i'll be glad when this is all over with.

[David DeCristoforo]

Maybe you should go rent a pin shooter and use that for securing stuff to the old concrete floor (use in combination with a good const. adhesive like PL400). Much easier than drilling and more fun too.....

[Bill Huber]

That has to be a lot of fun......:mad:

I would get a laser to set the floor with, one that spins is great for that type of work. Put it at the high point and then use a stick as a marker and set the shim the rest of the floor to that, its fast and easy.

We do this all the time with raised computer room floors, there is a post every 2 feet to adjust to the height. With the laser you just put the stick on each post and adjust it to a line and that's it, very fast.

[Michael Schwartz]

Get a remington or Hilit PAT (powder actuated fastening) or Gas powerd concrete nailer.

I hope you are using a decent hammer drill, it will go by a hell of alot faster with a good SDS roatry hammer, instead of a cheesy hammer drill. A good rotary hammer can drill a 1/2"x6" anchor hole in high strength concrete like a hot knife through butter. If you are going to go the drill route, buy or rent a good rotary hammer. It also helps to have one with a reverse on it so when you get your bit caught up under a peice of rebar, you can get it out easier. It also helps to have a second bit so if the first gets stuck you can drill a second hole next to it to release it.

[nick brigg]

Get a remington or Hilit PAT (powder actuated fastening) or Gas powerd concrete nailer.

I hope you are using a decent hammer drill, it will go by a hell of alot faster with a good SDS roatry hammer, instead of a cheesy hammer drill. A good rotary hammer can drill a 1/2"x6" anchor hole in high strength concrete like a hot knife through butter. If you are going to go the drill route, buy or rent a good rotary hammer. It also helps to have one with a reverse on it so when you get your bit caught up under a peice of rebar, you can get it out easier. It also helps to have a second bit so if the first gets stuck you can drill a second hole next to it to release it.

yeah ive been using a hammer drill. get this: i havent found the right philips head drill bit(you know with the flat at the top) so ive been muscling in the tapcons by hand :). my right arm is going to be HUGE baby!

anyways, about half way done with the joist work! other half tomorrow and then laying down the ply-wood and thats that!

[Michael Schwartz]

I think the tap-cons are either #3 pozi drive or squre/phillips combo or something. I have put in a few hundred tapcons myself. I usualy use my cordless impact driver to drive them. I am not sure excatly what bit they are, I usualy grab a couple, Just buy a kit with a bunch of different bits.

I think they might be the same as the blue tipped bits sold for the Deckmate Screws at Home Dpeot.