Which sheet materials for Shed floor and wall reinforcement for old wooden shed

[spader]

I am trying to cover my old wooden shed floor which are laid with hard wood boards. These are in poor condition due to age and also dampness seeping from the soil. I was thinking of covering the floor with damp proof membrane first nailed down on the existing old hard wood floor with the nail gun, and then cover the whole floor with either OSB or Plywood sheets with putting in lots of screws.

Which sheet material would be better option for this work? The same is the case with the walls.

 

[Why Not Indeed]

Is there any point in a DPM that you've put loads of nails and screws through?

 

[big-all]

anything you do will be temporary
if the wood is in contact with the ground it will rot even more if you cover it with a membrane that throws the condensation back rather than helping it to dry out
is it on soil do you have pictures off the actual damage
if its for say two years then probably 12/18mm osb but not Chinese ply as its carp
but if its on the ground rot wont stop until its off the earth so it can dry out

 

[spader]

Thanks for your info. Much appreciated. I am now considering just getting a new metal shed from ebay. Seems many good deals around, and actually sounds a lot cheaper getting a new metal shed than trying to restore the old wooden shed due to the crazy price of OSB and plywoods these days.

 

[spader]

anything you do will be temporary
if the wood is in contact with the ground it will rot even more if you cover it with a membrane that throws the condensation back rather than helping it to dry out
is it on soil do you have pictures off the actual damage
if its for say two years then probably 12/18mm osb but not Chinese ply as its carp
but if its on the ground rot wont stop until its off the earth so it can dry out

During the summer dry days, the shed totally dries out, and feels solid. But during the winter, the shed is always damp and can see the hardwood board floor has water and dampness in them. Couldn't be good for all the tools stored in it, especially the power tools.

 

[spader]

Is there any point in a DPM that you've put loads of nails and screws through?

Good point. Actually, no.

 

[Why Not Indeed]

I had a cheap metal shed from Argos, half on patio, half on bare earth. In winter, moisture would condense on the ceiling and drip on the contents. So watch out for that! I think the answer would have been to do the floor properly, but it was only temporary so I never got around to it.

 

[big-all]

over the years i have always warned about condensation on both plastic and metal sheds but a few years ago i was advised by some on this forum the metal sheds are better now with ventilation
but what ever happens all wood must be dry on the floor also the floor of other constructions must be full separate from soil as in no grass or soils underfoot unless an impervious layer underneath[as on a concrete base]

 

[spader]

I had a cheap metal shed from Argos, half on patio, half on bare earth. In winter, moisture would condense on the ceiling and drip on the contents. So watch out for that! I think the answer would have been to do the floor properly, but it was only temporary so I never got around to it.

Yeah, just read, and even watched youtube videos about condensation problems with metal sheds. I am glad that I didn't go for metal shed. Metal and plastic sheds seem to suffer from severe condensation problem, which make water drip from the ceilings and walls during long winter time. Maybe I am better off with the old wooden shed just for now until I do more research and find out what the best solution for outside workshop could be. This is a tricky problem to solve.

 

[spader]

over the years i have always warned about condensation on both plastic and metal sheds but a few years ago i was advised by some on this forum the metal sheds are better now with ventilation
but what ever happens all wood must be dry on the floor also the floor of other constructions must be full separate from soil as in no grass or soils underfoot unless an impervious layer underneath[as on a concrete base]

My old wooden shed floor has solid hard wood boards, which on some part has sagging when stepping on it. But they are still solid and reasonably ok. It is the dampness in the hardwood boards I can see, and also about 2-3 mm gaps between each boards, am worried and concerned. Under the floor, I am not sure what is lying there, or the state of the foundation, because it is done by the previous owners of the house, and the shed is very old.

With all the problems I saw on youtube and messages read from the forum, I feel that new metal or plastic sheds are not the answer to the condensation and damp problems, which will damage the power tools and rust the hand tools as well.

 

[spader]

From the watched youtube videos, it looks as though, trapped moisture is the worst element for causing bad rots and problems to even new sheds. So covering the wooden floor with OSB or plywood sheets would have been a bad idea and waste of money and time. It seems it is better for the moisture to dry off when dampness rises from the ground with no full air tight covers on the floor. But this is not the full solution obviously, as the floor still gets wet and damp, and it doesn't look or feel good to work in the shed with that condition.

 

[big-all]

you need to 100% need to separate damp ground or other sources and have ventilation sufficient to remove any moisture
this is why you remove build up off debris like leaves 'earth or other moisture traps and make sure there is plenty airflow to dry it out

 

[spader]

you need to 100% need to separate damp ground or other sources and have ventilation sufficient to remove any moisture
this is why you remove build up off debris like leaves 'earth or other moisture traps and make sure there is plenty airflow to dry it out

So preparation of solid foundation such as concrete with waterproof cover is needed before building a shed on it? Will this solid foundation may still cause condensation problems to metal and plastic shed?

 

[big-all]

some use concrete but i prefer wood as a base on joists even iff on a concrete slab
if you do use a concrete make it a couple off inches smaller all round than the outer cladding off the shed so water hits the ground not the concrete where it can work its way under

 

[spader]

I kept thinking about it, and came to an idea. Make a frame with 2x2 for the whole floor, and screw it onto the floor. Make random holes about 1 inch diameter on the sides of the 2x2 frame with the hole saw, so the moisture could escape through them. Stuff with plastic bottles cut at the bottom to make pipe shape and fill the frame.
Cover the damp proof sheet on the new plywood or OSB sheets with stapler. Cover the sheets onto the whole frame with screws, the damp proof sheet side facing downward to the original hardwood floor.

Do the wall and ceiling the same. I will need a lots of plastic bottles, 2x2 timbre and plywood / osb sheets for this project. If it could last another 5- 10 years giving dryer indoor shed workshop space, that would be all I ask for.

In that time, hopefully I might have saved some fund for a brick / concrete built workshop.