I have an outbuilding measuring 8x5 meters where I want to install a floor. Preferably a wooden floor, but I'm unsure if it's suitable and, if so, how to proceed. The building has concrete foundations around it, with leca block walls and a metal roof. The floor is compacted earth. Some moisture seeps into one corner of the building when it rains, as the building is located on a slope. The floor inside the building is flat.
I am considering converting this into a hobby woodworking workshop and insulating the walls and roof to maintain 8-10 degrees with an air heat pump when not in use and 15+ degrees when occupied. The most natural choice would probably be to install a concrete floor, but I don't want a concrete floor as I'd prefer a more cozy 'woodshop' feel. The building is already covered with exterior paneling, and I plan to have some form of wooden walls inside as well (such as rough-cut timber or plywood). I'm okay with having an uninsulated floor since I will mainly keep it at maintenance heating levels in southern Sweden.
My question is whether it's possible to install a framework of treated wood directly on the ground and then lay roughly sawn planks on top of that? Or will it be too tight and prone to mold from ground moisture? Perhaps this can be resolved with ventilation? How should I approach this?
I am considering converting this into a hobby woodworking workshop and insulating the walls and roof to maintain 8-10 degrees with an air heat pump when not in use and 15+ degrees when occupied. The most natural choice would probably be to install a concrete floor, but I don't want a concrete floor as I'd prefer a more cozy 'woodshop' feel. The building is already covered with exterior paneling, and I plan to have some form of wooden walls inside as well (such as rough-cut timber or plywood). I'm okay with having an uninsulated floor since I will mainly keep it at maintenance heating levels in southern Sweden.
My question is whether it's possible to install a framework of treated wood directly on the ground and then lay roughly sawn planks on top of that? Or will it be too tight and prone to mold from ground moisture? Perhaps this can be resolved with ventilation? How should I approach this?
Hobby carpenter
· Västra Götaland
· 1 496 posts
Gravel, plastic, insulation, joists you screw into the walls with hangers and wedges underneath. Then floor chipboard and tongue-and-groove flooring (surely available second hand). Good luck.
If you're not insulating the floor, gravel and plastic are sufficient. Then you can put up joists and lay floorboards on top. You might even dig away some of the soil so you're not building much in height.