Protecting plywood shed floor

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JHZR2

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My parents have a shed they built when I was six or seven. So in a few years it will be thirty years old. They have replaced a few exterior pieces, but it still looks and works great.

They never did anything to the original plywood floor. No issues, it's still in fine shape, but oil dripped from the mower, and a few other things over time have stained the floor.

It's a shed, no big deal, right?

My new shed has the same type of plywood floor. I think the builders painted the underside, they certainly did paint the 4x4s that the shed is supported off of.

So, does anyone put a coating on a wood shed floor?

Water from wet equipment is not a real concern. I don't mow when it's wet, and any wet tools can go in my garage with a concrete floor.

More just interested in general if folks had any thoughts, and what others do. I'll be "moving in" soon, and once OPE and other dirty stuff goes in, that's it.

So should I polyurethane or varnish the floor? Stain it perhaps?

Not looking for cosmetics on the inside, just practical, functional treatments to make if smart...

Thanks!
 
I used a glidden porch and floor paint, that was okay for wood. Not sure how the oil already in the wood will affect the adhesion.
 
I concur, Porch and Floor latex paint w/perhaps a little sand additive which would help w/slipperiness(sp?) of floor. Prep the floor so the paint adheres the best as possible.
 
Try epoxy paint. Impervious to just about everything. And you can add plastic "chips" or sand to it to aid in traction.
 
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Originally Posted By: 29662
Try epoxy paint. Impervious to just about everything. And you can add plastic "chips" or sand to it to aid in traction.



Horrible idea. Wood needs to breathe or it's going to rot. It's just that simple.
 
Originally Posted By: tom slick
I'd just paint it with latex "floor" paint.

Edit:

On second thought, I'd use a good deck sealer if it had previous oil stains.



This is a brand new shed. No stains. The underside is treated where it touches the ground (gravel pad), but the floor plywood is not.

I made the point of my parents' shed because after almost 30 years, with the same construction (treated 6x6 and untreated plywood floor on a gravel pad), the ply is still fine.

Going by that, I'd say do nothing...

But I was curious if others do paint or poly their ply shed floors...
 
I didn't paint the floor in my shed, but the plywood is pressure treated. I'd put something on it if untreated.

Ya know what would be sweet... Rhino Lining!
 
Problem is, Do you really want to treat your shed floor like a nice floor in your home? Push, pull or drag anything across a painted plywood shed floor and it's going to gouge.

You'd be better off throwing some rubber mats or tiles down.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: tom slick
I'd just paint it with latex "floor" paint.

Edit:

On second thought, I'd use a good deck sealer if it had previous oil stains.



This is a brand new shed. No stains. The underside is treated where it touches the ground (gravel pad), but the floor plywood is not.

I made the point of my parents' shed because after almost 30 years, with the same construction (treated 6x6 and untreated plywood floor on a gravel pad), the ply is still fine.

Going by that, I'd say do nothing...

But I was curious if others do paint or poly their ply shed floors...


I've got to slow down reading, sorry i thought it was the old shed.
I used glidden polyurethane porch and floor finish in gloss. I chose a light blackberry color that dries to a bluish battleship gray. Its not that glossy and it makes sweeping grass, dirt out of the building much easier than without any coating. Heck sometimes when the mowers and motorcycle are out of it, i use the blower to clean it. I'm glad i painted it as it does not absorb any dripped oil or gas into the wood.

[img:center]https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608038142330274948&pid=15.1[/img]
 
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Thanks. That's why I was thinking about a coating - sweeping and cleaning out. I don't need pristine floors, but I know our old shed floors (smaller plastic shed) got really dirty often.

My parents plywood is still perfect after nearly 30 years, so I'm not really concerned about the non-PT part (apparently PT is really only necessary for standing water and permanently damp locations). So it's really just for general protection and cleaning.

Chipping and gouging is a consideration, but so is sweeping and cleaning. Cosmetics don't matter, I just have the opportunity to make a decision now on a fresh floor so might as well.

Bedliners and rough/rubber coatings will probably be tough to keep reasonably clean.
 
I'm a big believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Even painted, it's going to get stained with oil, grease, dirt, etc. To me, that's a sign of something well used and well enjoyed. I know that first stain is tough to bear, but it will happen. It's the reason I don't hide my grey hairs - I earned every one of them.
 
Monstaliner...check it out.

Works awesome. Impervious to chemicals.

A littoe expensive, but it is a ridiculously tough finish.
 
We used deck stain thinned down to really penetrate the wood. Worked well.

If all else fails used motor oil would also prevent bugs and rot.
 
Yeah, stains will happen, they don't bother me.

I just want to get to the bottom of best practice.

Doing nothing is a fine answer as is stain, paint, poly, etc.

I'm not likely to consider bedliners. Epoxy maybe.


The crux is really if it's better to let the wood breathe through the top or seal the top. I'd imagine that since it's plywood, the layers of glue keeps water from permeating from one surface to the other.
 
Originally Posted By: Clevy
Originally Posted By: 29662
Try epoxy paint. Impervious to just about everything. And you can add plastic "chips" or sand to it to aid in traction.



Horrible idea. Wood needs to breathe or it's going to rot. It's just that simple.


How would epoxy paint be any different from any other paint or sealant? I suggested it because it's more durable than standard paint and is more resistant to oils and chemicals.
 
Get under there with a mirror if you wonder about paint. They could have had leftover wood from the house construction that they threw in the shed, or, for that matter, leftover paint.
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You must be lucky to have low enough average humidity that the inside of the shed doesn't go all to pot. Wife's garden shed is dank and stinks of mouse poop. With this in mind when I put up another woodshed I went with "decking" with 3/8" spaces to help it breathe-- my soffits/ eaves are also open for this same reason. Turns out when buying "decking" 2x6 PTs were cheaper than 5/4 "decking" so this'll weigh it down during windstorms.
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The shed has vent holes on each side, constructed very similar to my parents' shed. One side will get pm sun. I will keep gasoline in there, and we may do planting/potting out there but most of that work we actually do indoors so we can plant more mature plants earlier in the year.

I'm tempted to give a coat of spar urethane and then call it a shed.
 
When I built mine, I made sure it's vented well underneath. I primed the top and bottom of floor with Sherwin William's best oil primer. I painted the floor with Behr Porch & Patio paint -- and added anti-skid. It's held up well so far. I was thinking of painting the interior walls white -- to make it "brighter" (no windows), but that seemed overkill to me.
 
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