# Cheapest wood shed floor alternative



## thinkxingu (Oct 23, 2011)

Hello All,
     Though I began planning my new wood shed with plans of grandeur, financial reality (and a new baby on the way) has changed my expectations. But, though I started to think I would just do a frame floor, I realize now it will be harder to move around and load.  So, given that the floor is framed, 5x16, what's the cheapest possible flooring option?

I'm thinking rough cut, with a little space in between the planks for air movement.

Lemme know,

S


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## muncybob (Oct 23, 2011)

Are you saying the floor is 5' X 16' ??  Pallets would be cheapest if they are free. Rough cut would be prettier though. If I had framed out my floor that's what I would have used, but I've gone with pallets leveled out on the ground.


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## red oak (Oct 23, 2011)

muncybob said:
			
		

> Are you saying the floor is 5' X 16' ??  Pallets would be cheapest if they are free. Rough cut would be prettier though. If I had framed out my floor that's what I would have used, but I've gone with pallets leveled out on the ground.



+1 on the pallets if they work for you.  You can't get much cheaper than free!


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## Dune (Oct 23, 2011)

Pallets are the floor of my woodshed. I put bricks under them for more air and to preserve them.


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## Gasifier (Oct 23, 2011)

Pallets are a good idea. I stack all my wood on pallets outside in long rows with clear plastic over the top in an area that the sun gets to well. Then move it inside under my covered porch in the fall. Also, keep your eyes on craigslist in your area. Sometimes a search for wood, board, etc. can land you some free wood that is fine for a wood shed. Good luck man and keep us posted.


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## shawneyboy (Oct 23, 2011)

Pallets, pallets, pallets.  Free, easily replaced, free, easy to come by, free, can be turned into kindling when they break, free, are the only thing I would use, free, allow air flow, oh and FREE !!

Shawn


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## smokinj (Oct 23, 2011)

Pallets or gravel.


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## thinkxingu (Oct 23, 2011)

Pallets aren't all that much easier to walk around on- what I'm really looking for is something I can put my bag down on while I load.

S


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## Joe in MI (Oct 23, 2011)

People deck utility trailers w/ rough sawn wood all the time.  I would think it would work.

Or, even cheaper (and built in venting) - if you could get some good THICK slabwood, it would make a dandy floor with some "character"


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## Bigg_Redd (Oct 23, 2011)

thinkxingu said:
			
		

> Hello All,
> Though I began planning my new wood shed with plans of grandeur, financial reality (and a new baby on the way) has changed my expectations. But, though I started to think I would just do a frame floor, I realize now it will be harder to move around and load.  So, given that the floor is framed, 5x16, *what's the cheapest possible flooring option?*
> 
> I'm thinking rough cut, with a little space in between the planks for air movement.
> ...



Pallets.  They're free.


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## bogydave (Oct 23, 2011)

Be selective on the pallets you scrounge. Some are easy to walk on & heavier duty, 
some are barely able to handle much weight & are ankle breakers with to much space between the boards.
I got a few trailer loads over a 2 week period, selected the good one & had a big bon-fire with the rest. 
Then used a magnet to pick up the nails. 
Man what a fire


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## bpirger (Oct 24, 2011)

2x6's on their side, with a couple of 2x6' nailed across them.  Stack on top, leave your spacing between rows.  When you use the wood, pick up the "rack" and you can easily reach the next pile.  At the ends of the racks, I have a 2x4 to hold the ends of the stacks up.  Good air circulation and pretty cheap.  Space the 2x6's depending on your length...


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## firefighterjake (Oct 24, 2011)

Cheapest Option: Pallets . . . free is good, but putting these on stringers already in place might be a challenge not to mention a potential loss of space in the shed depending on how you use the pallets.

Cheapest and Easiest Option: Rough cut lumber . . . I went with rough cut hemlock . . . floor is holding up well.


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## mecreature (Oct 24, 2011)

I used pallets on the ground. I didnt want to worry about the load.


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## thinkxingu (Oct 24, 2011)

Hi All,
     Found a place nearby with #4 rough cut 1 x 12 hemlock for $.45 linear ft.  Cost $38 for the flooring--this will give me 1.25" between the boards for air.  Found enough dry ones (no shrinkage!) and got 'em cut.  Pics are of where I'm at--still need to do the roof and tie down the floor.  Not exactly over-engineered, but it should do.  Each side should hold just under 2 cords, so, seeing as I use around 1.75 per year (max, guesstimate), I should have enough for two years ahead at all times.  Anything I don't use one year will just continue to season.

Bye the by, so far I've got just under $150 in.  If my roofing friend has extra rolled roofing, I should be around $200 all told.  I figure this will last a decade or so, when the wife and I are actually doing ok with teacher salaries!

I'll post when I'm done, and then (as y'all can see) I've got some wood ta split.

S


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## pen (Oct 24, 2011)

My buddy has a quarry on his property that isn't being worked anymore.  I went through and picked out stones 2 to 2.5 inches thick that were of random shape and pieced them together (in a rough way) for the floor.  Water drains through it and it keeps the wood out of the dirt.  Could stack pallets on them if you wanted, but I've had enough twisted ankles in my life, hate walking on pallets. 

pen


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## kbrown (Oct 25, 2011)

thinkxingu said:
			
		

> Hi All,
> Found a place nearby with #4 rough cut 1 x 12 hemlock for $.45 linear ft.  Cost $38 for the flooring--this will give me 1.25" between the boards for air.  Found enough dry ones (no shrinkage!) and got 'em cut.  Pics are of where I'm at--still need to do the roof and tie down the floor.  Not exactly over-engineered, but it should do.  Each side should hold just under 2 cords, so, seeing as I use around 1.75 per year (max, guesstimate), I should have enough for two years ahead at all times.  Anything I don't use one year will just continue to season.
> 
> Bye the by, so far I've got just under $150 in.  If my roofing friend has extra rolled roofing, I should be around $200 all told.  I figure this will last a decade or so, when the wife and I are actually doing ok with teacher salaries!
> ...



Nice looking shed so far. Do you have any pics of it before the flooring? Someday I plan to build one and this looks like something I could handle; nice size too. We burn about 4 cords a year, so that would be just the right size.


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## firefighterjake (Oct 25, 2011)

Looks good so far . . . no worries on the hemlock flooring . . . as I said . . . I'm a few years in and no problems . . . nice job on beefing up the support underneath as well . . . I made sure I put plenty of support to keep things from bowing from the weight.


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## muncybob (Oct 25, 2011)

Good start on the shed....luv pics of sheds for some reason.

I used pallets and remedied the twisted ankle situations by ripping the extra 1" rough cut hemlock I have on hand to fill in gaps so that I have air spaces of about 2" all the way across the pallets.


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## mayhem (Oct 25, 2011)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> Pallets or gravel.



Pallets ON gravel!


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## kbrown (Oct 26, 2011)

Thinkxingu, can you tell me the measurements of that woodshed? (WxLxDxH) I would really like to see if I could fit something like that in my yard.


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## thinkxingu (Oct 26, 2011)

heatit,
      The measurements are a bit strange, as I built it mostly to fit a location rather than to match dimensional lumber sizes.

Length: 199"
Depth: 53"
Height: 7' front, 6' back

Though it would have been easier to do 48" depth (8' lumber/plywood cut in half), the little extra will allow me to stack 3-20" splits deep, for 5' of wood.  Multiply that by 8' wide and an average of 6.5' high and you've got just over 2 cords each side.  Also, the biggest pain (to me) is roofing, so this allowed me to use 6' rafters, which is 1.5 sheets of plywood.

S


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## maplewood (Oct 28, 2011)

shawneyboy said:
			
		

> Pallets, pallets, pallets.  Free, easily replaced, free, easy to come by, free, can be turned into kindling when they break, free, are the only thing I would use, free, allow air flow, oh and FREE !!
> 
> Shawn



Me too.


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## billjustbill (Oct 30, 2011)

Nice looking and should help keep things up off the ground.  The back cross bracing will help hold it straight when the snow loads hit.

As for more materials and flooring, have you tried going to Lowe's and buying their "Cull Cart" lumber?  Usually early in the mornings, or after 7:00 pm on Friday's in the building materials area of the store, you can find a blue cart filled with wood and materials that have been culled due to damage or low quality.  You have to buy the whole cart, but it's usually 10-cents on the dollar.  

Sometimes there will be pressure treated plywood and many times there will be pressure treated lumber.  What I've found is that the treated wood dries unevenly in the store shelves and will bow and warp.  All you need to do is wet those pieces of lumber the night before you use them, and 80% of them will straighten out.  The rest can be pulled into a straight line while they are wet....  In the pic, I'm holding a 16' pressure treated 2x4 that begins to look like a rainbow.  Just wet it over night and use it with little or no problem.

I collected "Cull Lumber" from Lowes and damage Hardiboard sheet panels from Home Depot for about a year before I began the backyard cabin project for storage and hobby room for the wife.  Sadly, our local Home Depot cuts all their culled lumber into 4' lengths and sells it for .51 cents each.  

Could not have built it without all this "Cull Cart" lumber!

Keep up the good work and Google 'Fine Homebuilding", they have a forum for construction questions for everybody and every level of skill.


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## thinkxingu (Oct 31, 2011)

Awesome- good to know.  I'm glad I discovered the rough cut mill near me.

S


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