Hi,

I am converting my shed into a place to relax. It looks as if it was previously used as a workshop. You can see the ground in certain areas of the floor. I would like to lay carpet over the floor, but need to know what I should do prior to this to prevent any moisture from coming through the floor during rainy season, which is from October through June.
HELP!!!

schwim

If the floor is raised off of the ground and you can get it in place, you need to lay a moisture barrier on the ground under the structure. This is a fancy term for a layer of plastic(bisqueen) that keeps the moisture from coming into the structure from the ground.

If you're talking about a concrete floor, then you obviously need to initially patch it where you can see the ground

Also, anything you do on this floor is going to be a band-aid, as it's a little hard to solve the problem once the water is inside the structure, as you want to do.

Depending on how much you want to invest:

1) Cheap: Patch the holes. Buy a few gallons of Drylok and go to town. Once you've coated the heck out of it, I would just drop some carpet and enjoy. Putting too much time and money into this method is a waste, as it's not a permanent solution.

2) Expensive: cut the concrete along the outside perimeter of your structure and create a "moat". At the low point of your drain, drop a sump pump. build a raised floor structure over this and ignore the random pumping noises

A little more information about your situaton(and maybe even a pic or two) would go a long way towards fine tuning a solution for your problem.

thanks,
json

Selah

It is a wood floor 1/2 of the area is aobut 1/2" plywood about 8' x 8'. The other side is wood planks, this is were you can see through some of the gaps. Do I also need to close the gaps, and what should I use? Is that it, just cover the dirt on the ground. Do I need to place rocks or something on top of the plastic?

schwim

Hi there Selah,

If you're dealing with a wood floor(with gaps), and you can get underneath the building, here is what I would do:

First, clear everything out from underneath. Usually, you get leaves, debris and general gunk. Get rid of anything that can rot and make a bad smell, and try to get to clean ground. Once you've done that, , I would then roll two layers of plastic underneath the structure to lessen the chance of water sitting under your structure. You can fasten the edges with landscaping staples, but be careful that you don't rip your plastic, as it will defeat it's purpose.

As long as there is some kind of pitch, the water will run out from underneath. You don't want what's under the building to be the lowest spot around, or else you will have a pond.

After you've got your plastic down, consider putting up some kind of barrier, like lattice around the perimeter of the structure, to keep new debris from getting underneath.

Once you've done that, you need to button up the floor. Houses normally have two layers of subfloor(or one really thick layer) amounting to about 1 1/2 inches. You don't have to get rid of your planks, but I would at the very least run a sheet of 5/8" or thereabouts plywood overtop of your existing floor. This seals your floor up and gives you a more solid feel when you walk across it.

One thing to note is that it's a good idea to use liquid nails, or something of the sort between the old and new floor in a zig-zag pattern before laying down the new floor and fasten the new floor through the floor joists, not just the old subfloor. This minimizes the chance for squeaks.

Let us know how it goes, as it's always fun to gain new playspace!

thanks,
json

glavine

I just put plastic under the shed, use rocks or stacks to hold it down, as for carpet an outdoor carpet may be best for this , simple if it does get wet it wound mold and hold water, moisture.

the biggest thing is to put a 4mil plastic, clear or black it doesnt matter

Selah

Okay, I've already purchased the carpet and it is a medium pile shag. I got a deal on it because it doesn't have a backing on it. Is it possible to also lay something under the carpet to prevent moisture or mildew one the plastic is layed underneath the shed?

schwim

Hi there Selah,

The suggestion I posted is the way it would be done in a normal house over a crawl space. It will allow for carpet without an additional moisture barrier, as long as you include the second layer of subfloor.

thanks,
json