DIY garage floor repair

In detail: DIY garage floor repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

The garage serves not only to protect the iron horse from car thieves or weather conditions, but also acts as a kind of storage of "very necessary" things. One way or another, a lot of time is spent in it, in this regard, motorists approach its arrangement with special care. The owners select material for the construction of walls and roofs based on two main criteria: taste preferences and the financial side of the issue. Unfortunately, less attention is paid to the organization of the floors. The article will discuss how to make a wooden floor in a garage with your own hands.

The most common types of flooring are earthen and cement floors, less commonly wooden flooring. The first two options are ideal if this room is used in an intense load for its intended purpose. Plank flooring is relevant when the vehicle is operated in the warm season or on weekends.

Below is a brief description of the most popular types of material used for arranging the floor in the garage.

Such floors are made in strict compliance with the technology, otherwise, after a short time, cracks will appear on the surface, which will render it completely unusable. Well, if you adhere to all the rules, then such a floor will last at least 20 years.

Among the disadvantages of a concrete base, it is possible to note low resistance to abrasion, which leads to the formation of dust. In addition, spilled liquid penetrates deep into the pores and remains there forever. A polyurethane coating can act as a savior, but its cost cancels out the affordability of a concrete floor.

Video (click to play).

Ceramic or porcelain stoneware tiles are distinguished by both aesthetics and practicality. Their surface is simply unable to absorb liquid substances, and the top layer of glaze is easily washed off even without the use of special cleaning compounds.

Porcelain stoneware is quite an expensive pleasure for arranging a garage. The preparation of the base, and the installation itself, requires laborious work. It is recommended to lay the material 2-3 years after the completion of the construction of the garage, that is, when the structure shrinks.
The ceramic product also has a significant disadvantage - low resistance to mechanical shock. And, as you know, the fall of various pieces of iron, especially in such rooms, is not at all uncommon.

The lowest price is for a wooden floor in a garage, moreover, such a floor is considered warm. Therefore, it is much more pleasant to repair a car or inspect it while lying on your back.

Wooden floor in the garage photo

The disadvantages include high absorbency. Do not forget that the tree is classified according to its resistance to decay and is subdivided into fire hazard classes. But treatment with modern protective equipment will extend the service life of the flooring and protect it from the effects of fire.
Of course, the floors can also be covered with special rubber tiles, which certainly are not afraid of any stress. As already mentioned, the choice of coverage depends on material capabilities.

In any case, if you carry out the arrangement of the floors on your own, you can save quite a decent amount for the purchase of, for example, tools, spare parts for a car, hanging shelves or racks for storing various inventory.

The installation of the material should be carried out on a solid foundation so that the work done and the investment is not in vain.

An even surface with minor imperfections, such as surface cracks and chips, allows the floorboard to be mounted on top of it. Lumber is fastened with screws and plastic dowels or anchor bolts.
If the floor has large irregularities, then it is recommended to fill in a screed, which will not only provide the same level over the entire surface, but also strengthen the base.

Ensure that the cement coating is completely dry prior to work. To do this, you do not need to have a special-purpose device. You can also determine the humidity using an improvised method, for this, a small square of plastic or a piece of film is attached to the surface with hermetically sealed tape.
After a few days, the material is removed, if many large drops are found on the inside, then it is not yet possible to lay the board. In this case, it is necessary to give the base more time to dry or take additional measures to reduce humidity. Insignificant condensation allows the planned works to be carried out.
In any case, polyethylene or roofing felt is first spread, which will prevent moisture from entering the base base. Laying is carried out with spurs on the walls and the width of the overlap of the material should be at least 10 cm. The seams are glued with tape or moisture-resistant mastic.

If the surface is relatively flat, then the boards can be mounted on pre-installed logs. Here, small-section bars (50x50 or 40x50 mm) are fixed on a concrete base along the perimeter of the room. The same lumber is taken as crossbars. For a more reliable fixation, the logs are attached to the bars using metal corners. They are installed parallel to the entrance / exit of the garage in increments of no more than 50 cm.

It should be remembered here that the floor level will rise by 70-80 mm, depending on the width of the selected timber, for example, a 50 mm beam and a 25-30 mm floorboard. Thus, a drop is formed, a step between the floor and the entrance to the room.

Reinforcing an existing plank floor by attaching new floorboards is only possible if there is complete confidence that the structure can withstand severe stress. If there is even the slightest doubt, then the old coating must be dismantled.
Here, the logs and other wooden elements are inspected, the damaged parts of the frame are replaced. During major works, a layer of waterproofing material is laid. It is advisable to fill the space between the logs with expanded clay or dry sand, the floors will become warmer.

The satisfactory condition of the old coating allows the boards to be fastened, but only in the perpendicular direction.

It will not be superfluous to mention that wooden elements need to be treated with protective agents. Preparations are selected individually, since some are responsible for uniform shrinkage, reduce cracking, others guarantee protection against decay, and others prevent ignition.

It is worth noting that it is not advisable to acquire miraculous solutions "5 in 1", since one remedy cannot simultaneously protect from all "misfortunes". Therefore, when going to the store, it is better to have at least a basic knowledge of their classification, their purpose, the best manufacturers.

Protective compounds are divided into 3 types:

Lucky after drying, they form a transparent film that has bioprotective properties, that is, it protects the surface from premature decay, damage by woodworms. Such coatings exclude cracking of the material and do not lose their original qualities under the influence of temperature extremes.

Paints not only give a decorative appearance, but also protect the painted elements from the short-term influence of moisture (periodically formed condensation). For processing, it is better to select paint based on organic solvents.
Antiseptics Are multifunctional means capable of protecting wood from biodegradation (mold formation, appearance and spread of house fungi). The combined version of antiseptics also has fire-fighting properties.

The coating of the lag is carried out with water-repellent agents, which are characterized by a deeper degree of penetration, or with solvent-based antiseptic impregnations, which form a thick protective film. Preparations based on borates and fluorides are ideal.

You can use an oil analogue, only here you need to make sure that the processed lumber is absolutely dry, otherwise the wet inner part of the material will contribute to the development of fungal spores, which in turn will lead to its complete destruction.

Floorboards are treated with preparations that provide effective fire protection and contain copper hydroxide.

The top three include companies that produce the most effective products for protecting wooden surfaces:

from domestic manufacturers - "Wood doctor", "Biox", "Biosept";

foreign brands represent - "TIKKURILA "(Finland)," Dulux "(England)," ALLICATOR "(Germany).

Since ancient times, the tree has played an important role in the national culture, so a person has always been worried about how to protect buildings from the harmful effects of adverse conditions. Over such a long period of time, many effective methods have accumulated:

silicate glue diluted with water, 400 grams of glue is taken for about 1 liter of water;
copper sulfate is also known for its bactericidal properties (100 grams of vitriol is diluted in 10 liters of water);
boric acid is a popular "preservative". The solution is prepared as follows: 50 grams of boric acid and 1 kg of salt are taken for 5 liters of boiling water.

Do-it-yourself wooden flooring in a built garage can be done in a matter of hours, since logs are usually laid at the stage of building the foundation. But, if the construction was carried out in a lightweight version, then more effort and time will have to be applied.

The zero level of the future floor is determined. As a rule, the "threshold" of the garage is taken as a basis. The soil is selected by about 50 cm, more accurate calculations are made as follows: 10-15 cm will "leave" on the sand pillow, 10-15 cm - crushed stone layer, 10 cm - the section of the timber (logs) and plus the thickness of the floorboard 2.5- 3 cm.
Each layer is moistened and compacted. For this, it is not at all necessary to use a special technique. A homemade tool is suitable here, where a square piece of board, which will be used as a sole, is attached to the end of a 50x50 mm bar with nails or screws.

A waterproofing material must be lined with an overlap on the walls slightly exceeding the zero mark. The joints of the material for sealing are glued with construction tape or coated with mastic.
All wooden elements are treated with antiseptic and fire retardants.
A beam of 100x100 mm is installed along the perimeter, such a section will help distribute the load of both the flooring itself and the weight of the car. In the corners, lumber is fastened with metal corners. The level checks the horizontal position; if necessary, cut plywood or boards are placed.

Logs from the same timber are installed in parallel with respect to the entrance. The distance between them is maintained within 50 cm, but no more. Fixation is made with self-tapping screws and L-shaped metal products.
Expanded clay or dry sand can be poured into the formed cells.
Floorboards are laid on top, located along the movement of the car. Fasteners are carried out with self-tapping screws in two places to each lag.

Wooden floor in the garage step-by-step video

The main requirements for the floor in the garage

When creating a floor in a garage on your own, you need to know the characteristics and features of a particular type of floor, as well as focus on specific requirements, determined by the specifics of the place or operation. The criteria for choosing a floor type include:

resistance to chemical products (oils, gasoline, solvents, etc.);
resistance to mechanical stress;
fire safety and moisture resistance;
high level of surface strength;
simplicity of design and its arrangement;
service life (durability).

The following types of floors meet the listed criteria most of all:

ceramic tiles or porcelain stoneware;

It should be noted that wooden floors are also quite common. However, their compliance with the requirements for reliability, fire hazard, durability and strength as a floor base in a garage is approaching zero. For this reason, we will not consider them.

Most often, a garage space is built on the ground, which is clearly reflected in the structure and arrangement of the floor. When creating it on the ground, it is necessary to take into account the level of groundwater, with a depth of at least 4 - 5 m, and the ground itself should not "move", otherwise the walls and floor will begin to crack and collapse.

All work on the creation or repair of the floor in the garage with your own hands should be carried out after the construction of the walls and the arrangement of the roof. This is the only way to ensure the high quality of the work performed. The volume is large enough and will consist of several stages:

inspection pit equipment;

marking the level of the future floor;

carrying out work on clearing and compacting the soil;

laying of sand cushion, crushed stone and so-called "skinny" concrete;

arrangement of the insulation layer;

reinforcement and installation of guide beacons;

screed filling and topcoat.

Read also: Vaz 2104 starter DIY repair

Before creating the floor in the garage, you need to take care of the inspection pit. Naturally, its presence is not obligatory, but for those who prefer to independently repair and maintain their own car, there is no way to do without a viewing hole.First, you should dig a pit for a hole. Its dimensions must be set based on the size and depth of the future inspection pit. As a rule, they choose the middle option - a width of 75 - 80 cm, the depth is calculated in accordance with the growth of the owner, and another 30 cm is added. The length of the pit is taken 1 - 1.5 m more than the length of the vehicle. To these indicators, another 50 cm is added, so that it is convenient to lay brickwork and waterproofing.Having dug a pit of the required size, you can start tamping the soil in it.For this, a small layer of clay is poured and tamped using a regular log with nailed handles. Since there will be practically no load on the floor in the pit, it is not necessary to ram very tightly. Now you can lay roofing material on the bottom and pour it on top with a layer of concrete of 7 - 10 cm. As a result, you get a simple concrete floor with a little waterproofing.After the concrete screed dries up and becomes stable enough to stand on it, you can start masonry. For these purposes, aerated concrete blocks or any type of brick should be used. The laying is made and its upper edge is examined. It should be about 5 - 7 cm below the threshold. This is extremely important, since a 5x5 corner will lie on top of the brick, into which the boards covering the pit are laid.After laying the brick, you will need to wait a few days for it to dry.

Having made the markings, you can start removing excess soil. We remove all construction waste and remove about 30 - 40 cm of the top layer. After that, we pick up the same log with handles and compact the soil. If the soil that was in the pit could not be tamped very tightly, then the soil under the floor would have to be tamped very tightly.

Any flooring on the ground, even if it is not wood, is presented in the form of a layered cake, and the floor in the garage is no exception. Therefore, after tamping work, it is necessary to pour a layer of gravel with a thickness of 10 cm.To better navigate, it is advisable to drive in several rows of pegs, leaving them above the ground at the required height. As soon as the required amount of gravel has been filled in, you can tamp it. In this process, try to achieve maximum density.After tamping, the pegs must be pulled out and the voids must be filled with the same gravel. The next layer after gravel is sand.Its thickness is the same - 10 cm. To make it easier to control the layer thickness, the pegs are re-driven. For a tighter compaction of the sand cushion, it should be watered with water and only then the compaction process should be started.It should be noted that there may be several types of sand, but for a garage floor it is best to opt for ravine sand. In its composition, it contains a small admixture of clay, which gives additional density. Having rammed it, the pegs are removed, and the voids are filled up.After the sand, the next layer will be crushed stone. The desired size of fractions is 40 - 50 mm. It is necessary to fill up a layer of 5 cm and tamp it as tightly as possible. A thin layer of sand is poured over the formed pillow, all this is moistened with water and lightly rammed. It is very important that the resulting surface does not have protruding sharp edges.Now you can proceed to the finishing layer 2 - 3 cm from the created "skinny" concrete. It acts as an underlayment for the finishing screed.Insulating layerThe safety of a car in a garage directly depends on humidity. If there is too much of it, vehicles can start to rust, so it is imperative to get rid of moisture as efficiently as possible. If ventilation is installed inside the room, then the air will be fresher, and the moisture supplied with it will evaporate faster. However, it is necessary to reduce the penetrating moisture from the floor by arranging waterproofing. This is a very important step in the process of repairing your garage floor, which you can do yourself.

A garage is a place for storing a car, equipment that is sensitive to moisture, therefore, when doing floor repairs with your own hands, you need to be well prepared and familiarize yourself with the various options.

Basement decoration is best done at the stage of building a garage. However, if the motorhome has been standing for several years, and the need to equip it has appeared recently, it is worth repairing the cellar in the garage, taking into account the peculiarities of the already erected building. For this, it is better to choose only high-quality materials. It is also worth considering all the points for arranging the cellar: from waterproofing to arranging the entrance to the cellar.

All work can be done independently, so the cost of repairs is limited only by the cost of materials. It is important to observe all the subtleties of arranging the walls and floor of the cellar - this is necessary for its full operation.

A small storage facility should be protected from moisture penetration. To do this, you will need to equip high-quality waterproofing. Otherwise, you will have to dry out the garage during the spring flood. The execution of the cellar, regardless of where it is located, requires a ventilation system. For the products that will be stored in it, it is important to get fresh air.

Thanks to proper ventilation, excess moisture can be removed from the basement. Combined ventilation is the most effective. It provides for both natural and mechanical air exchange.

The cellar needs high-quality thermal insulation. In summer, it will help prevent condensation, and in winter, it will help maintain a positive room temperature.

If you complete all the stages of repairing the floor in the garage, taking into account such tips, the vegetable store will be reliably protected from moisture, mold and low temperatures. This keeps fresh vegetables on the table throughout the long winter months.

If dampness is found in the basement, it is worth suspecting errors in the installation of waterproofing. In this case, an urgent need to carry out repair and restoration work. However, you must first dry the room. This can be done in 2 ways:

Using a brazier. This method is the arrangement of a homemade brazier made from a metal bucket. It is necessary to make a fire in it and install it in the center of the cellar. This method is one of the simplest. Its only drawback is the need to maintain the fire for a long time. Thanks to this method, you can get rid of mold and mildew on the basement walls.
Use of pipes and candles. This method consists in installing a pipe. At one end it should be placed to the very bottom of the basement, and at the other end it should be taken out into the street. A candle must be placed under the pipe - this will provide forced ventilation. The structure is removed when the humidity drops to normal values.

After the cellar has dried, you can start arranging the drainage system. Then waterproofing is performed.

To provide external drainage, it is worth digging a trench 40 cm deep around the perimeter of the garage. Perforated pipes are placed in it. They should be wrapped in geotextiles. Grids are installed at the water collection points on the surface.A system of pipes is brought out to a drain tank, buried 1.5 - 2 meters. The drainage system is then buried. For internal drainage, a piping system is laid along the inner contour of the garage.

The injection method is used as a waterproofing cellar. Its principle of operation is to saturate the soil with special polymer resins. However, the materials are quite expensive, and the process itself is carried out by professionals on special equipment.

One of the waterproofing methods available is by spraying liquid rubber. It seizes instantly, immediately forming a polymer membrane on the surface. By complementing such waterproofing with proper ventilation and drainage, you can forever forget about condensation and moisture in the cellar.