When it comes to your shed, you need to understand it is critical to protect the entire structure from all sorts of environmental damages. This, of course, includes the shed’s floor as well as the other parts of the shed. One of the principles to do this is to seal the shed floor.
But why is sealing your shed floor so important?
You should seal your shed floor to avoid moisture from entering through the ground beneath the floor, damaging the structural integrity of the entire shed. Of the ways, this damages your shed, primarily rot and rust can weaken wood and metal respectively risking the potential collapse of your shed.
That said, the walls and the roof of your shed are also very important and should be sealed and protected from moisture. The base of your shed, however, supports the majority of the weight making it the source of the strength of the walls.
As such, it is essential that you know how to seal your shed floor and keep it protected from damage caused by moisture.
Why sealing your shed floor is important?
One of the most important things you need to know about shed ownership is how to care for it, and the first primary contributor to accidents and shed damage is moisture. While the outside of your shed is generally made of waterproof materials and during construction the roof has water resistance built into it, the inside is not made to resist water in the same way.
As such, for the shed’s interior, you need to make sure that you keep moisture out, or else water can not only damage your shed and cause a buildup of rot, mold, and rust but it can also create a dangerous environment for those that are in it.
While most people think that sealing the shed should only involve the roof and the walls because that is where the water and excess moisture usually come from, you also need to understand that sealing the floor is just as important.
Depending on where you live and the elevation of your home above sea level, you could be at risk of not just damaging the foundation and base of your shed, but all of the contents in it. Here are just a couple of things that could be damaged as a result:
- The base of your shed walls weakening
- Shed contents(cloth, motors, tools, etc)
- Shed concrete cracking in colder weather
- Metal rusting and breaking leading to injury
- Slip hazard when it has not dried
Ok, more than a couple and these are just a few that came right off the top of my head. Do not risk the safety of your family or equipment by allowing moisture to enter your shed unchecked.
Depending on what your shed foundation is will determine exactly what you need to do. Sheds have been placed on cement, wood, asphalt, and even directly on the ground.
While I would never recommend placing a shed directly onto the ground, often time metal and plastic sheds claim to not require a shed base due to the materials that are used.
As such, it is clear that sealing the floor is just as important as sealing off any of the other parts of the shed. You need to make sure that the shed’s floor is sealed well enough such that it won’t allow water to pass through it.
Of course, it is also important that you protect the floor because shed floors are prone to damage as well, but you run the risk of allowing many more problems into your shed right along with the water.
How to waterproof shed floor
When we talk about sealing a shed floor, really you want to waterproof it as well as protect it from damage caused by routine wear and tear. Eventually, even a well-sealed floor will wear down, but keeping out the major contributor to damage(water) will exponentially increase the lifespan of the floor and by proxy, the rest of the shed.
The best way to waterproof the shed floor is to keep it on an elevated base that keeps it from getting exposed directly to the ground. As such, you may want to build a base or foundation that is elevated about a few inches off the ground to make sure that the shed doesn’t touch the ground, which can carry moisture into the shed.
This is perhaps the number one way to keep moisture out, but it does allow wildlife and pests to make their homes beneath it.
Of course, another good way of waterproofing the shed’s floor is to make sure that the foundation is waterproof. Most shed foundations are built using concrete slabs or gravel because these materials can help build a good drainage system that can keep the water out from under the shed.
Gravel works best but you can also use concrete slabs to have a stable structure even though water can still seep into the concrete. There are other options for shed foundations, but these are structurally the most sound and generally the most reliable.
After that, you can waterproof the shed from the inside by using a good type of flooring material and sealant. While most sheds are made of wood, you may want to use a different material for the floor.
A common choice if you already have a concrete slab foundation is just to use this as your floor as well. That’s because concrete slabs are very durable and can help keep moisture out of the shed as less water seeps into them.
How to seal your shed floor
Ideally, you want to seal your shed floor immediately after construction. If you wait too long then moisture can become trapped very quickly allowing mold and rot to take hold. This is the best time to make sure that there are no gaps on the shed floor for excess moisture and water to pass through.
The best way to seal your shed floor is to use a silicone sealant. Be careful when selecting the silicone caulk(sealant) that you use as some are prone to mold, especially if they are not purposed for outdoor use.
The sealant will serve as a way for you to seal any of the hidden gaps that water and excess moisture can still use to enter the shed from the floor, so they will likely come into regular contact with the weather.
Common reliable sealants are this Dynaflex indoor/outdoor sealant( I like it because it is mold resistant) and if you have concrete then Sashco slab concrete crack repair(This can also double by filling any cracks in the concrete and stop splitting before it gets worse.
When sealing the shed’s floor, it is best to seal it in and around the inside of the base of the shed so that you can improve its resistance to water and excess moisture.
You should also seal the outside of the shed as well to reduce the risk that water gets in between the shed base and the wall boards.
Often, walls and floors contain plywood or OSB, water is absorbed very easily into the edges of these materials as well as the end grain of the wood(found at the ends of wooden boards). Even weather-tempered wood can be damaged quickly by sitting water.
How to finish shed floor
Once you have sealed the base of your shed I would heavily consider finishing your shed floor. But how? Well, it depends on the material the floor is made of.
Waterproofing your shed base is often already good enough to finish the floor especially if the floor material you used already looks good enough. However, you can also use latex paint or deck paint when you have a wooden floor to further enhance the longevity of the materials, but it is likely not necessary.
You may be better off protecting it with one of the materials mentioned below.
If you are using concrete slabs for your floor, you may also want to use rubberized paint. That’s because rubberized paint is often highly resilient and absolutely waterproof. You will have very few crack repairs to do as the paint will likely still be covering them inhibiting water from entering there and expanding the crack.
Basically, anything that can help make the floor look good while improving its appearance and its resistance to water and excess moisture can be a great way to finish the shed floor, particularly in the case of a premium shed.
For the majority of sheds, if you have done a good job at waterproofing them, you likely do not need to put a finish on the floor as well.
How to protect your shed floor
Of course, while you have already done your part in waterproofing and sealing, you should also make sure that the shed floor is protected well enough. You will understand the importance of protecting the shed floor when you notice that cracks can form on the concrete slabs or splitting/bending wooden boards due to the normal wear and tear of using the shed.
Damages on the shed’s floor can be quite normal because of how sheds are used to store tools and heavy equipment. When you are dragging around heavy equipment in and out of the shed, the floor is the part of the shed that takes the brunt of the damage.
So, by protecting the shed’s floor, you will be able to help minimize the chances of water and excess moisture entering the shed through the cracks on the floor. Some of the most common offenders in damaging the floor is your heavy equipment(lawnmowers, tractors, etc).
The weight can cause warping in wood, but they can also carry moisture back inside with them.
One of the best ways to protect the shed floor is to use rubber/plastic mats. These rubber mats can be the very same ones that are used in garages but you can also use heavy-duty rubber mats that are used in gyms.
The good thing about rubber mats is that they can absorb impact damage and are easy on your feet. You do, however, want to ensure that no moisture gets beneath the mats as this isolates any moisture already there accelerating potential damage.
You can also use plywood sheets as they are easily replaceable, however, are more easily damaged if water does get into your shed or it is exposed to more than normal wear and tear.