Our 75 year old barn is in need of some new flooring for storage of household items up in the hayloft. The space I would like to cover is 16ft long, and 8ft in width. The true 2x8 joists are not perfectly spaced, but average between 26in and 29in in between them. I'd like to run 2x6 boards for ventilation, looks, and spacing, but the 3/4in plywood option would be much cheaper as I could get her done with 4 sheets. Would I be facing any regret with the plywood option?
Hayloft flooring?
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In my experience (my barn hayloft is plywood), if hay ever gets put up there or its open to dusty air, the plywood can get VERY slippery. That's good for workers wanting to slide bales along the floor, but bad for people who may slip and fall while carrying Gramma's hand painted glass slippers.
Slippery plywood makes a great dance floor, too. (in my case).
IMHO that span is kinda wide for any material.
Slippery plywood makes a great dance floor, too. (in my case).
IMHO that span is kinda wide for any material.
RedNeckRacin
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I'd replace it with rough cut lumber in case you ever wanted to store hay up there in the future. It will also cut down on the dust and may possibly make it less inviting to critters?? Does that area get humid or have a potential for moisture? If so I would stay away from anything manufactured. Are you going to be storing anything heavy up there like furniture or something with higher concentrated loads?
RNR- Our area does get humid, but there's a lot of airflow through the barn. I don't 'plan' to store anything heavy, but you know how that goes. No one 'plans' to need a larger size shop, either:laughing:. Why, you concerned about the joist span??
RedNeckRacin
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Yes with the ply wood and moisture, i would think it would deteriorate rapidly vs a solid piece of wood. I'm not an expert, just thinking outloud a little bit! I would say that the original boards lasting 75 years should speak pretty well to their durability.
Creamer
Elite Member
If you can get slab lumber from a local sawmill it will give you the a lot of advantages. 1) it is thicker so it will withstand the weight even on that spacing, 2) it is rough so it is much better from a slip perspective. 3) there will be gaps as the edges are rough which allows better airflow, 40 It will last virtually forever, and 5) it should be cheaper than plywood.
This is not what you would want to use if you wanted an enclosed finished dustfree area but it is great for support and allowing airflow. If you ever sell it would be a selling point for the barn. I had a friend that put in slab hardwood from a local mill 20+ years ago in an old bank barn that was structurally sound except for the hay mow floor and has used it for hay storage ever since. It looks almost like when he put it in.
This is not what you would want to use if you wanted an enclosed finished dustfree area but it is great for support and allowing airflow. If you ever sell it would be a selling point for the barn. I had a friend that put in slab hardwood from a local mill 20+ years ago in an old bank barn that was structurally sound except for the hay mow floor and has used it for hay storage ever since. It looks almost like when he put it in.
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I would go with plywood or even better, upgrade to tongue and groove. I think Advantech has it over an inch thick, which would be even better for your spacing. Since you are not putting hay up there and it's just storage, I wouldn't worry about it being slippery, seems to me that it would be easier to keep clean and you would have fewer bugs up there if they can't get through the gaps in a floor made of boards.
Eddie
Eddie
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I would go with plywood or even better, upgrade to tongue and groove. I think Advantech has it over an inch thick, which would be even better for your spacing. Since you are not putting hay up there and it's just storage, I wouldn't worry about it being slippery, seems to me that it would be easier to keep clean and you would have fewer bugs up there if they can't get through the gaps in a floor made of boards.
Eddie
Eddie
