Building A Modern Shed – Part 3 – Installing The Flooring

After you have the floor frame built, it’s time to move on to putting some flooring on.  We’ll look at the small difference between using tongue and groove and regular panels.  After that we’ll go over basic installation procedures.

Below is the video on how we installed the flooring on our frame.  I ran into a little snag on ours.  You’ll see how it was fixed.

 

 

We used 23/32 inch (.703 inch) tongue and groove OSB (Oriented Strand Board) for our shed floor.  This is the closest thing to ¾ inch thick board that you’ll find.  Technically because the floor frame is 16 inches on center we can get away with 1/2 inch thick panels.  Also, if you want to use plywood instead of OSB, the steps will be the same.

Using Tongue And Groove OSB

Because each sheet “locks” into the other you won’t have potential cracks that expose your floor to whatever is under your shed.  If you watched the video, you saw how I had to fix a mis-calculation I made using tongue and groove OSB.  If you decide to use tongue and groove flooring, just remember that the usable width will be less than non-tongue and groove sheet materials.  The width of tongue and groove is 47 5/8 inches.  That means with the 3 panels you’re going to lose at least ¾ of an inch.

• Instead of 4 sheets you’ll need 5 sheets.
• Cut and test layout the 2 rows of full width sheets of T & G.
• Lay down the first two layers on the frame.
• Then you can measure and cut the third row

 

Tongue And Groove Install Tips

Watch the direction of the tongue and the groove when your installing.  Make sure you don’t accidentally mix up the orientation and install a tongue on tongue.

Make your measurements from the deck edge of the panel, not from the tongue.

 

Don’t use a hammer directly on the edge.  This will damage the tongue and groove.  Distribute the force by striking a piece of wood in front of the edge.

 

 

There is a smooth side and rough side to the sheets.  The rough side is designed to provide a textured walking surface to help reduce slipping.  Which ever side you install up, make you’re installing the facing in the same direction for all the sheets..  The tongue and groove will not line up if you don’t.

Using Regular OSB

The advantage of using a regular sheet good instead of tongue and groove is it’s more straight forward for the install.  You’ll be able to use the diagram later in the article to make all your cuts at once.  The down side is you can potentially have small gaps that will expose the interior of your shed to whatever is under it.

Flooring Installation Steps

Once you figure out what type of flooring you’re going to use, it’s time to install it so we can get to those walls.

Below is the panel layout you can use for your shed floor.

Cut Your Flooring Material

If you’re using tongue and groove material you’ll need 5 sheets.  For regular sheets, you’ll use 4.

Make your measurements and use a chalk line to mark where you’re going to cut.

 

 

Layout The Panels On The Frame

Test fit your panels before starting to install them.  I ran into that problem with the first layer of flooring because I didn’t layout the boards to see how they would fit.  Definitely did it the second time

 

Install Panels On The Frame

You can use either nails or screws to install the panels on the shed floor frame.  We used 2 inch exterior screws with adhesive on the frame.  The adhesive is optional, but it will make sure you don’t have panels pop up.

OPTIONALLY lay down a bead of adhesive.

 

To attach the panels,

• Nail the outsides first every 10 inches.
• Mark the inside joists and nail every 12 inches.

 

 

 

You’re going to repeat the process till all panels are installed and you’re chilling on yours like I am on ours.

 

 

Hopefully this article helped you get started on building your shed.  If you found this interesting please think about signing up for our email list and get content sent straight to your email when it gets released. Also, we are on the social media sites above and YouTube.