untreated floor joist woes
michaelp123
| Posted in General Questions on
I have an 8×12 outbuilding in NY that is insulated and conditioned for a few hours daily. From the ground up, it has crushed compacted gravel, PT 4×4 skids, untreated SPF 2×6 floor joists, CDX plywood.
I’m not sure how long I can expect those joists to last or how immediate term a problem this is? Is there anything I can do to aid the longevity? I thought of trying to spray some oil-based primer under there to coat everything or trying to manage ventilation by either putting a fan under there or conversely sealing it all up to the ground the best I can. I’m not going to jack it up and rebuild the floor right now. Ideas?
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Replies
michaelp123,
The main threat to the floor joists is moisture air coming from the soil below. If you can I would try and cover the area between the skids with a sheet of poly weighed down by some gravel at the perimeter.
I agree with Malcom if the threat is ground moisture let’s keep the moisture away.
Consider lifting the building and the 4x4 skids 10-16 inches or so on concrete blocks.
If you feel the threat is from interior cooling, I doubt it will be a problem
Walta