Cheapest, easiest flooring for a new 3x3m shed

[Pip]

Hi ya’all, I’ve just purchased a 3x3m garden shed and was wanting a concrete slab under it but as I’m only a poor pension I found the price a wee bit too much for me even if I did it all myself,then somebody suggested pavers or flagstones as the floor and another said make a pallet floor and anchor my shed in four corner concrete foundations? Well I’m easy and willing to give anything a go so long as it doesn’t break the bank,so PLEASE  for a capable Pensioner Lady that hasn’t got small bucks let alone big bucks to play with what type of flooring do you think would be cheapest for me?

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop communtiy @Pip. It's great to have you join us and many thanks for your question.

The most budget-friendly solution I can come up with would be laying concrete pavers around the perimeter for the shed to sit on. You could then have ANL 1 Tonne 10mm Blue Metal Loose Aggregate delivered to your house to fill up the interior floor to the level of the pavers. If only the pavers are used for the floor, it will cost several hundred dollars and the gravel infill is a great cost-saving measure.

Alternatively, instead of the pavers, I can't see why you couldn't use 200 x 50mm 3.0m Ironwood Classic Treated Pine Sleepers instead of the pavers, which would drop the cost significantly again.

As you have mentioned, using pallets could be done and our stores will normally have some free to give away. Let me mention @TedBear to see if he has any other solutions.

Please let me know if you need further help or had questions.

Mitchell

[TedBear]

@Pip 

I strongly suggest that you use 600mm slabs (25 of) & lay them inside the shed, when it's built and leveled. I've always done this with garden sheds because: a) the floor is then above the level of surroundings, so water is less likely to run in and b) the pavers, sitting on the lip of the inner frame, will hold it down in strong winds (short of a cyclone maybe). Level the area, put down plastic sheeting if dampness is an issue. Place shed on it. Add a little dry sand and use the inner lip and a scaper board to relevel floor area for the slabs. I think pallets would rot and break too easily. If you prefer the sleepers, as Mitchell suggested, make sure the floor level is at least a little above ground level to keep water out & bolt the shed to them. I  hope those suggestions are of use.

Edit: I just noticed that the sleepers suggested by Mitchell are 50mm deep and 3M long, so they could go inside the shed and sit on the inner lip, giving a raised floor surface and heavy items inside would then hold the shed down in the wind. That may be easier to manage than heavy slabs.

[Pip]

my first ever post was about getting the easiest and mostly cheapest flooring for a 3x3m shed, well thank you to everyone who offered me solutions,appreciated but I must (if possible) go with Fred Bears idea about the left over store pallets and was wondering how many I could actually have for free and would that be from my local NEW(awesome)SUPER BUNNINGS STORE now open at Kembla Grange (first visit yesterday and was in awe,couldn’t close my mouth,MAGNIFICENT) So I was wondering and hoping as it was said the pallets are free if I would be allowed to get what’s needed for my floor and a few extra maybe so I could put a cheap type of decking around my shed. As a pensioner you learn to settle for the not so glamorous things but the cheapest and ones that do the job needed, I’m not fussy but I’m giving myself a challenge to see what I can do with pallets as an alternative to spending money,I’m a perfectionist so I think I might surprise everybody with the outcome if I am  allowed to have these pallets no longer in use from the store. All I need to know now is how I can get them home so again I’m looking forward to  your replies from maybe kind and considerate people who are willing to retrieve and deliver these pallets to my address as I don’t think I’d get them on my mobility scooter,lol!  ANY TAKERS.?  Pip🌼

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Pip,

If I understood @TedBear's comment above correctly, "I think pallets would rot and break too easily.", he was advising against using them and pointed out that they were just used for ease of transportation. I would agree that pallets would not be considered a permanent foundation for your shed, as they are pine and will rot if placed on the ground.

Your best method would be to speak with a team member at your local store regarding acquiring pallets. If pallets are available, then the team might be able to organise the delivery of them to your address for a minimal fee.

Mitchell

[TedBear]

Just confirming that Mitchell is correct, I was indeed suggesting not to use pallets. I meant that they were freely available for the display yards to use themselves for mounting their display sheds on because they already have some laying around from deliveries. You may get some slabs for free if you ask around or look on Gumtree. (I happily gave 80 away last year to tidy up my backyard.)

[Pip]

Oops,misread, I’ll tell ya,if anyone wants grey hair then buy a shed and try doing things on the cheap,lol! Driving me crazy so I’ve thought long and hard on it and thought I’m just going to have to budget harder and figure something out for the long run but a mate of mine has kindly made up some marine ply decking,almost a pallet and it’s going to have to do for now but I just want to say that you guys have been awesome and I just want to thank you all for your helpful suggestions even if I can’t afford to do them or I’ve misread what was being said, it’s been a lot of fun and when I’ve finally done it all I promise to post up some pics for you all Thanks again everyone,Stay Safe and Stay Crafty DIYing,

Pip🌼

[TedBear]

Maybe marine ply decking as a floor will do the job. Would be much better than pallet timber.

Have you tried contacting your local council to see if they have people in your area who will help you with the labour and fetching things (such as slabs)? Many councils have a list of volunteer organisations that do odd jobs for pensioners for free.  The council may also have used slabs for free. (If so, ask the size. They tend to be bigger than standard ones.) It would be worth asking. 

[Mathy]

Late to the party here.

Problem 1

Anchoring the shed is the most important issue. 3m x 3m is going to be quite a sail in the wind. So, the best way to get some free advice would be to speak to your local Council. They have engineers and their heads around wind ratings and solution. Their solution might involve some concrete piers, possibly some u-bolts anchored into them to hold the lower rail of the shed down. Tell them you’re not well off, see if they give you an affordable solution.

Problem 2

You can use a pallet or decking style solution inside (as per what your friend built). Just need to make sure that you don’t have water coming in under the bottom of the shed (because it’s not on a slab). You can use heavy duty builder’s plastic. Take it from the top of your *deck/pallet*, vertically down and under the bottom of the shed - then fix by burying or using something to hold it down. Waterproofing done.

Hope this helps, cheers Deb

[wooshka]

I recently did the same thing , i used secondhand pavers and limestone for the edges it cost me about $120.00 took a bit of hunting around