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OT: Dust in Shed (dirt floor)

nopoint

Aluminum
Joined
Dec 7, 2009
Location
Wisconsin USA
I have a shed with a dirt/gravel floor. The floor is dry and very dusty. When I drive in or out, or leave the doors open I get a dust cloud. Any suggestions on what I can do to help the dust problem. I'm not sure that the tools and etc would like putting in an irrigation system. Then I guess one might as well keep all the stuff outside and use the shed to keep the grass down. I would love to pour concrete but the 60 x 100 slab is way out of my price range. I've thought about getting a couple billboard canvases and putting them on the floor. Not sure how well they will stay put driving on them, especially with the four wheel steering on the telehandler. Has anyone else tried this? Also not sure how they would do when welding. I don't really think they would start on fire, obviously welding would burn some holes in, oh well. Hmmm. Any thoughts?
 
In the good old days they use to spray dirt roads with "burnt cylinder oil" to keep down dust, but you can't do that now. Maybe something environmentally friendly like grease from rendered sierra club members.

PS: how do you put a smiley at the end of a sentence?
 
Try doing an Internet search on "Soil Cement". I have no direct experience but I have read about it for years. It may be worth a try.

Terry
 
Stink

It seems that rendered sierra club members would kind of stink, in more ways than one. I wonder if some "environmentally friendly" used oil and a garden sprayer would do the trick? I've noticed that areas of past oil spills are not too dusty. Wonder how thick a coating of oil it would take. Also wonder if this sand/oil would want to stick to boots and always cover the porch floor. It's 200 or so feet from the house, maybe the walk would take it off.
 
For a non concrete surface crushed blue metal or scalp, i think its called from a quarry, fine material with a lot of dust in it, tends to really pack in tight like concrete. Alternately maybe a few bags of concrete and just spread it over and wash it in might help. Even level, compact, then and wash it in.
 
Look into putting down plastic and building a wood floor over it. Depending on how fancy you get with the floor it may be pretty cheap compared to concrete. Depending on how hard and stable the dirt is you may get away with just throwing plywood on top of the plastic.
 
Don't use calcium chloride. It works by drawing moisture out of the air. As a result, when the dust travels to your equipment, it will also draw moisture to your equipment and cause rust. And it will contain the dreaded chlorine molecule, for the really deep pitting rust.
 
I personally like the conceret idea just spread a few bags of ready mix down on good humid day and the ambient muoisture will absorb and from a semi solid dust free concrete layler, Engineers have been doing this for quiet some tio me to sure up loose ground for heavey equipment to move aross it. Just a far out idea that came to mind, somthing I would try if I were in your shoes.
 
The cost of a 60 by 100 foot slab is a budget buster for me too. If it were my shed, and I was gonna be there for awhile, I'd consider forming up say a third of the floor area, or whatever area you can afford, then pour it this year, do some more next year, and a section each year 'til it's done. Hard to be the long term solution of a concrete floor.
 
hi, spray it with epoxy. the outcome will depend on what dirt is "dirt".
 
When my son was in high school we would form up 40 to 100 sq ft slabs around the pool and down the side of the house and pour them on weekends.
Got about 3000 sq ft poured and it kept him out of trouble.

Something like this can also be done by one person. Get a mixer, gravel, sand and cement and you are good to go.
 
If you happen to be close to a concrete plant, they sometimes have a lot of concrete left over and will sell it to you for the truck time cost. We have hauled back 20 and thirty yard before. Sometimes it will be a little hot so you need some help that know what they are doing. You will also have to take it on a minutes notice. I poured floors in my barn, footers and floors in three other buildings. Lots of big approaches all free when I worked at a plant down the road. Kenny
 
I highly suggest bluestone (what one called blue metal, but it is not metal, it is slate). Thois stuff will not track in to the house on shoes, is environmental friendly, and is cheaper than anything in the long run and a "one shot". Oils and stuff are hard on homes when you track it in. Concrete work on your own with "borrowed or seconds and 1/2 loads concoete is a PITA, been there, done that, learned the lessons.

I had a 40 x 25 garage with a sand base floor. Dusty as heck. Wanted to concrete it, even tried spreading concrete and hoping it would do something...it did, got more dusty, and the parts that solidified just created big soft rocks, tried a bit of oil spray, just created clods and problems.

I finally got enough bluestone an agregate we have up in New England, also slate (ledge) chippings elsewhere, and put it in about 1.0 to 1.5 inch thick, held back about 1/4 ton for a while in a pile. Cost $75.00 for two tons, you will surely pay less, but this was the minimum price for a three ton load, I only ordered two.....

Dusty at first and kind of rough, but the slate as you walk and drive on it gets very flat and the dust solidifies into quite a hard pack, kind of as mentioned above. Does not hold moisture, lets it off fast as well. gets smooth or even smoother than pavement, almost as hard. Only took two weeks!!!!

The 1/4 ton I held back I filled in the car ruts with after a month and 1/2. They never returned. This was better than any concrete job, paving job, and held up well. 1/2 to 3/4 inch works well in most cases in normal shed use.

I also did this on a seasonal campsite, replaced sand and whitestone, which was both dusty and hard on the feet and shoes, and tracked into my camper easy (1/4 acre campsite, 75 foot yard of dirt and mud). Changed it all, the local bluestone provider went crazy with sales there. Only .5 inch cover there and it filled in the low spots and leveled very nice!

I moved five years later, the floor in that garage was such that I could hold jacks for cars, could roll around on it working on cars and get only sligtly dirty, and my lathe did not have dust problems.

In New England, this is pavement for private roads and driveways, and it looks really great! Lasts forever, better than gravel fill.

In my new home l (20 x 20) porch in my yard recently, used about 1/2 ton bluestone for 1.5 inch thick, lasted the wonter...the snow blower did not raise it up and I can walk barefooted on it two years later. the snow shovel would raise it with effort, but it stays in place, great stuff.
 
I'm not sure limestone would be an improvement as far as dust is concerned. There are limestone roads around here, and the dust clouds can be seen for miles. Quartz gravel roads aren't nearly as dusty. You have to use something that is local, but crushed granite would be my choice.
 
Searching the internet it looks like bluestone is a form of sandstone, usually sold tumbled. Not the same as limestone. I suspect the "dust" off bluestone would be coarser and heavier than limestone dust.
 








 
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