Dirt VS Cement

B

Bill Carlin

PCS Life Member
I am considering building a storage building for my cars. There seems to be a debate going on here between people I know. Some have told me that a dirt floor is better for long term car storage because moisture doesn't build up and cars don't rust. Others have told me that cement is better because the cars stay cleaner and ground animals can't tunnel in. I live in Minnesota and do not plan to heat the building. What is your opinion?

Also, does anyone have suggestions for a company that makes car covers? I am having trouble finding one that will fit my Packard Hearse. 22 feet long, 7 feet tall. The covers are never long enough and they don't cover all of the sides.

Thanks
 
California Car Cover made mine for my 41' Henney-Packard. It fits like a glove and have had it several years. They ask for several measurements, so it is accurate and correct. Don't remember the price, but around $130.00.

Concrete floor! Stays cleaner and trust me, you will be working on cars there sooner or later. Better for floor jacks and creepers.

Thanks,
Mike
 
I would opt for concrete, because if you decide one day that temperature or humidity control is needed, they would be easier to manage. I guess that's assuming you're running power to it. Also, keep in mind that concrete does breathe some, unless you epoxy it. More importantly though, as Mike said, it's definitely easier for any work (or clean up) you may end up doing.
 
I have always had dirt/gravel floors in my garage and never had any problem with rust. Keep in mind I do not crawl around under the cars often, but if you do concrete may be the way to go. I just use some cardboard when I crawl under them.
 
Bill,
Sorry I made a mistake on the brand of car cover. The California Car Cover is on my Convertible Sedan. The correct one on my Henney-Packard is a Beverly Hills Car Cover, with the printed number 8947 on it. I have had it for at least 20 years and I love it. As I said, it fits great and no issues. The California Car Covers I have are great too......

Thanks,
Mike
 
What??

A non-heated building, possibly with a dirt floor? What happened to that heated, lighted, finished garage "museum" with lots of windows that was going next to the funeral home so everybody could admire those beauties anytime?? ! Shoot. I guess there won't be any open house as part of our spring tour! :071:

I suggest cement. Then go to Sam's Club, Menards, Home Depot, etc. and buy the large floor mats to put under the cars. They block the moisture from the underside of the cars and keep your garage floor nice (because we all know how old cars tend to leave their mark.)
 
Bill

I never even thought people would still leave a floor dirt when building a garage these days ! I would say concrete for sure !!!


That being said... the '60 S/S Hearse I just got 10 months ago
is in real nice condition underneath and likely sat on a dirt floor for the last 37 years. I don't know its history but I do plan on finding out soon as I have the guys contact info now.


Different if the building is already standing or there is a funds issue.
Digger just put up a 30x26' garage and her concrete floor alone was about 5000.00 Likely one of the most expensive stages of building the garage.


I use someones building with a dirt floor now for a few of my cars but...
before I put anything in it I laid down a tarp that fit wall to wall and put 6-8" of gravel on the tarp.

The tarp to keep the moisture down and gravel to keep everything clean.
No issue with drips being gravel although you see the oil spots.


My friend is a plumber and put tubing in his concrete floor before the cement was poured to eventually run a boiler and heat the floor.

Baker Vault has in floor heating in their cement shop and the place is like your living room in the winter. They have a very neat system to dry the vaults they pour all winter long using only in floor heating. No fans, no noise at all.

Heated garages are a totally different thing than non heated and a LOT more money. Only posted as info.


I hope you plan it out before anything gets started.
Do a little more up front to prevent any regrets later on
for not doing it the way you wished it was done.

Afterall, you are housing your babies !!!


A friend of mine is building a garage now and already regrets not making it a little larger.

The City Inspector that came yesterday to check the roughed in wiring, said he built a garage and wished he had done it the way he wanted to instead of going cheaper on a few things when building it as it will cost him much more to change it now and all the additional work replacing things as well.


All just info to get you thinking or not regretting things later on.
DO AS YOU WILL !


Hope it helps,
Darren
 
it's never big enough high enough or nice enough. you build what you can afford on the code were you live will let you. but that being said in you neck of the woods I would place a moisture barrier down before I put either gravel or cement on the floor. in order for moisture to be a problem there has to be water getting in. proper drainage having the building up above the mean elevation will no more then the floor to keep things dry
 
Garage

It has to be said; The floor would be either dirt or concrete - cement is an ingredient used to make concrete. Now that's out in the open, if you can absorb the cost, concrete with a good vapor barrier under the floor is best. Be sure the floor is at least 3000psi 3/4" mix and poured to a minimum of four inches thick. It should have secondary reinforcement such as wire in the center of the pad. If you haven't done a large pour before, get a professional crew to do the placement, its not as easy as it looks on This Old House. Given your location, consider using 1/2 inch styrofoam insulation with taped seams for the barrier. This will stop the moisture and give some relief from the cold in the winter. Then put something under the cars such as the mats mentioned and if the mats don't extend to the tires, consider putting small pieces of plywood under each tire. Concrete, as good as it is, will leach the tires over time, the wood will offer some protection. Good luck with your building, remember you can never build it too big, but too small is easy to do and hard to live with.
Oh - the heated floor mentioned is a much apprecieated addition if you ever do any work on the cars in the winter. It is quite pricey, and will most likely require a dedicated boiler and its own fuel supply to run efficiently. A lot of $ that you will need to weigh against your planned usage as to its viability.

:my2cents:
 
Darren Bedford said:
Bill


A friend of mine is building a garage now and already regrets not making it a little larger.

The City Inspector that came yesterday to check the roughed in wiring, said he built a garage and wished he had done it the way he wanted to instead of going cheaper on a few things when building it as it will cost him much more to change it now and all the additional work replacing things as well.


All just info to get you thinking or not regretting things later on.
DO AS YOU WILL !


Hope it helps,
Darren
Click to expand...

Including my funeral homes, I have enough garage space to park 18 vehicles. LOL, This will not be the first garage I have built. Two of the garages are heated all winter and one more can be heated. They all have concrete floors and some have the expoxy coating. I never even thought about a dirt floor in a garage until a few different people told me that it is better to store cars on dirt. I appreciate your opinions and information. Keep it coming.
 
I have a concrete floor in my garage, which is unheated. I don't have any issues with rust or moisture under the cars. (I don't know what's under the concrete as the garage was already here when we bought the place.)

I can't imagine how there would be less moisture coming up from dirt than from concrete. Simple logic seems to imply that, when it rains, if the dirt outside becomes muddy, the dirt inside will, too - but that won't evaporate as easily inside as out. So it seems to me that there would be more moisture in a dirt-floor garage than a concrete-floor. But that's just me thinkin' (which is dangerous).

Also, if you go with a dirt floor, you might feel later that you should have gotten concrete. It will be more difficult later to move everything out, prepare, and pour a concrete floor than it would be if you did it in the beginning. I've heard of people doing that. But I've never heard of someone with a concrete floor in their garage cutting it up to change to a dirt floor.
 
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