Garage floor problem

tguil · 07-10-04, 11:51

During certain times of the year, there is a lot a lot of moisture that forms on my concrete garage floor. (condensation and possible seep through) About half of my garage is about four feet below ground level. When the wet stuff dries I am left with a white powder residue on the floor.

Is there an easy fix for this problem? I'm not looking for anything fancy. This garage is basically a toy box for my boat, a couple of Harleys, a tractor and my camper. Yep, it's a pretty big garage, but it is not a steel building. The exterior is clear cedar siding to match my house.

We had a moist spring this year and the problem was worse than usual.

I am most concerned about the Harleys sitting in this crud and have thought about just laying down a couple of 4X8 sheets of plywood for them to sit on.

Tom

chaotik · 07-10-04, 12:04

Get Racedeck flooring for them to sit on.....will keep them up off the moisture...plywood would just get saturated with the moisture after awhile

jimc · 07-11-04, 09:20

Try this full size garage mat. I have one and I'm very satisfied with it.
http://www.bltllc.com/

bet993 · 07-12-04, 07:53

Does the moisture actually “puddle” or is just damp feeling to the touch? I assume the white residue is a result of the moisture being “filtered” through the concrete. The heavy duty plastic mats may act as a moisture barrier and prevent things from getting wet however it very likely that condensation will form on the underside of them and it may not dry properly and could even result mold. The mats also may not cut down on the humidity in the air and I would be concerned with the very humid air causing corrosion on your toys. Would climate controlling the garage with a built in dehumidifier be possible?

jfelbab · 07-12-04, 08:30

You say your garage is four feet below the grade. Is there a drain in it? I'd think there should either be a drain or a sump well.

If not I'd wash it with TSP and dry it out. Maybe move a dehumidifier or two in there for a couple days. Then I'd apply a solvent based concrete sealer. After it dries I'd apply mats. like these.

Spotty-Dog · 07-16-04, 06:46

I would suggest that you need to remove the source of the moisture rather than to try and cover it up. Expensive but a sump pump or drain tile around the exterior to route the ground water away from the slab is probably what is needed. A dehumidifier and exhaust fan would help but the spalling (lime residue) of the concrete will eventually weaken the concrete and you might end up with an even more expensive problem.

I'm not a contractor, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night

tguil · 07-18-04, 05:12

Thanks for the advice guys. I think that I have a problem that I'll just have to live with. I live on a beautiful country acerage in Nebraska. 40 acres that has never had a plow through it. With good reason. The soil is a very tough and rocky clay. It seems to trap water. Both my house and toy shed are on the top of a hill. There really isn't a drainage problem, it's just that the clay holds water for a long time.

There is not a puddling of water in the garage floor. Moisture collects in just a couple of places. It is actually seeping through the limestone in the cement. When it dries a residue is left. The residue tends to collect where objects have been sitting on the floor.

I'd like to climate control the building, but that is out of the question as is tiling around the foundation.

I think that I'll just have to keep a more watchful eye on what is going on and try to make sure that moisture from condensation does not collect on the toys.

Tom