Changing my oil the other day, I realized just how much I hated having to lay on the old wooden shop floor at the farm.

This thing must date back 50-60 years. It was built by hand, the floorboards were all milled on the farm's sawmill from the farm's trees, and the grain is very heavy. It's solid and flat for the most part and the surface is remarkably smooth.

The problem is, it's saturated in God-knows how much oil, fuel, greasy dirt generally, and other petroleum based things from decades and decades of use with no more than an occasional sweeping. Come to think of it, that may be part of the reason the surface is as smooth as it is - all the gunk and grime is filling the grain of the wood. LOL.

I wouldn't dare light a match in there (although truth be told, most of the flammable bits of all that is soaked in there are probably well beyond flammable any more).

So... how would you clean it - to the point at least where you'd be able to crawl around on it while remaining reasonably clean? Bear in mind, this is a large area - we're not talking about kitty litter and spot cleaning here.

I'm open to all suggestions.

Thanks.

-Rob

Doesn't sound possible to me. Perhaps wear a disposable tyvek suit, or lay down some cardboard.

I like the tyvek idea, I'll bet that shop has that typical smell I miss from my folks house.

I already use a large cardboard box and sometimes some 55 gal. drum liners. Need a new box, as it's getting quite dirty itself, which is what prompted the question.

Maybe some gentle pressure washing w/ degreaser?

-Rob

quote:

Maybe some gentle pressure washing w/ degreaser?

I think you'd just be uncovering a fresh layer of who knows what. Once the wood is soaked through, I don't see you getting it clean until you're down to fresh wood.

Imagine a rail road tie or pressure treated wood. No matter how many times it gets rained on, it's still full of chemical.

Is it smooth enough for a creeper?

Jack up vehicle and roll under maybe?

I'm kind of agreeing with a1 on this. I think that cleaning it with any kind of solvent is probably the worst thing you can do. It will most likely just free up more crap to come to the surface.

Perhaps a good sweeping with a very stiff push broom could make it better, but I don't think you'd ever get it clean. If you need a clean area, you could cover a section with thin plywood or masonite, even beveling the edges if you wanted a smoother transition, and seal that new wood with an epoxy before it gets dirty. Would probably take less time and cost less than trying to clean up what you have.

You could try covering it with kitty litter, letting it absorb as much as it will hold, then sweep it up. Over and over again.

Old carpet or rugs provide not just protection but also more comfort in padding and warmth.

Or just get a 4x8 sheet of plywood for you to lay on. You could seal or paint it with something if desired.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
You could try covering it with kitty litter, letting it absorb as much as it will hold, then sweep it up. Over and over again.

This idea might have merit.
Sprinkle kitty litter each time you sweep the floor and see if it helps absorb some of the grease and stuff.

I, too, agree that attempting to clean this old barn floor is probably useless - whatever solvent/degreaser you use will probably just make the floor tacky or gummy.

If it were I, I'd look for a remnant of linoleum, or a 4'x8' sheet of that white paneling they use in cheap commercial bathroom remodels.

ETA... if you want to get very labor, cost and time intensive you could probably use a commercial floor sanding machine and take the surface all the way down to bare, clean wood. I bet that would be beautiful!

Good luck!

quote:

Originally posted by stoic-one:
I like the tyvek idea, I'll bet that shop has that typical smell I miss from my folks house.

Just keep a roll of it nearby (available at your nearest building supply store)and cut off what you need. A roll would probably last you a life time.

Not sure how big your barn floor area is but
maybe you could take up the boards and flip them.
At least in the area where you work.

I would try some Tide and water scrubbed with a brush in a small (6' x 6') area and see what happens.