Home Improvement

Dandai

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Not exactly home improvement, but I figured you guys would be my best hope - I’m looking to put up a short (3”ish) water barrier about 50ft along the floor of a warehouse. The goals are containing water/spills within the barriers, materials must be nonabsorbant/nonporous (sterile), avoid expensive specialized tools, and relatively fast install. A barrier would be a huge quality of life improvement because we could spray the floor with 185 degree water and squeegee out to the floor drains.

For materials I was thinking vinyl planks and silicone caulk. The floor is epoxy painted concrete.

Question 1 is do you think there’s a better way to do it? Question 2 is what would be the best way to fasten the planks to the concrete? I was thinking tapcon screws because we use pallet jacks, and it’ll likely suffer the occasional bump.
 

BrutulTM

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I don't know if tapcons would stand up to too many whacks from a pallet jack. I'd get a hammer drill and put some real anchors in there.

When you say vinyl planks, do you mean like some kind of a vinyl 2x4? When I hear vinyl plank I think of something like this.

slider-cali-vinyl-pro-2.png
 

Picasso3

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Two rows 2x4, Rough up ex epoxy, quickrete, and garage floor paint? Could chamfer 2x4 edge to make it mountable. Would be 7-8 80 lb bags at 50 ft long 3 inches tall 4 inches wide.

I think that'd be a tough environment to keep caulk in place and sterile.
 

Dandai

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I don't know if tapcons would stand up to too many whacks from a pallet jack. I'd get a hammer drill and put some real anchors in there.

When you say vinyl planks, do you mean like some kind of a vinyl 2x4? When I hear vinyl plank I think of something like this.

slider-cali-vinyl-pro-2.png
Yeah, sorry for the misnomer. Vinyl 2x4. I've been eye balling a hammer drill for a while, so this would give me an excuse to finally pull the trigger.
 

Dandai

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Why not go with something like this?
Water Barrier

it's not expensive, easy to repair if bits get dinged, and should do exactly what you want. Not to mention quick install.
From what I can tell, that would take a lot of cutting. I took a couple minutes to sketch out what I was thinking:

water barrier.png


warehouse 2.png
 

Dandai

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Two rows 2x4, Rough up ex epoxy, quickrete, and garage floor paint? Could chamfer 2x4 edge to make it mountable. Would be 7-8 80 lb bags at 50 ft long 3 inches tall 4 inches wide.

I think that'd be a tough environment to keep caulk in place and sterile.
Yeah, food grade sterility isn't required, but non absorbent is. I was trying to skirt around the environment since doxing is a concern, but the warehouse is full of oak barrels aging beer. I'm trying to make cleaning easier (and hopefully quicker) by channeling water away from the retail areas and towards the drains.
 

Oldbased

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Not exactly home improvement, but I figured you guys would be my best hope - I’m looking to put up a short (3”ish) water barrier about 50ft along the floor of a warehouse. The goals are containing water/spills within the barriers, materials must be nonabsorbant/nonporous (sterile), avoid expensive specialized tools, and relatively fast install. A barrier would be a huge quality of life improvement because we could spray the floor with 185 degree water and squeegee out to the floor drains.

For materials I was thinking vinyl planks and silicone caulk. The floor is epoxy painted concrete.

Question 1 is do you think there’s a better way to do it? Question 2 is what would be the best way to fasten the planks to the concrete? I was thinking tapcon screws because we use pallet jacks, and it’ll likely suffer the occasional bump.
Sorry I don't visit this as much as I used to years past. I've done such barriers and the first goal is finding out what is considered acceptable in the environment you are in. You have safety and equipment issues that must pass inspection since it is a commercial location. I have done in floor drains that size and even ones where we cut out 3 feet wide 3 feet deep trenches to capture chemicals under say massive printing machines. I have built slope walls and poured mini curbs to also stop water to allow cleaning the floor with water hoses and stuff like that too.

Thankfully you are in luck in this department, depending on WHERE you live. If such things are not unionized and your inspector friendly enough he will tell you exactly what is allowed to DIY and what will pass inspection all probably for the cost of a permit to come view it after completion. Talking $20-60 typically for both the permit and for him to come out and say if you do this, it will be ok and you don't have to worry about it in the next building and safety cert.
Many suggest wood but wood is absorbent and not sanitary really. It could be coated but in the case of what you are doing drilling in some holes and sticking some rebar in them and then running some the 50 feet tying it all together and pouring a small curb really isn't that hard of work and could be completed in short order. Just need to be able to drill down 3-4 inches and form a pour using some 2x4s, and fill it with concrete. You can then smoothing it, polish it, epoxy it or whatever to get desired sanitary function of it.

Using your picture, if the front of those pallet blocks is even, I would put it straight up against that and 3 inches out. Likely the strongest solution as well.
 
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BrutulTM

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I think your vinyl 2x4 idea is good. If your floor is flat and you bolt it down tight you might not even need to caulk it. I'm thinking this doesn't have to be 100% waterproof or hold standing water, just keep spills from getting away until you can mop them up?

If you are in the Makita cordless tool world, I have the 36V Makita cordless rotary hammer and that thing is a beast. Way more powerful than our corded Makita hammer drill. Not a cheap option, especially if you have to buy the batteries, but it's a great tool. My brother drilled 1" holes through the 6" concrete walls of his basement for hose bibs with it and it was no problem. I also use it in hammer only mode to drive stuck pins out of rusty machinery and it's saved me hours with a hammer and a punch lots of times. I've even put a chisel in it and use it to break concrete a time or two. It's definitely not a jackhammer, but for a small job it can do it.

https://www.amazon.com/Makita-XRH05PT-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Rotary/dp/B06XV8K71C?th=1

71mZOK3M3WL._SL1500_.jpg
 
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Siliconemelons

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slight jimmy rustle... got my stud finder with 4.5 stars on amazon and it sucks...sending it back... i really am super rustled by this shit... I don't know why - its such a damn simple tool that should just WORK and stop putting stupid felt pads on the back so if there is any texture on your wall/ceiling it keeps getting stuck and pulling on it.

rustled rustled!!!!!
 

Lanx

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slight jimmy rustle... got my stud finder with 4.5 stars on amazon and it sucks...sending it back... i really am super rustled by this shit... I don't know why - its such a damn simple tool that should just WORK and stop putting stupid felt pads on the back so if there is any texture on your wall/ceiling it keeps getting stuck and pulling on it.

rustled rustled!!!!!
isn't the best stud finder just a strong neo magnet? CH Hanson 03040 Magnetic Stud Finder
 

BrutulTM

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I have a zircon stud finder that I've had good luck with.
 

TJT

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So I have a shared fence at my house that's falling down. I am taking it on myself to just replace all of it. But can someone tell me the risk here?

I don't want to talk to my neighbors because I hate them and guh. Fucking people. Anyway, as long as I follow the HOA rules here and just replace it all like other houses on the street are doing. Should I be fine? The idea of consulting a lawyer to see if I can replace my god damn fence without neighbors suing me because they, "didn't approve of it" makes me physically ill. But I am getting told that this is a real possibility.

Most houses in the neighborhood are similar in age and are replacing their fences around this time too. What do y'all think?
 

mkopec

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So I have a shared fence at my house that's falling down. I am taking it on myself to just replace all of it. But can someone tell me the risk here?

I don't want to talk to my neighbors because I hate them and guh. Fucking people. Anyway, as long as I follow the HOA rules here and just replace it all like other houses on the street are doing. Should I be fine? The idea of consulting a lawyer to see if I can replace my god damn fence without neighbors suing me because they, "didn't approve of it" makes me physically ill. But I am getting told that this is a real possibility.

Most houses in the neighborhood are similar in age and are replacing their fences around this time too. What do y'all think?

Around my parts, you have to get written permission from neighbor in installing any type of fence that straddles both property lines. I just had to do so a couple years back. Check with your city, you dont need lawyer. My fence company provided me with paperwork that had to be signed by neighbor. They would not do any work without it.
 

BrutulTM

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I think by building a fence without even talking to your neighbor you are virtually guaranteeing that they are going to be pissed off. I know I would be.
 

Dandai

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At a minimum I'd check with the HOA and then the city. All the places I've lived have required fences to be within the boundaries of my property line (my current chain link fence is about 3 inches inside my line). I've never had to deal with an HOA though.

You may not need explicit approval from the neighbors if you're willing to adjust the fence's location like that, but it'd be expensive to assume that you're good and then later have to relocate or remove it