Needed: Ideas for a cheap temporary Floor work surface

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Cevidicus

Cevidicus

CevidiGrinch
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West Central Texas
I'm trying to find a very cheap yet safe floor surface to work on my cars on. It needs to be able to support the weight of a car on jack stands and a floor jack etc.

I know that the best way is reinforced concrete. The problem is I rent this house and I know that I will not be reimbursed for any modifications I make.

What do you all think? I'm looking for the least expensive way possible.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

C
 
xlexl said:
The term "cheap" is relative
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Absolutley. When I say cheap I mean the absolute most cost effective way possible with the absolute least amount of cash spent.

I dont really have the money to spend on it but not working on my cars is killing me.
 
Before I had a garage I used sheets of 3/4 inch plywood butted together. you can take em with ya when you move.
 
It's just dirt. I have some 2x10 boards I though about laying on a level spot.

The last thing I want to do is have something fall on me.
 
3/4 plywood? really? that's a lot cheaper than 6 inch rebar concrete.
Does the wood compress under a jack stand or hydraulic floor jack?
 
Check around your local granite counter top installers. Some of them may let you haul off as much scrap granite pieces as you can.

Tamp down the flooring really well.
Then just put them down like pavers upside down.
Hose in a few bags of concrete for grout and you are done.

You said cheap, this may work, but it doesn't look nice your landlord will want you to remove it when you leave.
 
Some good heavy steel plate about 2 feet square welded to the bottom on each of the jack stands. Heavy and a ***** to move around but very stable if you set them on a flat even surface.
 
Used plywood before with good success. no problems jacking on it as long as your not trying to lift a 1ton truck.
 
Post a pic of where you are trying to put the floor so everybody has a better idea of what you need to accomplish.
 
One question, are you talking for a weekend while you work on your car, or like to sit on jack stands all winter while you work on it? End solution for the car sitting on jack stands for months may be different than sitting on them for a few days.

leave the dirt floor, you can set the jack stands on a piece of steel plate that is setting on the plywood (or just steel plate as suggested) and get a piece of scrap carpet someone pulled out of a room or something, Cut the carpet into 30-36" strips and roll it out to lay on... roll it back up when done... CHEAP....

If you want a bit better, get a couple yards of 5/8 crush gravel and spread that around level and tamp it down or roll it. That will give a good base for the steel plates on the bottom of your jack stands....

I have even set jack stands on old particle board shelving with melamite on it so they did not sink into my blacktop. The particle board was fine...
 
Oklacarcollecto said:
Some good heavy steel plate about 2 feet square welded to the bottom on each of the jack stands. Heavy and a ***** to move around but very stable if you set them on a flat even surface.
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Doesn't even have to be that heavy. Even light angle iron welded across the legs helps a lot. These damned jackstands and work ramps that don't have proper bracing and support should be illegal.
 
I had my front end up on jack-stands on gravel sitting outside on 2' x 2' square osb most of the summer with no issues.
 
old used steel wheel turned upside down with the jack stand inside of it,is what I do outside
 
3/4 plywood is pretty stout. i used my engine hoist with a big block hung on it with no problems.
 
I've done my share of working in the dirt. I'v I think my stands might sink due to soft ground, a lot of rain, extended period, I'll put a short piece of 2X12 treated lumber under them. A piece of hard vinyl 42 inches wide that was above ground swimming pool wall is a nice temporary surface to lay on. If I'm going to need the trans adapter on the floor jack I'll first need to use the taller non adjustable tripod stands that once were scafolding stands. Those now have 5 inch clips of 5 inch channel iron welded on tops. Then I'll need the 4 foot by 4 foot piece of 1/4 inch steel tread plate to roll the floor jack on. This diamond pattern tread plate controls the roll of the floor jack very well.
I've done most anything I wanted with these few materials.
 
my old shop floor was sand......leveled it with a 2x4 and put down two layers of carpet used plywood under the jack and jack stands
 
My dad's old shop had a dirt floor, there were two 10' 2x8's on each side to drive up on, and a sheet of 3/4 plywood on 2x4 runners across the front for a work area.
 
I'm using 12" square pavers under my jack stands, and a PT 2x8x18" under my floor jack.

I actually lust after a concrete slab for my "pole barn" that looks like a garage.
 
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