Photo: Artem Podrez

Can you put a plastic shed base on soil?

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How to Install a Plastic Pro Base

Even though you won’t really see your shed base, it has a very important role to fulfil. It will ensure your shed is level and safe, and won’t move or rot (assuming you have a wooden shed). Even if you’re getting a plastic or metal shed, you still need a good-quality base to put it on. The plastic pro base is fast becoming the preferred shed base to install. It’s made from recycled plastic, it’s light to carry and put in place, and it’s surprisingly strong too. Let’s see how easy it is to install.

Prepare the ground

Even this bit is easier with a plastic pro base than it might be if you went for a concrete slab or any other method. This is because you can lay it directly over an existing lawn if you like, or over soil or gravel. Measure out a suitable area, which should be a bit bigger than the total size of the base you’re going to lay. You might find it useful to peg out some string to mark out the area, especially if you’re not 100% decided on where your shed will go. The most important thing to remember is that the ground must be level. A spirit level will help you check this in all directions. If the area you are putting your shed on is already level, that’s fine. Otherwise, you may need to rake over any soil in the area to level it off. If you have a sloping lawn, you’ll need to determine how uneven it is. In severe cases, you may need to dig out a level section.

Set the shed base grids down on the prepared ground

They come in sections, each with 49 feet to spread the load of the building that will be put on top of them. Lay them on your prepared base (don’t forget the weed membrane first) and connect each grid to the one (or ones) next to it. The fixing pins come with each grid and can easily be positioned in place. Once you’re done, the finished grid should be positioned over the top of the weed membrane. You can trim any excess membrane off at this stage if you wish.