Photo: Julia Volk

Do you need a gravel base for a shed?

Having the area beneath and around your shed free from vegetation will prevent the base of your shed becoming damp and prone to decay. Drainage – Having the stone beneath the shed will make it easy for any rain or ground water to quickly disperse.

secrets-of-shed-building.com - Why do you need gravel beneath a shed? - Secrets of shed building

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Gravel beneath my shed

by Luis

(OK, USA)

Do I really need stones or gravel under my shed, if I do why is that? Also, how can I keep spiders and bugs from sticking under my shed?

Shedman says:

Hi Luis,

It is a good idea to have stones/gravel under your shed for several reasons. Rats – Having a layer of stone beneath the shed discourages rats as it makes it difficult to build a nest/burrow (see more below). Weeds – Installing a layer of weed suppressant fabric with a 4-6 inch layer of stone on top will discourage vegetation growth. Having the area beneath and around your shed free from vegetation will prevent the base of your shed becoming damp and prone to decay. Drainage – Having the stone beneath the shed will make it easy for any rain or ground water to quickly disperse. It also pays to make sure that there is a slight fall on the base of the excavation and that there is somewhere for the water to escape at the lowest corner. This will mean that water the water can escape and does not ‘pond’ beneath the shed. Damp – Having a layer of stone beneath the shed will enable water to quickly soakaway into the ground. Just to summarise, it is not mission critical if you don’t put that layer of stone beneath your shed but you may experience problems with the above if you don’t. It depends a bit on the type of shed that you have in mind. Finally, I can’t really help you much with the bugs and spiders. ;-) Just joking, you could fit a layer of plywood beneath the shed to minimise spaces where insects could enter and the underside of the shed would be flush too. However, spiders and sheds go together like peaches and cream. You don’t often get one without the other.

All the best

John

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Is it better to nail or screw into concrete?

Compared with concrete nails, concrete screws have tighter spirals on the shaft in order to dig into the concrete. This spiral also give it holding power when driven into the concrete.

tjlituo.com - Difference between Concrete nails and Concrete Screws

Difference between Concrete nails and Concrete Screws

1. Material

Both concrete nails and concrete screws are made of carbon steel.

Not like other kinds of nails, concrete nail passes through an additional process: heat treatment. It’s more tenacious and stronger than the concrete screw.

2. Structure

Concrete Nail

The concrete nail has a round flat head and a smooth shaft, or a straight fluted/ twilled fluted shaft. Like other nails, the concrete nail has a diamond-shaped point.

Concrete Screw

Compared with concrete nails, concrete screws have tighter spirals on the shaft in order to dig into the concrete. This spiral also give it holding power when driven into the concrete.

The concrete screw is also a self-tapping screw.

3. Application

Concrete Nail

Concrete nails are often used to join wood with concrete surfaces, for example, basement construction, etc. Generally speaking, the concrete nails can be used for lumber plate and concrete fastening. However, it’s worth mentioning that the concrete nails can’t be used to hang things like selves or frames, for its shaft might bend and slide out of the hole easily.

Concrete Screw

Concrete screws are used for the fastening of medium-high load applications with concrete, brick or stone surfaces. Unlike the concrete nail, this can be used to hang shelves, brackets, or frames on the brick surface.

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