How to repair the floors in a shipping container home. The design, construction and the repairs of the floor in a shipping container home.
Most used shipping containers have seaworthy, heavily treated plywood floors. These floors are very durable and water resistant. These floors are also usually damaged. There are gauges, cracks, holes and missing layers. The damage to the shipping container floor naturally varies according to container, and most people replace their floor rather then cover it. This is due to the unknown history of the shipping container, specifically regarding the type of cargo and treatment of chemicals. The cost is low to replace the wood floors and the cost to seal is even less. A lot of people seal their floors with polyurethane or an epoxy paint coating.
You must be very careful if you are planning to sand the floor of your shipping container. The sanding will release these fumigants and exposure could be lethal. Chemicals such as ethylene dibromide, phosphine, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, methyl bromide, ethylene oxide, sulfuryl fluoride and chloropicrin (trichloronitromethane).
After a couple of years these chemicals dissipate, and you can significantly reduce your risk with special prepping and sealing methods.