Hi to all,
I want to build a 24x32 workshop and was wondering what kind of flooring I should use. I live in Michigan and it's cold 1/2 the year. Has anyone used a concrete slab over a Styrofoam or some other type of barrier? What insulation value should be in the ceiling or walls?
Thanks for any help.
Tim
Tim wrote:>Hi to all,
How about radiant heat in the slab? How about a wooden floating floor over your slab? Maybe even install the floor on 2x6 sleepers so you can run dust collection and electrical underneath? If insulation is worth doing, overdo it, I say. I'm sure there are others here who'll help point you in the right direction. G'luck! Tom Work at your leisure!
I worked for several years in a shop with a concrete floor that was poured over 3" of styrofoam. We were in Iowa -- similar to Michigan, but hotter in the summers and colder in the winter :(. We built the building on the early eighties -- it's still there. :)
This worked VERY well; in the winter, the slab would heat up during the day (we had lots of south facing windows) and still be a little warm in the morning. Nice and pleasant. In summer, it seemed like any other concrete floor, but would not sweat as much. We noticed no unusual settling or cracking. Of course, that has more to do with what is **underneath** the styrofoam.
If you took a 4x4 post and dropped it vertically, you could feel the floor vibrate a tiny little bit, but we didn't notice any vibration transmission from the bigger machines (the biggest was a 36" Timesaver).
It's a cheap improvement -- you just have to be a little careful when you pour. We left the styrofoam out until the last minute -- didn't think a backing a concrete truck over it would do it much good.
kind of flooring I
Has anyone used a
barrier? What
Talk to the contractor about insulating the floor prior to pouring it. As far as the walls, I used 2 by 6 studs in Delaware and the shop is easy to heat and cool. I also used housewrap to stop wind infiltration.
Frank
Tim,
I can not recommend enough that you build a wooden floor. As I get older I curse this darn concrete floor everyday. If I ever build a new shop, it will have a wooden floor. I would use 2x 6 for the walls and insulate as much as possible. Good luck, Mike
Mike's suggestion does bring something else to my mind that you MAY want to consider and that is fatigue (to you). Wooden floors are much easier on the knees and other joints...you may want to see if you have any woodworking friends with the two types of floors and see if you can assist them or borrow the workshop for the day to see how it feels.
Yep, concrete over insulation (styrofoam or TekFoil insulation or both if using radiant heat in the slab) will work fine
As to the wall and ceiling insulation, the more the better. The foamed in insulation will probably give you the BEST "r" value Also, think about having the walls and ceiling made out of something like IsulSpan would be even better, and you can get the thickness you want/need for the insulation level you desire. Using it for the roof will also let you have nice tall ceiling. Check out the TOH Milton project where they built Norm's Deam Workshop using InsuSpan walls and roof
John
Radiant heat is nice if you are going to keep the shop at about the same temperature all the time. If this is a pro shop and you are working every day, it is great. OTOH, if this is a weekend shop that will have very little heat on non-working days, radiant heat is not a good idea. It is not fast to respond to changes and you have to heat up that big slab or concrete every time.
The wood floor idea is good also. If you prefer not to, good quality mats are essential in the regular work areas like in front of the bench, tablesaw, etc. . Ed
First, you will need to conform to all the local building codes.
Second, walking on concrete for extended periods is the curse of the devil.
Absolutely the best floor in the world is what I call the "machine shop floor" which is basically end grain blocks of wood, maybe 1" thick, treated with some kind of a black goop, and glued to a concrete floor.
Basic reason for using in a machine shop is in addition to being able to walk on a wooden surface, having the wooden blocks insulate the concrete floor, is that any metal chips that fall on the floor are driven into the end grain wood blocks until flush and not into the soles of your shoes.
Low cost it isn't, but it is a great floor and laying it is a DIY type project.
HTH
Lew
I'm with these guys.
I currently have a concrete floor with rubber barn mats in the standing areas. I'm worked in wood floored shops and it's much nicer.
Barry
Someone on this group build a workshop in Montana/Idaho/Dakotas using SIPP panels and an insulated floor and roof. They had the complete construction documented on a web site ... and then my damn hard drive ate the bird and I lost the pointer.
As I recall, it was very energy efficient and warm even before the heating system was installed. If anyone discovers this web site, or if the author reads this, please post a pointer back to it. And I'd like to know how it feels after several years in operation.
Crap! Make that SIP rather than SIPP panel. "Structural Insulated Panel" is what it stands for. I knew it was wrong right after I posted it... Aughhh!
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