ideas for covering cement floor in workshop

I just had a workshop (14*21 w/ hi ceilings) built that is attached to the back of my garage. Walls and ceiling are insulated with drywall attached. The concrete floor is 8 inches thick. I have heat in the workshop. Now I need to cover the cement slab with something that is easy, quick and inexpensive, but will help prevent the cold from coming thru the floor. The workshop will be used for all kinds of projects, but specifically wood-related projects. I am thinking about putting down a grid of 2x4's, then filling in with styrofoam insulation and then covering with plywood or equivalent (plywood is expensive). how thick should the plywood be and do I need anything on top of it or can I use it as is. thanks for any ideas.

Reply to
patliz1
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Don't have to use the 2x4 sleepers, lay 2" styrofoam and tape joints.

What's under the slab? You'll have to seal it for moisture protection.

I'd use no less than 3/4", 1" would be better, but cost is an issue. Ply can be used as is although I'd recommend a seal coat to minimize the roughness.

I'd consider some concealed electric and duct work if large equipment are to be stationary.

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

it depends on where you are. If you have heat and you have good insulation, you don't need anything on the cement slab. I'm in Canada. It's -25 Celsius for 2 or 3 weeks now and working in the garage (similar dimension as yours with high ceiling) is not a problem. Furthermore, I don't know how you would manage with heavy equipment on soft wood like plywood on the ground ? I've layed down vinyl rough finished commercial flooring (from any home improvement store, about 1$C/sq.ft.) and it gives me a good surface to work, really easy to clean and not slippery.

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Reply to
Junkyard Engineer

Seal the concrete with a penetrating liquid and/or plastic sheet. Lay down tubafour sleepers (12 or 16 inch centers depending upon weight of machinery) with insulation between. 5/8 or 3/4 T&G OSB atop that. A light color primer to enhance the lighting. Underfloor wiring or dust collection is optional. Should last and support some pretty serious machinery. mahalo, jo4hn

Reply to
jo4hn

I am looking at two different possibilities for covering the cement floor in my shop (similar size). They are a product called DeltaFL, comes in roll form and panels, then cover with ply. Their web sites lists distributors.

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also a product called DriCore, available at the Home Depot (a similar product is now also available at Lowe's). Here is a link for this item:
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.

Hope this is of some help.

Regards, Fred Bearman Port Huron, Michigan

Reply to
Fred

No No No. OSB will support you but you will have A b*tch of a time sweeping up sawdist It's just not smooth enough. I have 3/4" T&G A/C plywood over 16" centers painted with two coats of oil-based enamel deck/floor paint. The paint makes the floor *much* more sweepable.

I found the basic gray to be too dark, so I bought a can of white and a can of gray and mixed them.

-Steve

Reply to
Stephen M

patliz1 asks:

Plywood works. I'd make the grid so it has 16" OC sections. Insulate with blown in insulation, which is lots cheaper than styrofoam, and you do not need excessive R values underneath your feet. I did that on a porch we enclosed a decade or more ago. Works fine.

If 3/4" t&g plywood is too pricey, you've got a couple solutions. One, OSB in

3/4" thickness, covered with SYP boards. Get a second grade Southern yellow pine flooring. It will outlast almost anything. Or you can go with 5/8" thick OSB (I don't like this one), and come back over it with 1/2" sanded plywood. Not as strong, but it will do. I did my shop floor with rough poplar 1" 1x6 boards at a 45 deg. angle to my joists, then covered that with 3/4" t&g. I painted the plywood. I have a buddy who polyurethaned his. His method was simple: get a roller with a long handle, pour the poly on the floor, and spread it, leaving it fairly thick. Do the same twice more over a period of about 2 weeks. Looks great after 13 or 14 years of heavy use. My paint looks like hell a week after it is repainted.

Charlie Self "They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it's some kind of federal program." George W. Bush, St. Charles, Missouri, November 2,

2000
Reply to
Charlie Self

Mine is covered with a mixture of glue drips, paint, varnish, assorted oils and a little blood. A nice verigated pattern with interesting texture.

Reply to
Mike in Arkansas

Sorry. Didn't make myself clear that the paint was also there to seal (and smooth) the surface. That is what is in my shop, and although I vacuum rather than sweep usually, it cleans up well.

Reply to
jo4hn

Patliz wrote:>I just had a workshop (14*21 w/ hi ceilings) built that is attached to

Good idea. How tight your grid is may determine desired ply thickness, but I'd still go with 3/4 sanded one side, nothing on top. Tom Work at your leisure!

Reply to
Tom

My suggestion , get a roll of delta floor, or the stuff Home Despot carries, about $100 CDN, lay that down and cover with the cheapest laminate flooring you can find. My basement shop consists of a room on each side of the stairs, one room has delta floor and $0.99 /sq ft laminate. In that room I have a DC, DP, 6" jointer, 12" planer, bench. Three years and no problems. It's easy to sweep up dust etc, warmer on the feet, dry and a bit softer than concrete. I will be doing the same in the main shop room( TS, BS, HW bench , router table etc) as soon as I get over the hump of moving everything out, and back again. If heavy pieces of HW, hand planes, whathaveyou, are dropped, the floor can get a nice ding, which justs adds character. Also rubber mats are good to provide better footing at major tools

Ken

Reply to
Ken

What's wrong with just the bare concrete floor; its quick, inexpensive, durable and easy to sweep up? Seems to me that 8" of concrete and miles and miles of terra firma would be a good insulator. Maybe add a sealer for dust and few rubber mats for comfort.

Gary

Reply to
Gary

The real problem with concrete is that it continuously makes "dust" every time you abrade the surface (even with rubber-soled shoes). Solve this by applying Rustoleum basement floor epoxy (NOT the garage floor material, you don't need it and it's more expensive besides), available in light gray or tan, even includes plastic "sprinkles" to make the floor look more finished. A $40 kit covers about 250 square feet. Use rubber mats is places where you'll be standing if you wish. Anything else is overkill. Just think of all the money you'll save and the neat tools you can buy with your savings!!!!

Bruce

Reply to
BJT

The dust is a function of how polished the finish is... a finish that was troweled very smooth and repeatedly troweled as it set up tends not to make dust. A hard smooth finish isn't the typical finish on concrete though as it tends to be slippery when wet.

John

Reply to
Stuff

and harder'n blazes....

While mats are sorta' an ok fix, they're fairly expensive too and don't do much at all for the cold...

I'm wishing to get to the point of being able to move the shop from the ground floor of the barn to the loft just to get of the damn concrete...it's particularly bad these cold days... :(

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

I'm a big fan of VCT for shop floors. The cheaper stuff is as inexpensive as $.12 a square foot, and is as durable as floorcovering gets (unless you've got the money for terrazo, but then you can afford in-floor heat) You could just lay down some plastic as a moisture barrier, use 3/4" ply, and attach the VCT to that. Or you can just put the stuff directly on the concrete. If you're not familiar with VCT, it stands for Vinyl composition tile, and it's the stuff they usually use to cover the floors of public buildings like stores. The stuff I've used is sold under the trade names "Durock" and "Azrock", and is made by Armstrong, IIRC. Won't rip like linoleum does, and is cheaper by a long shot. Aut inveniam viam aut faciam

Reply to
Prometheus

I am not familiar with the delta floor--what is it? I am now considering a linoleum floor, but I am not sure if it will be any easier or quicker then some of the other methods discussed so far. I will be using rubber mats in strategic locations. A lot of good points have been brought up here andit boils down to comfort, how long it takes to install (I am on a short deadline and it is winter) and of course cost. But i will still entertain different ideas. thanks so for for all the info.

Reply to
patliz1

You could cover the slab with Styrofoam and lay a plywood (or OSB) subfloor. You don't need the sleepers. The latest Fine Homebuilding mag has an article on doing just that. Of course, it would have been better to have laid the Styrofoam *under* the slab.

From a cleanup standpoint, I would think something other than bare plywood or OSB is required. Maybe vinyl tile but this might be prone to damage from high pressure point loads, like the feet on some machinery.

Reply to
Wes Stewart

If you Dags I'm sure you'll find it. Delta-floor is a dimpled plastic material , think dimples 3/4" x 3/4 " approx. Web site claims flooring can support IIRC 6000 lbs /sq ft.

Reply to
Ken

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