Shop flooring

[MJ Wallace]

Ok, I'm expecting that the painter will be vacating my new shop in a week. Question, I've been thinking of putting epoxy paint on the floor (new slab), but, a friend suggested a cheap oak floor. The wood floor would have to be nailed onto a substrate (1/2" ply?) on sleepers (PT?) - more time/money - but I'm willing do do it if, and big if, does it provide a better surface for standing - ie I've got back problems. Or should I just epoxy it and buy mats for the work areas?

The shop is small that I will have to move things around a lot which means that the floor might get "chewed up" some over time, another consideration against wood flooring.

Oh, yeah, what happens at the door? It's a garage door. Do you just terminate with some wood or do you finish it off some how?

Suggestions/thoughts?

Thanks in advance,

MJ Wallace

[Doug Miller]

Epoxy paint and mats will be cheaper, and easier to clean. And the mats are softer than a wood floor, too. The best thing you can do for your back is to make sure you have good shoes. That's more important IMO than the surface you're putting those shoes on.

That too.

Paint it and don't worry about that.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

For a copy of my TrollFilter for NewsProxy/Nfilter, send email to autoresponder at filterinfo-at-milmac-dot-com You must use your REAL email address to get a response.

[Larry C in Auburn, WA]

If you do go with an Oak floor, check some of your local auction houses. I can buy mismatched oak flooring almost every weekend for about 50 cents a square foot vs ten times that at the Borg. I don't think it would be an issue moving tools around on it and it just seems more "right" to me than an epoxied concrete slab. That's my plan. Put down plywood with the Oak on top (vapor barrier on the bottom of course).

[RKON]

MJ:

This is what I am considering for my basement shop.

local Home Depot carries this stuff .It is usually stocked in the lumber section, not the flooring. Check it out. It will have a much lower profile than the cripplers and T&G plywood.

I have concrete now and it is not comfortable at all. The rubber cleats on the bottom make it much softer on your feet. I have bought a few and created some mats to test it out and it is really good.

HTH

Rich

[BRuce]

I have 1x PT stock laid flat on the concrete, 3/4 rigid syrofoam insulation between and 5/8" plywood over the top. My table saw, band saw, router table and flip top table (jointer/planer) all have mobile bases and have been rolled around for 2 years now without any "chewed up" issues. the mats would work as long as you don't have mobile bases as they would be "bumps in the road".

BRuce

MJ Wallace wrote:

[/..]

By 2 May 2004 18:57:57 -0700, [e-mail] (MJ Wallace) decided to post "Shop flooring" to rec.woodworking:

I done several shop floors. On them I glued (with construction adhesive) and nailed horizontal 2x4 treated sleepers to the concrete using hardened concrete nails. They are covered with a vapor barrier then a layer of 1/2" cdx and glued on top of that 3/4" cdx (softwood plywood--exterior grade.) The top layer is finished with several coats of poly. Current shop has been in use for more than 15 years with no problems, and several heavy floor machines on it.

I've used the same combination of plywoods for a storage shed and as underlayment for two granite tile floors. Might seem like overkill, but it winds up very sturdy. The tile floors got cement board on top of the plywood; one is in a kitchen and the other is in a bathroom.

/ts

[Bay Area Dave]

look into Sturdifloor 4x8 ply sheets. IIRC, it is 1 1/4" thick. I used it in a shed and love it. Reasonably priced and just like it's name, it is sturdy. I would trip over mats and they get in the way of moving equipment anyway, like someone else mentioned. Dropping a scary sharp chisel on ply is more fun than dropping it on 'crete.

dave

MJ Wallace wrote:

[Rick Nelson]

There is a book called "Setting Up Shop" by Sandor Nagyszalanczy (Taunton Press) that talks a bit about painted and wooden flooring in a woodworking shop.

I just glanced over that chapter and here is a quick synopsis.

pros: allows you to run electrical and air lines beneath the floor allows you to use plastic sheeting as an added moisture barrier easier on the legs

cons: more expensive to install shouldn't be used if you have a large problem with water seepage in the floor if you have fixed base tools or machinery that needs to be bolted down, you need to plan ahead to install extra runners where you plan to locate those tools. can amplify and transmit vibration noise reduced floor to ceiling clearance

As far as aesthetics go, I think a wood floor would look much nicer than painted concrete and make the whole shop a much more cozy and comfortable place to work. Even in your situation where you are moving tools around a lot, I think a scraped up wood floor would have much more character than a scraped up painted concrete floor. You would also have the advantage of not having to wheel your heavy equipment around and over floormats. It might be worth your time to check out that chapter of that book to get more detailed information to allow you to weigh the pros and cons based on your individual situation.

-Rick

MJ Wallace wrote:

[Pounds on Wood]

Lot's of things to consider as far as which floor is best for a woodshop. But you may also want to consider what the choices will mean when/if you sell your home/shop. A wood floor may not be desirable to someone who wants to park cars, or maybe their hobby is metalworking. Working on cars on wood flooring would not be the best either. On the other hand, I cannot imagine anyone having a problem with an epoxy floor.

Just a thought.

--

[MJ Wallace]

Where did you get it? I'm in North SF Bay area.

MJ Wallace

[Bay Area Dave]

none other than the place many love to hate: Home Depot. It's a wee bit heavy , but hey, we're TOUGH guys!! Rah! Rah!

dave

MJ Wallace wrote:

[John]

I would say the wood floor would be easier on you back and eliminate the moving of maps when you move you tools. The epoxy paint on the floor would allow for easier clean-up and may selling of your house not a problem. Before you do decide checkout the Fine Woodworking Tools & Shops issue #160, Winter 2002/2003. It has a good article on installing a plywood floor that is temporary.

John