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Charlie Self
 
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patliz1 asks:


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.


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