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

In article , (MJ Wallace) wrote:
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?

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.

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.

That too.

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?

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.

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).

--
Larry C in Auburn, WA

"MJ Wallace" wrote in message
om...
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

MJ:

This is what I am considering for my basement shop. http://www.dricore.com/
The 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


"MJ Wallace" wrote in message
om...
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

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:
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

--
---

BRuce

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

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

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


--

exec rm -r /bin/laden*

##--------------------------------------------------##
"We are stardust, we are golden,
And we've got to get ourselves back to the Garden"
Joni Mitchell
##--------------------------------------------------##

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:

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

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:
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

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.

--
********
Bill Pounds
http://www.billpounds.com


"MJ Wallace" wrote in message
om...
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

Bay Area Dave wrote in message ...
look into Sturdifloor 4x8 ply sheets. IIRC, it is 1 1/4"
thick. I used it in a shed and love it.

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

MJ Wallace

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

dave

MJ Wallace wrote:

Bay Area Dave wrote in message ...

look into Sturdifloor 4x8 ply sheets. IIRC, it is 1 1/4"
thick. I used it in a shed and love it.


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

MJ Wallace

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


"Bay Area Dave" wrote in message
. ..
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:

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