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.

wrote:

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.

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.

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.


a écrit dans le message de news:
...
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.

wrote:
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.


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

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.
http://www.cosella-doerken.com/deltafl/index.html

And 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:
http://www.dricore.com/en/eindex.htm .

Hope this is of some help.

Regards,
Fred Bearman
Port Huron, Michigan

wrote in message
ups.com...
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.

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.

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.

A
light color primer to enhance the lighting.

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

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

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

Stephen M wrote:

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.


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.

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.


A
light color primer to enhance the lighting.


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

Patliz wrote: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.

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!

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

wrote in message
ups.com...
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.


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

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


wrote in message
ups.com...
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.

"BJT" wrote in message
...
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

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

Gary wrote:

What's wrong with just the bare concrete floor; its quick, inexpensive,
durable and easy to sweep up....

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...

On 24 Jan 2005 06:50:52 -0800, wrote:

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.


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

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.

wrote in message
oups.com...
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.


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.

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.