Flooring options

[Mark Corkern]

The turning room is almost complete, it was 90 degrees outside and 66 inside while was painting the moldings yesterday. I am now thinking about options for the floor, it is now concrete, and not real smooth. I was wanting to do something that would be easier on the knees and back and something easier to clean, was first thinking about stall mats from TS, they are 4'x6' and weigh about 100 lbs each, but not sure how much cushion they will give.. I saw these tiles called Dri Lock which is designed to be but on a basement floor, 2'x2' Tongue and Groove on all 4 edges with a plastic grid underneath so the OSB in not in contact with the concrete. I know that in some places the will put a layer of closed cell foam on the concrete and put a sub-floor on top of that. I was thinking about putting a layer of 1/2" closed cell foam down, and the T&G OSB on top of that then painting the OSB, I would anchor on the end splices and anywhere else as needed. What are your thoughts on this and do you have any other ideas? Thanks Mark

 

[Damon McLaughlin]

Mark, my shop doesn't have a concrete floor but rather a wood floor. I laid 1" rigid foam insulation boards down and then put 3/4" tongue and groove boards on top of that. Then I used inexpensive peel and stick vinyl planks. The floor is much warmer and is comfortable for my feet, knees and back. The vinyl is exceptionally easy to sweep and keep clean. I have my Robust American Beauty, two other lathes, table saw, bandsaw and more on the floor and have not experienced any problems.

For the rigid insulation boards do not go with the inexpensive ones that look like Styrofoam. They do not have any crush resistance. Instead go with the pink or blue boards (or any other boards) that have a high load rating. When I laid these down I did use two quarter size blobs of adhesive to keep the boards from shifting during insulation. If you do this be sure to get adhesive that is foam board approved. If not then the adhesive will melt the insulation.

The tongue and grove boards were not glued down, rather screwed through to the sub base at the ends. You could seal or paint the boards to ease in clean up and call it done or go with an inexpensive flooring material.

When I build my new shop with a concrete floor I will most likely do this again for both the ease on my joints and to keep my feet warm.

 

[Mike Johnson]

One of my co-workers has a side business putting down high quality concrete floor coatings, they use a polyurea/polyaspartic polymer coating which they can add a colored wood chip to the base before putting the clear coat on top. The polymer hybrid can be done in one or two days and the wood chip layer and polyurea base provides a little bit of cushion to the floor compared to a hard concrete floor. You would still want a stall mat at your lathe station which could easily be moved. When they coat a concrete floor they usually use a concrete grinder to smooth out the concrete floor and provide a fresh clean surface for the polymer to bond to. Many people have put down cheap epoxy floors which will not stand up to physical and chemical abuse and moisture in the concrete can cause problems with the epoxy over time. The newer hybrid floor polymers are not brittle like epoxy and stand up to the moisture and chemical issues in a garage or shop work area. These polymer finished surfaces are easy to clean and sweep with a broom. Depending on the color selected for the floor they can also help illuminate the work space and provide a more pleasing work space if you spend a lot of time in the area each day. The more surface areas you have finished in a reflective coating the better the quality of lighting. Non-reflective surfaces tend to absorb the light which ends up requiring more lighting in a work space to see your work. You could also paint the floor if you clean it first and make sure it bonds to the concrete, they usually use a primer made to seal the concrete before putting the finish coats down. There are several companies that make high quality paints and primers for concrete floors. Do you have high humidity and high water tables in your area, this may determine which material you can put down on the concrete and expect to have any serviceable life.

 

[John Torchick]

I have a concrete floor. Get the coupons from Harbor Freight and get one or two sets of their interlocking mats. You could probably cover the whole floor with them, depending on the size of your shop. I just have them in front of the work bench, drill press, lathe.

 

[Mark Wollschlager]

Second the interlocking mats.
They have transition pieces for the edges and make moving and rearranging pretty easy.
I have used the same set to years and they are still springy.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

I don't know if the interlocking black foam mats will support the weight of a lathe if you were to do the entire floor, but certainly they work in front of machines and can be easily reconfigured. It is also possible to use a double layer of these mats if you want a little more "cush". I use a double layer in front of the lathe unless my vertically challenged wife is turning, then I throw a third one down.

One thing about the HF mats. While they are the cheapest, I discovered that depending on the batch, the size can vary slightly between packages and they don't always fits exactly together, so try to buy all you need from one batch.

I have also heard of people using the same flooring that health clubs use in their weight rooms. Apparently this is dense enough to support the weight of machinery, but is expensive unless you find a gym that is remodeling.

 

[John Torchick]

They aren't made to put under power tools. The soft mat would not be sturdy/firm enough to support the weight. As mentioned, they are in front of my work areas. Slightly different sizes- I'm thinking of the different SKU numbers for the same product. It's my guess they identify the same product but a different factory in China or where ever they are made.

 

[Bob Sheppard]

I'm planning on going over the concrete floor in my shop by putting down a layer of 3/4" or 1" T&G foam board, then a layer of 3/4" Advantech T&G sheathing over that. Then add a few Tapcons through the plywood into the concrete to hold everything in place.
This is a tried and true system for putting a wood floor over a concrete one.

 

[Mark Corkern]

I'm planning on going over the concrete floor in my shop by putting down a layer of 3/4" or 1" T&G foam board, then a layer of 3/4" Advantech T&G sheathing over that. Then add a few Tapcons through the plywood into the concrete to hold everything in place.
This is a tried and true system for putting a wood floor over a concrete one.

I got the floor down today, went with 1/2" Pink Panther foam board, and 3/4" T&G OSB, Tacons 1 in the middle of the end butts, I didn't think it was totally necessary,, but I put a layer of black plastic under the foam board. I a very pleased with the results. I will try to put a couple of coats of paint on it Friday, Thinking of going with an off white latex porch and floor paint, will probably put some mats around as needed, thanks for all of the advise.

 

[Bob Sheppard]

I got the floor down today, went with 1/2" Pink Panther foam board, and 3/4" T&G OSB, Tacons 1 in the middle of the end butts, I didn't think it was totally necessary,, but I put a layer of black plastic under the foam board. I a very pleased with the results. I will try to put a couple of coats of paint on it Friday, Thinking of going with an off white latex porch and floor paint, will probably put some mats around as needed, thanks for all of the advise.

Personally, I'm going to go with a porch & deck enamel, probably some shade of gray.
If you're unsure about moisture, then the plastic is a good idea. My shop is in my addition's basement. Before the slab was poured, I put down a layer of plastic. So when I get around to doing my wood floor, I won't bother with another layer of poly.

 

[Mark Corkern]

What would be your color of choice for the floor?

 

[Bob Sheppard]

What would be your color of choice for the floor?

Probably a medium gray. I kind of feel like an off white would get dirty looking pretty quickly. At least in my shop

 

[Bernie Hrytzak]

What would be your color of choice for the floor?

I did something similiar in my shop with white foam and 3/4" t&G chipboard, then painted the surface with a non-skid satin finish using "Para Supergrip" an expoxy fortified Acrylic Enamel for Floors. The color I got was light tan so wood dust and chips would not show.

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

One of my co-workers has a side business putting down high quality concrete floor coatings, they use a polyurea/polyaspartic polymer coating which they can add a colored wood chip to the base before putting the clear coat on top. The polymer hybrid can be done in one or two days and the wood chip layer and polyurea base provides a little bit of cushion to the floor compared to a hard concrete floor. You would still want a stall mat at your lathe station which could easily be moved. When they coat a concrete floor they usually use a concrete grinder to smooth out the concrete floor and provide a fresh clean surface for the polymer to bond to. Many people have put down cheap epoxy floors which will not stand up to physical and chemical abuse and moisture in the concrete can cause problems with the epoxy over time. The newer hybrid floor polymers are not brittle like epoxy and stand up to the moisture and chemical issues in a garage or shop work area. These polymer finished surfaces are easy to clean and sweep with a broom. Depending on the color selected for the floor they can also help illuminate the work space and provide a more pleasing work space if you spend a lot of time in the area each day. The more surface areas you have finished in a reflective coating the better the quality of lighting. Non-reflective surfaces tend to absorb the light which ends up requiring more lighting in a work space to see your work. You could also paint the floor if you clean it first and make sure it bonds to the concrete, they usually use a primer made to seal the concrete before putting the finish coats down. There are several companies that make high quality paints and primers for concrete floors. Do you have high humidity and high water tables in your area, this may determine which material you can put down on the concrete and expect to have any serviceable life.

I have seen what they can do with cement floors, simply amazing. A friend of mine built a man cave in his garage, I could not tell it was a cement floor. Colored and textured, like nice expensive pavers...

 

[John Torchick]

Lowe's sells an epoxy but I would be reluctant to coat a concrete floor. With sawdust on the floor, it could be slicker than snot on a doorknob. My shop is bare concrete with some Harbor Freight rubber mats in front of my work areas. Been here 26 years and never considered any coating on the floor. JMHO.

 

[Mike Johnson]

The retail epoxy garage floor kits do not have a very good track record, with normal use they tend to have problems within a couple of years. The other main problem with home owner installed systems is they rarely grind the concrete surface clean so that the polymer can bond to a fresh clean concrete surface. Any oil or contaminants on the concrete will prevent the epoxy from bonding properly, moisture can also have a negative affect on the epoxy coated surfaces over time, to prevent this problem you normally use an additional product to seal the concrete prior to applying the polymer coats to the floor. The typical epoxy floors require several days to apply the product and several days of drying time to cure, the better quality hybrid floor coating polymers can be installed in one day and are ready to be used the next day.

 

[John Torchick]

Good info, Mike. I never considered any kind of coating. Spend the $$ on turning stuff.

 

[Mike Johnson]

John,

A coated/finished floor makes it quick and easy to sweep or vacuum up shavings on the floor, raw concrete is somewhat porous and tends to hold dust and dirt in the pores. You also gain more usable light in a work area when the floor, walls and ceilings have a reflective color, raw concrete tends to absorb multiple spectrums of light. You can always finish a floor later down the road, but the thought of moving equipment, shelves, racks and materials tends to put that project off forever. I am helping a co-worker coat a 3000 square foot wood working shop in a couple of weeks, the wood worker has been building custom built in items in high end homes for several decades and is moving into a new shop, he wanted the floor finished before he moves his equipment in and wants it done pronto. It also makes moving equipment and materials around in a work shop much easier on the wheels and casters. If you spend hours each day in a work shop the environment you surround yourself in can lift your mood.