Another thing I did was to epoxy the floor. That was a game changer with clean up.
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Wood Turning Shop - Dimension
- Thread starter mrGeeze
- Start date
I would have loved to have been there for that conversation. What was his reason for not anchoring the building?
Epoxy over concrete? What kind?
I used epoxy paint on the concrete floor in one room of the shop and am considering more.
JKJ
John, Rust Oleum is putting a lot of effort into epoxy floor coatings. I can't compare their products to others, and I can't say how DIY product compare to commercial/industrial coatings, but theirs may be a starting point to compare.
I guess he figured the weight of the building would hold it in place. 20+ mph winds with the storm.... UP, UP, and AWAY! Now, there are all sorts of earthquake hold downs, special corner hold downs, and assorted other things. I built my house and shop out of stacked blocks, Fastwall, which is a wood fiber and cement style of stackable blocks. My walls are 12 inches thick. Excellent sound and thermal insulation. The foam blocks are fine as long as you don't care about plumb, level, square, and straight..... You need a herd of Persian cats to clean up all the little styrofoam particles...
robo hippy
John, Lowes has epoxy paint formulated for concrete floors. It include sprinkles to add to make it safer to walk on. I have had no lifting after many years.
Any big box store will have various "epoxy" coatings for concrete slabs. There are also many businesses that will come in and do it for you. Any crack control joints need to be filled with self leveling epoxy first. Some floors need to be stripped first of any oils and sealer products before applying any epoxy. Masonry stores are another source.
robo hippy
robo hippy
If you can handle the expense. My shop is completely covered with 3/4” stall mats. Clean up is easy, dropped tools don’t get damaged and it is sooo nice on a 68 year old back with 88 years of miles on it.
Lathes are behind the point of view. It’s so clean because this pic was taken when brand new.
Lathes are behind the point of view. It’s so clean because this pic was taken when brand new.
Those things are unbelievably expensive now (and they are made from recycled tires.) I covered a lot of the inside of my barn with them, including a couple of stalls, put them outside where we work with the horses, and use them in heavy use areas at gates and such to minimize erosion.
And they are HEAVY - I struggled with moving them myself for a long time until I read a tip from a horse web site that made is so simple and easy - I can move them now with one hand. Fun to cut to size too!
They are a lot harder and tougher than the spongy shop mats I bought from Woodcraft but should be easier on the body than concrete. I use the soft mats at the wood lathes and my little machine shop.
Yes they are heavy. In my case, I prefer to be found dead in my shop. If I get my wish, who moves them and where is not my concern.
Aaaand??? What's the trick to moving them?
2 were given to me this past summer, each 4'x6'. What a pain to deal with. Heavy is one thing, but heavy and unruly is more than twice as worse. And to cut. Using a fresh utility blade and a straight edge, I cut one of them into three (imprefect) 2'x4' pieces They work well in front of the lathe and workbench.
Ha! Just put my name in your instructions or tack to the wall. I tell he who is tasked with the task the easy way to move them - I’ve moved, trimmed, and installed dozens. (Some places will give a discount if you buy a pallet (25) at a time.) I look for them when on sale. The 4’x6’ are often close to $60 now - I used to get them for closer to $30. Note they are not all equal - like everything, some are lower quality.
But the shop might be worth more with them just left in place…
More likely to find a still buried in the floor under a hatch covered with dirt.
MOVING and CUTTING STALL MATS
Ok!
I find the 4x6x3/4" mats very difficult to grab with the hands and move, even with good leather gloves. I even tried locking vise grips on the corners but that didn't help as much as I hoped. I always enlisted at least one other person to help. Then I got the tip on a horse web site and could do it all myself.
I get a piece of rope maybe 10'-12' long, usually a rope we already have on hand for horse use with a big brass spring clip on one end. Thick rope is more comfortable.
Fold the 4'x6' mat on the top of the pile in half to make a folded piece 3'x4' (will have a big bend in the middle like a "U") I throw the clip end of the rope through the bend, pull it around and clip it onto a loop tied in the other end of the rope. (Could just tie both ends together with a square knot) I like to start with the bottom side down.
Now stand in front of the the big bend and pull the rope - it should be long enough to make a nice triangle. Although the weight is the same of course (about 100 lbs for a 4x6x3/4"), the area contacting the ground is smaller and it will slide easily over grass, dirt, gravel. [If I need to go through a doorway less than 4' wide (often!), I pull the bend up to the door, pull the bent section up until it is part way through the doorway (now folded like a long "U") and work it through the door - yes, that's more work!] Slide it as close as possible into place and unfold the mat and shuffle into place next to the others. They won't go anywhere even with animal movement.
To cut, I first mark the line with a white grease pencil or a piece of chalk from my welding stuff. Then slide a piece of 2x4 under the line to make a bulge. Use a sharp utility knife and a long metal straight edge (or freehand if that's good enough) and make a shallow cut down the line. The bulge from the board will tend to keep the cut open and the shallow 1st cut will guide the second so I don't need the straight edge again. It takes me multiple cuts to get through 3/4" but it's not difficult. (Although it did seem easier back when I was 73. 🙂)
For horse stalls, especially if the floor is sloped (good for drainage) I sometimes cut the end pieces a little longer let them bend a few inches up the wall and fasten to the wall with screws and washers.
I also put these on the ground outside the doors of the stalls and elsewhere. Unless constrained, they will shift around with use, especially if there is a slight slope to the ground. To prevent this, I buy those long fat galvanized nails (12-14" long) from home depot along with some big fender washers that fit over the nail (and not over the head), drill a hole in the mat (doesn't have to be large and clean, just enugh to allow the nail to penetrate easily) and hammer the nail with washer with a sledge hammer through the mat and into the dirt. I've had some of these outside my barn that have had heavy abuse from 1000lb horses and 400lb llamas animals and they haven't budged in 10 years. I only put of the big two nails in each mat, near the upper corners. These mats are great for raking and shoveling what animals leave and hosing clean. I have maybe 20 on the ground in various places outside the barn. I also put mats on the floor inside the barn where I mix feed - makes everything cleaner. Don't store hay directly on mats - better to put hay on pallets for air circulation.
Outdoors where it is flat I just lay them down side by side - I don't use the nails. Sometimes a bit of grass will grow up through the crack but I can deal with that. I even drive vehicles on them at times (they are over compacted gravel). I have a half dozen left and plan to put some outside the shop door.
Indoors for people I'd just lay them down - I can't imaging one moving!
Note that some stall mats are molded with fairly deep diagonal grooves on one side, each groove with square corners. This side goes down. A friend with lots of goats made the mistake of thinking the grooved side should be up for traction. It wasn't long before the mats started to degrade. I don't buy those kind of mats.
For outside use I do like the type with little rounded raised crosses molded into the top of the mat - they can provide a bit traction. However, horses hooves don't need them!
When I cut mats to fit various places I always save any left over pieces. These are useful around the barn and shop, sometimes cut into squares 8-12" or so.
Some people find wide conveyor belt material and put it down where needed, say in horse trailers.
And now, for no extra charge...
If you want something thinner, lighter, and more flexible than stall mats, Tractor Supply usually carries it - kind of like a very tough black foam rubber. Might be perfect to glue to the top of a platform at the lathe for people who aren't tall. I used some to floor my llama restraint chute and that of a friend. It's hard to work on llamas without a chute. They take it personally when you mess with them.
A restraint chute costs about $2000 so I made one.
Building the chute, has hinged, easily removable side panels...
...shearing a llama.
Alpaca Dria:
That's all I know. And probably more than anyone else wanted to know.
JKJ
Ok!
I find the 4x6x3/4" mats very difficult to grab with the hands and move, even with good leather gloves. I even tried locking vise grips on the corners but that didn't help as much as I hoped. I always enlisted at least one other person to help. Then I got the tip on a horse web site and could do it all myself.
I get a piece of rope maybe 10'-12' long, usually a rope we already have on hand for horse use with a big brass spring clip on one end. Thick rope is more comfortable.
Fold the 4'x6' mat on the top of the pile in half to make a folded piece 3'x4' (will have a big bend in the middle like a "U") I throw the clip end of the rope through the bend, pull it around and clip it onto a loop tied in the other end of the rope. (Could just tie both ends together with a square knot) I like to start with the bottom side down.
Now stand in front of the the big bend and pull the rope - it should be long enough to make a nice triangle. Although the weight is the same of course (about 100 lbs for a 4x6x3/4"), the area contacting the ground is smaller and it will slide easily over grass, dirt, gravel. [If I need to go through a doorway less than 4' wide (often!), I pull the bend up to the door, pull the bent section up until it is part way through the doorway (now folded like a long "U") and work it through the door - yes, that's more work!] Slide it as close as possible into place and unfold the mat and shuffle into place next to the others. They won't go anywhere even with animal movement.
To cut, I first mark the line with a white grease pencil or a piece of chalk from my welding stuff. Then slide a piece of 2x4 under the line to make a bulge. Use a sharp utility knife and a long metal straight edge (or freehand if that's good enough) and make a shallow cut down the line. The bulge from the board will tend to keep the cut open and the shallow 1st cut will guide the second so I don't need the straight edge again. It takes me multiple cuts to get through 3/4" but it's not difficult. (Although it did seem easier back when I was 73. 🙂)
For horse stalls, especially if the floor is sloped (good for drainage) I sometimes cut the end pieces a little longer let them bend a few inches up the wall and fasten to the wall with screws and washers.
I also put these on the ground outside the doors of the stalls and elsewhere. Unless constrained, they will shift around with use, especially if there is a slight slope to the ground. To prevent this, I buy those long fat galvanized nails (12-14" long) from home depot along with some big fender washers that fit over the nail (and not over the head), drill a hole in the mat (doesn't have to be large and clean, just enugh to allow the nail to penetrate easily) and hammer the nail with washer with a sledge hammer through the mat and into the dirt. I've had some of these outside my barn that have had heavy abuse from 1000lb horses and 400lb llamas animals and they haven't budged in 10 years. I only put of the big two nails in each mat, near the upper corners. These mats are great for raking and shoveling what animals leave and hosing clean. I have maybe 20 on the ground in various places outside the barn. I also put mats on the floor inside the barn where I mix feed - makes everything cleaner. Don't store hay directly on mats - better to put hay on pallets for air circulation.
Outdoors where it is flat I just lay them down side by side - I don't use the nails. Sometimes a bit of grass will grow up through the crack but I can deal with that. I even drive vehicles on them at times (they are over compacted gravel). I have a half dozen left and plan to put some outside the shop door.
Indoors for people I'd just lay them down - I can't imaging one moving!
Note that some stall mats are molded with fairly deep diagonal grooves on one side, each groove with square corners. This side goes down. A friend with lots of goats made the mistake of thinking the grooved side should be up for traction. It wasn't long before the mats started to degrade. I don't buy those kind of mats.
For outside use I do like the type with little rounded raised crosses molded into the top of the mat - they can provide a bit traction. However, horses hooves don't need them!
When I cut mats to fit various places I always save any left over pieces. These are useful around the barn and shop, sometimes cut into squares 8-12" or so.
Some people find wide conveyor belt material and put it down where needed, say in horse trailers.
And now, for no extra charge...
If you want something thinner, lighter, and more flexible than stall mats, Tractor Supply usually carries it - kind of like a very tough black foam rubber. Might be perfect to glue to the top of a platform at the lathe for people who aren't tall. I used some to floor my llama restraint chute and that of a friend. It's hard to work on llamas without a chute. They take it personally when you mess with them.
A restraint chute costs about $2000 so I made one.
Building the chute, has hinged, easily removable side panels...
...shearing a llama.
Alpaca Dria:
That's all I know. And probably more than anyone else wanted to know.
JKJ
I wish I had known about the rubber mats when I built my shop.....2004. I would have used them. As it is, I put down linoleum squares. After 15 years they started to become unglued. I reglue them and it works. But, a friend of mine had some stall mats he wanted to get rid of. I picked up enough to go around the lathe and a couple of other spots in the shop. Won't work at the door way as they are too thick. I guess I could cut the door down. But, I really like the stall mats.
The key to cutting rubber is lubrication. I keep a pray bottle of water handy and spray after each pass of the knife.
If memory serves, 2 part epoxy paints used to require hazmat type personal protective gear. That's from a couple decades ago, so things may have changed, but anyone planning to Do It Themselves, should carefully review and follow any safety recommendations.