basement shop issues

[softop41]

Help!
we are considering a different that would move my small shop from my detached garage to the basement. I would like to hear from those of you that have shops in the basement about any issues of dust, noise, or odors(such as from finishing) getting into the rest of the house. I have been trying to come up with ideas to contain these problems but haven't been very successful so I am appealling to others for their experiences and wisdom.
Thanks
Jerry

[jziegler]

Jerry,

I hate to say it, but those reasons are the ones that will be causing me to move the shop from my basement to the detached garage once it is made structurally sound and has some wiring. Really, dust isn't too bad when I use the shop vac as a dust collector (with a HEPA filter), at least not upstairs. A real dust collector and using a shop vac every time you work should minimize the dust problems. Of course, you may still get dust in the rest of the basement. Noise is a big problem (my wife teaches music lessons several evenings a week). There are times that would be good opportunites for me to work if I could make noise, but I can't. Insulation in the ceiling and shop walls would help some, but the noise will still be there. For finishing odors, opening the basement windows and using a fan as an exhaust fan help. But even with that you may get some occasional odors if using anything oil based. Based on my experience and a question I asked here a few months ago, try to stay in the garage if you can.

-Jim

[Tundra_Man]

My shop's in the basement. Noise isn't too much of a problem, as my shop is actually farther from where the family room is that the garage. You can't do anything noisy while anyone's sleeping, but that goes without saying.

The dust stays pretty much confined to the shop, but I do have hot-water heat so there's no fan blowing debris around the house.

Fumes are occasionally an issue. I can use oil-based poly without the smell migrating too far away, but lacquer is another story. I have to find somewhere else to spray lacquer, which is a problem I haven't yet resolved during the winter. During the summer I can do it outside, but for now I've had to declare myself "lacquer free" from October through April.

[Tom Miller]

quote:Originally posted by Tundra_Man

declare myself "lacquer free" from October through April....

Hello, my name is Tom, and I've been lacquer free since....oops, wrong "forum".

I'm one who really likes having my shop in the basement, because the alternative is an unheated Minnesota garage. Our basement has been finished for over a year, and we haven't noticed the least bit of a dust problem, and no finishing odor complaints to speak. (And LOML has a pretty sensitive nose for that.)

One factor is that I don't circulate shop air through the furnace. No air supply/returns. The one time I did get complaints on finishing odor is when I was finishing a larger piece in the basement bedroom, which is ventilated.

Concerning noise: the room above the shop is a front sitting room that we don't use too much, other than the kid's practicing piano. All bedrooms are on the second floor, so I can run equipment even at night. And this is without a finished shop ceiling. No heating vents probably also helps reduce noise propagation, too.

You may not know until you try it, though. Maybe you could test the waters by running a router or circular saw downstairs.

Regards,
Tom

[Tequila]

I am the owner of a basement shop. Here's the routine problems I run into:
- A basement shop is still a basement, and I find more often than not that I need to move everthing else out of the way before I can get to my tools. I don't do as many projects as I'd like because I need to spend more time moving things out of the way than actual woodworking.
- My basement is just under 8' tall. That means that working with sheets of plywood is almost impossible. Long pieces of lumber are also difficult. Add to that the fact that once you get the lumber home, you'll need to haul it down a flight of stairs for storage.
- Because my basement is small, it's tough to work on large projects. For my last few projects, I've used the basement and tools for the working and test fitting, then taken all the pieces upstairs for final assembly. I normally do finishing outdoors, so weather is a big factor.
- Noise isn't normally a problem - the compressor is a little loud, but otherwise LOML seems able to tolerate it.
- It's not fun to move assembled equipment down a flight of stairs. The tablesaw wasn't easy. The tool chest was worse. I think my friends will kill me if I ever call them for help hauling a bandsaw down there.

If you can get enough room, and get agreement that the shop is only a shop and not a shop/storage area/laundry room, you'll probably be able to avoid most of these problems. For me, I'm stuck in the basement until we can build a garage.

[Thalermade]

Ditto the things from above.

1. My biggest noise problem is using a ROS on the bench attached to a wall. Normally my self imposed curfew kicks in before I would be making noise at the wrong time. There is always clean up to do when one must be more quiet.

2. My biggest overall problem is fumes. I wish I had a window, but alas, I have none. So I must compromise either finish or the time and place when I apply the finish.

3. Dragging dust out into the finished basement when I wnader back upstairs happens every once in a while. I do have a sink in the shop and the basement half bath is in the short hallway leading to the shop.

4. I do have a height of 8 foot at the bottom of the duct work. I made ths shop door the smae width as the door at the top of the steps. Moving the tools down stairs was a pain. I certainly feel they are safer down there. Dragging wood down there can be a pain. I rarely ever bring full 4 by 8 sheets home, as it is more difficult with a minivan, I figure out a rough cutting scheme and then have HD or Lowes rip of crosscut what I need. I am not doing that many large projects at this time. Though I can work on small project year round with less concern about the changing environment you experience with a shop as part of a garage that is still being used to park daily driver cars.

My neighborhood does not allow backyard sheds or such. The extra garage space is taken up with bikes and mowers and this and that. Once the kids move on, I could see myself moving out into the garage. Isn't everything in life about some type of compmromise anyway?

have fun

Russ

[stewchi]

I am in the process of setting up my basement-garage Gloat_On// we just moved into a new house a few weeks ago, the house has 2 driveways, the second narrow driveway leads into the basement with a 2-car garage door that open into the basement. It needs to be insulated but I get a garage to keep cars, bikes and lawn equipment and big section of basement exclusive for shop, that has drive up access for equipment and wood // Gloat_Off

I have some of the same concerns about fumes, noise etc. My last basement shop was in a 100 year old house, thick wood floors, thick plaster walls etc kept the noise down. This home is only a few years old and transmits noise a lot more, if any tips on noise control, pass them on

[cwsmith]

We've recently purchased an older home and will be moving sometime in the next few months. The current house has a shallow basement which is damp. The first-floor joists are low enough that in order to stand, I have to do so between the joists.

The new home has a ceiling a bit higher (at least I can stand up straight), but I'm also concerned with "problems" from having a basement shop. Fortunately I do have a two-stall garage with an 8 ft extension on one side. I plan on using the garage for summer work, finishing, and occasion cutting of sheet stock. Problem with having a shop out in the garage is noise problems with my new neighbors! So, I need to avod that as much as possible.

So, here's where I'm at with the new "basement" shop challenges:

Dust: No return air vents in the shop, and I'm installing a duct system with an initial shop vac and later a small dust collector. With doors on the shop area, that should take care of any dust problems.

Noise: Well, the wife doesn't mind that too much and as long as I keep some "balance" it shouldn't prove to be a problem. I do plan on insulating the ceiling though. Our library and TV are on the second floor, so I don't see a big problem there. (At least I hope not!)

Odors: This is probably going to be the worst problem for us. My wife has a very "sensitive" nose, but I too have difficulty with headaches from petroleum-based smells. So, first thing is that I install a ventilation system that will exhaust to the outside and therefore create a negative pressure in the work area. That will ensure that any air transfer, will be from the other area of the basement, into my work area and then out through the exhaust fan. Hopefully I'll have enough flow to evacuate the work room several times an hour (you need to calculate the size of the room and then get an appropriate sized fan to do that).

Lighting and heat are probably the biggest advantages of having a basement shop area. Certainly the convenience of going "downstairs" as going out into the cold winter "garage" will be nice. Room will be a challenge. In the basement I have two rooms for my exclusive use, each about 11 x 12 ft. with a 48" passage between them. I'll probably widen that if possible. Depends on how the structure is. But, I plan on cutting sheet stock in the garage, so I'm not too concerned.

The floor is another challenge, but that also applies if I set up shop in the garage. At my age, the knees and feet have a tendency to let me know when I'm standing too long on concrete. So, I'm putting Dri-Core blocks on the floor. These are slightly less than 2 x 2 ft T&G treated ply blocks with a PVC raised backing.

So compared to the rust, mold, don't stand-up, spider haven that I currently have, the new digs are most attractive.

CWS

[dedaddy]

My shop is in a 16x23 foot room with a 10x12 storage room next to the shop. This area was carved out of our large basement. The walls were lined with acoustical bats and homasote sound deadening panels. The ceilings are dropped (to 8 ft) with flush lights and acoustical tiles. Noise outside the shop is not a problem.

My house is heated upstairs only using hydronic heat (hot water). I have no heat in the basement. It gets down to 62deg in the coldest weather but after I turn on the lights and the old tube stereo, it warms up. In the summer it gets up to about 75deg. We have A/C in the rest of the basement so I get some benefit from that.

My biggest problem is dust and finishing odors. I am solving the dust problem by installing a cyclone in the shop and the fan for it and a hepa filter in the storage room next door. The storage room will vent into the rest of the basement. That will keep the workshop at a low pressure, and anything coming out of the shop will be filtered. I also have an airfilter/fan system running inside the shop.

Because I have a gas water heater and boiler right next to the shop, I do not use flamable finishes if I can help it. I use oil based stains sealed with shellac. Everything else is water based. I don't spray my finishes.

We have radon problems in this area so I have a continuous radon abatement system that pulls air from under the basement slab through a network of perforated pipes. That air is vented outside above the roof. This system cut the radon levels by a factor of 80. It also helps to vent odors and fumes. I have no windows in my basement since it is totally underground.

I have two dehumidifiers that run most of the summer. If I did not have that, the tools would rust like crazy. I measured humidity levels above 90% before I installed the dehumidifiers.

To keep from filling up my storage areas, I keep all my raw sheet goods stacked against walls in the garage. I cut them down using a portable saw table and a circular saw and sawboard. Then I don't have to struggle getting a big sheet down the stairs. Otherwise, I keep my cars in the garage.

The best thing I like about the basement shop is I can go down at any time and work without worrying about what I am wearing. Some of my clothes are not worth wearing to a hog killin' and the LOML will not let me out of the house in my "comfy" clothes.

In short:

1: Insulate for sound.
2: Keep shop at negative air pressure
3: Control humidity
4: Have some kind of ventilation for fumes.

YMMV

[JimD]

My shop is in an extra garage in my basement. I have a two car garage on the front of the house a few steps below the main level and another garage of about 400 square feet in the basement that is dedicated to my tools. It is directly under our family room. When I am in the shop working and my family is in the family room, they have to turn the TV up. It does not bother me and they have been OK with it. There is no HVAC into the shop but it stays reasonably comfortable. It is buried on one side and insulated on all sides. I can bring materials in through the one car garage door as well as move projects back out. The door into the living space is a steel exterior door. Odors are not much of an issue. Dust cometimes gets tracked in but I have a DC so if I sweep a little occasionally it is not a big problem. The ceiling is 8 1/2 feet.

The main advantage I see to this arrangement versus a separated building is the moderated temperature without extra cost. I think it will also be good if we ever sell since the garage could be used for a car plus a bunch of space for car tools.

Jim

[vaking]

I have a basement shop. It is not a small shop - about the size of a 2-car garage.The basement is finished including drop ceiling. Noise is not a problem. Bedrooms are on the second floor, I can use tools even at night.
Dust is a small problem. There is an area of a basement that is a passage way to the laundry for my wife. I have to keep dust away from that area or it finds its way to the rest of the house. Not very difficult.
2 big problems: one is fumes. My wife has a remarkable nose. When we lived in a multi-family house before she was able to tell when people below would lite up a smoke. The solution - my house is old and the original design had a room for coal storage (house was coal heated back in 1920s). That room is in the basement actually outside the house walls and foundation for fire safety reasons. I do my finishing in that room. I installed special fan in the window to exhaust fumes straight out to the street. It is 120mm computer-type fan (only 120V) cut right into the window pane (replaced glass with plex for it). It looks small but works very well. It gets cold in this room in the winter so I do less finishing then. Fortunately I am not in MN.
Second problem is height and entrance. The basement is just over 6' tall. I am 6'0", not much clearance. Getting big stuff down the narrow curved staircase is a pain. As a result I practically never buy uncut sheet goods. Always try to plan ahead and make the first cut outside. Usually at BORG with extra fraction of an inch to trim at home.

[crokett]

My shop is in the basement. I have a door with direct access to outside so with nice weather I usually bring the tools outside - more room, I get to enjoy the weather and the easiest way to keep a clean shop is not to mess it up in the first place. Location was defined by where the water pressure tank, etc are so it happens to be under my daughter's room. No working while she is sleeping but it hasn't been a problem yet.

Ive done some painting/finishing down there and odors have not been a problem yet. They will be even less of a problem after the last wall goes up to separate it from the util room.

[Tim Clark]

I'm stuck in the basement too (for now). I will be building a garage and put the shop above it in the next year or two or three... Noise is the biggest problem I deal with. Size is the other pain. The concrete floor is tough on the legs but, I'll survive.

I managed to confiscate and clear out one end of the basement for the shop and have a 22' x about 14' area to work in. One side is shorter (about 11') because of the chimney and HWHtr. I hung heavy plastic from the joists to contain the dust so that's not a big deal (except what I drag upstairs on my shoes).

No "storage or other encroachment issues to deal with as the Missus wants new bath and kitchen cabs asap and I told (er, ASKED) her to keep the shop out of any storage plans.

The noise issue is mostly due to three adult kids that we haven't managed to boot out yet playing all night and attempting to sleep all day. I established a curfew of 10AM and after that I'm getting to work. Ya wanna sleep longer then sleep somewhere else. I'm retired and home and always antsy to get in the shop and get busy. A garage shop would let me work all night if I wanted to and nobody would hear it.

[davehenry]

Basement!? What is this thing called basement? There is no such structure like that here in southeast Louisiana?

[tmaceroli]

I have my workbench and hand/hand power tools in the basement. My garage isn't well insulated, but I keep the table saw in the garage to cut down on the sawdust. But working in the basement in the winter is much more comfortable. Noise isn't too much of a problem, as it's just my wife and I now. If it gets noisy, she can go up to the second floor. I have forced air heat, so fumes would be a problem. I work with water-based finishes for the most part. I've worked extensively with both oil and water-based finishes, and don't really see that big a difference, as long as the surface is prepared well and the finish is applied properly.

I do most of my woodworking in the winter. When I had everything in the garage, there were days when it wasn't comfortable to work out there. Since I'm doing this for enjoyment, I thought the best way to enjoy it was to be more comfortable.