Shop floorining?

[tung tied]

I'm working on moving my shop from the garage into a basement renovation. Any suggestions on options for shop flooring? Primary considerations are comfort and ease of cleaning/sweeping. Price of course is also a factor. Resistance to tearing, gouging, easy installation would also be nice. I'm intending to install directly on concrete, without subfloor.

[dbhost]

My suggestion is going to be a little simplistic, but take that concrete, seal it with non slip flooring paint, and then run to Sams Club, Costco, HD, Lowes or wherever and pick up a few of those cushioned workstation mats with all those drain holes you see used in restaurant kitchens. The mats make standing at a power tool comfortable, and sweeping and mopping concrete is one of the easiest things I could think shop upkeep wise...

[thrytis]

Paint or epoxy with foam pads probably will be your cheapest option, but you may want to check if you have moisture coming through the concrete first to see if a coating will stick. A simple test for that is to tape down a piece of clear plastic to the floor for a few days and see if you have condensation on the bottom.

[Jay Yoder]

i put down the sams club stuf....worked great!!! now if only my whole shop floor was covered...

[Wood_workur]

you know those puzzle pieces that you can make flooring out of for kits? I've seen a metal working shop online made of those. it looks really comfortable.

[tung tied]

Thanks team!
I appreciate the advice. I'll look into the suggestions. The floor mat idea over concrete sounds great. I'll have to look into how easily they can be arranged, since I think there will be trouble rolling machinery on them. However, this should prove minimal if my shop layout is good.
Has anyone used the black and white dimpled flooring (some kind of plastic composite) offered by Costco? I'm curious if the dimples actually reduce foot fatigue. - Tung Tied

[pelligrini]

I picked up some foam pads from Big Lots when I was hunting down some of the Stanley clamps recently. I've never used any other anti-fatigue pads. They ran $15 for 24sq.ft. (6 pads) They're a 2x2 pad with interlocking fingers and some edge strips. The finish looks like a industrial metal plate. They're about a 1/2" thick. Here's a photo. They are easy to rearrange and move about. I ripped a few in half Sunday to fill in a 12" gap.

All my tools are on casters & such. They move fairly easily across it.

I didn't like the smell of them when I first opened the package. It was a pretty strong plastic smell, it probably wasn't that good for me either. It went away after a day or so. My shop is outside and very well ventilated, so I don't know how well they would work in an enclosed basement.

They did make a difference though. My feet & legs used to be pretty sore after spending 14+ hour sessions in the shop. They're not as bad at the end of the day now either. I usually work in my bare feet too. I immediately noticed a difference when using them on the small concrete pad in front of my shop.

[cwsmith]

I used Dri-Core blocks (http://www.dricore.com/en/eIndex.aspx) which are 24 x 24 inch x 3/4 treated ply with a PVC backing that "stands-off" the concrete and allow for some ventilation under the pieces. These are T & G fitted together and easily cut with either a table or circular saw.

I used them on my basement floor which occasionally gets damp when we have several days of rain. The work great for my use, are easily swept clean and the ply surface is both easy on the feet as well as easy to roll the tools around on. They are available at Home Depot and a similar product is carried by Lowes. The last time I looked, they were about $6 apiece, so it may be on the expensive side compared to other options.

I hope this helps,

CWS

[ironhat]

I found matting on a 24" wide roll at Lowes - $4 per foot +/ - when I last bought it. They also offer these at $20/ 9 sq ft. I have the roll stuff and it's good. Just another post to confuse you.

[crokett]

What is wrong with the floor you have? The concrete floor in my shop does just fine for me. I can sweep it, I can roll tools across it and if I spill the occasional stain or paint on it, I don't really care. I tried those foam mats others have suggested but they are annoying to keep clean - dirt and dust gets down into the little fingers.

[ironhat]

<snip> I tried those foam mats others have suggested but they are annoying to keep clean - dirt and dust gets down into the little fingers.

Exactly why I chose the matting on the roll. Relatively smooth and easy to sweep up. You can always leave it bare and see if your legs are OK with the concrete. I, for one, chose to paint my floor and it really brightened up the shop. I used Duracoat but any floor paint would do. I also chose to keep the paint a solid color (lt grey) so that dropped parts would be easier to find.

[LarryG]

David, when your ankles are 20 years older, you'll understand what's wrong with a bare concrete floor.

I have some of these anti-fatigue mats from Woodcraft. They are NOT worth their full price of $31.50, no way no how. But they go on sale fairly often for half that, or less. IINM I paid $11.99/ea for mine. The pebbled surface can get a little dusty but it's easy to sweep them clean.

One factor to consider is the size of the "aisles" in your shop. The two foot width of the Woodcraft mats is ideal for mine, in which a three-foot mat would not work in several places; and their length offers plenty of lateral moving around space when I'm standing at any given tool.

[Nil]

Wood working in bare feet?? Seriously??

If the foam pads are just for comfort when standing on them, you could always make a shoe size cutout of the foam and glue it to the bottom of a pair of shop/garage shoes... Or just duct tape them to your feet.

[pelligrini]

Wood working in bare feet?? Seriously??

Yea, seriously. My normal warm weather attire is just shorts.

[wardprobst]

Painting concrete makes a lot of sense for dust control. I've had it both ways and painted wins hands down, much easier to keep clean.
For those with older legs and/or athlete's joints (both for me) the best floor mats I've found are the stall mats Tractor Supply sells for horses. No holes to gather trash and easily cut to a more manageable size, heavy enough to stay put.
As sold they are cumbersome to move for me because I have to reconfigure my shop every time something different comes in. I cut them into various sizes. They are basically a rubber type material (made from recycled tires) that is about 3/4" thick. I've tried a bunch of other stuff but like these the best.
Too many words but it is #300...
DP