Thermal issues for the workshop.

[Armini]

On the insulation in the floor, fiberglass batts will become useless if they get wet and they will wick moisture from the ground. A vapor barrier will help but can easily be damaged by rodents etc. If you use a rigid foam, it won't degrade performance even if it gets damp and will dry out much faster since it won't absorb moisture.

Definitely cannot use fiberglass batts. A rigid foam is a far better material. A grid of 1 x 6 strapping and then a layer of plywood will give you a solid floor which will nonetheless have some give (easier on the legs). I ended up suggesting this from 'Low-cost Shop Floor' FWW #160 (http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworki...F.aspx?id=2821) to my brother when he was making a basement bedroom. He had a quote for $2k for an insulated subfloor - this approach barely went over 10% of that and has been very successful in our demanding climate.

You do need to pay attention to where your vapour barrier is, especially as you integrate insulating the other surfaces - you do not want to trap vapour under the floor, though depending where you are in Texas, that may be a non-issue.

[dbhost]

Definitely cannot use fiberglass batts. A rigid foam is a far better material. A grid of 1 x 6 strapping and then a layer of plywood will give you a solid floor which will nonetheless have some give (easier on the legs). I ended up suggesting this from 'Low-cost Shop Floor' FWW #160 (http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworki...F.aspx?id=2821) to my brother when he was making a basement bedroom. He had a quote for $2k for an insulated subfloor - this approach barely went over 10% of that and has been very successful in our demanding climate.

You do need to pay attention to where your vapour barrier is, especially as you integrate insulating the other surfaces - you do not want to trap vapour under the floor, though depending where you are in Texas, that may be a non-issue.

On the coast, and yes humidity is a HUGE issue... We have been teetering around freezing for a week. Every time it gets below freezing, I have to scrape 1/8" ish of ice off my windows to get to work... Without the freeze, the car (truck actually) has been WET with heavy dew. This is typical...

Just curious. LOML got me a 3 year subscription to FWW for my B-day... even though we haven't seen an issue yet, should that come with access to their web articles too?

[Armini]

Online access is sold separately. PM with an email address, and I can send you a PDF scan of the article over the weekend.