Wooden workshop floor

[DanParticipant @dan]

Hello, I’m hoping for some opinions for and against a wood floor in a small workshop.

 

This summer I will be constructing a dedicated workshop building attached to an existing 2 car garage. I’m thinking wood for the warmth, ease on the body, and ability to run cables, hot air ducts, etc up from it. I’m in Western Canada where the temp goes down to -40C in the winter so the ability to fully insulate the floor is a great advantage. I intend to use it for light hobby use, mainly woodworking machinery for now but eventually small machine tools such as my 1000kg mill. For heavy machines I’d always have the option of cutting away some wood for a dedicated concrete foundation later on. There will be no door large enough to allow a vehicle in.

 

The scheme so far is a 14′ X 22′ structure with 2 X 10 fir joists 12″ on center, resting on concrete grade beams, then two layers of 5/8″ spruce plywood, followed by a good floor paint.

 

Anyone done something like this before?

[DanParticipant @dan]

[Steve GarnettParticipant @stevegarnett62550]

Yes I’ve done it, and it’s a good move; you certainly don’t want to be standing about on concrete for any length of time, especially when it’s cold. The most flexible version I’ve built was at work, where machines are mounted directly onto the concrete base and levelled, and the rest of the flooring is made from carefully rearranged pallets. This means that lifting sections of floor is easy, and that by ripping the whole lot out we can still move machines with relative ease.

 

The version I’m presently working on at home is a wooden floor mounted on a substantial concrete base, with additional support under machines exactly where it’s needed. It will do, but I don’t think that it will be as flexible as the pallet arrangement is.

[Richard ParsonsParticipant @richardparsons61721]

I live where the winters are cold -20 for 2-3 months on end. Stand your machines on concrete mounted into the base foundations. A wooden floor with Linoleoum on top (oil proof) and the word is insulation, insulation, insulation (min 200mm thick). You can also build yourself a Kandelo – A multi fuel storage heater- well worth the effort.

 

Gool Luck

Dick

[Steve GarnettParticipant @stevegarnett62550]

Posted by Richard Parsons on 12/04/2011 08:28:29:

A wooden floor with Linoleoum on top (oil proof)

That’s the one thing missing from our pallets, and I must admit that it’s a bit of a pain. Not so much because of the oil (linoleoum can get slippery, after all) but because small bits can drop down the cracks and be a bit of a pain to fish out. We don’t get much oil spilled on our pallets, but quite a bit of coolant splashes on them. They’ve been there for several years now, and aren’t really any the worse for wear.

[John BaguleyParticipant @johnbaguley78655]

I’m just finishing off a new 5mtr x 3mtr workshop with a wooden floor. I decided right from the start that it wasn’t going to have a concrete floor as I didn’t want the hassle or expense of laying a huge concrete pad.

 

The floor consists of 150mm x 50mm joists at 400mm centres resting on concrete blocks set in the ground at 1mtr intervals, with extra blocks where the machinery will stand. Then there’s a sub floor of 28mm decking planks and a ‘proper’ floor of 22mm flooring grade chipboard (moisture resistant), so the whole floor is 50mm thick. It’s as solid as a rock. Final covering will be Altro non slip vinyl.

 

Some will say that the machines should stand directly on concrete but I don’t envisage any problems having them on the wooden floor. My machinery is not huge and the metal stands are liable to move/flex more than the floor!

 

As mentioned, get as much insulation in the walls etc. as you can. Not only will it be cheaper to keep warm, but the temperature inside will be more stable leading to less chance of condensation in the cold weather.

 

John

 

 

 

[Richard ParsonsParticipant @richardparsons61721]

Steve Lino is ok if you mop up spills. After a few months of having swaff trodden into it is sort of gets a non skid surface. I got my last lot cheap as it was all in bits with different patterns. SWMBO was annoyed but as I pointed out I do not have eyes in the soles of my feet, but she burbed on about what would visitors think .  

Edited By Richard Parsons on 12/04/2011 16:21:01

[DanParticipant @dan]

Some interesting ideas. For one I hadn’t thought of vinyl, I’m sure it would be more durable than paint. I’m wondering now about the 14 foot unsupported span and considering whether a center beam might be a good idea, although, most likely the heavy lathes and mills would be along the walls. However now would certainly be the time to do it! I’ll compare the cost of 5/8 versus 3/4 plywood to beef it up to a 50mm surface.

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

A steel I beam down the middle of a workshop can be a handy thing to hang a hoist from.

 

regards

John

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

With regard to the walls and insulation, I have been called out to infestations by wasps and bees in the cavities!

Fill the spaces with insulation and make sure the outer walls are free from small entry points.

Getting the insects out is a dismantling job as I do not kill bees.

 

Further to the floor, my garage is concrete and it makes my feet cold even though heated, I have found that a cardboard box folded down is good to stand on as an insulator when I am working on the lathe.

 

Clive

[DMBParticipant @dmb]

At a previous address where my parents kept chickens during the last war and in subsequent years, we had occasional rat infestations under sheds, including my workshop. I understand that rats keep on coming back looking for eggs for food and like most animals have a very sensitive sense of smell so can detect where chickens have been years before. I solved problem by concreting over the ground under the workshop.

The heavy timbers used for flooring still failed to stop the Myford from rocking so removed wood floor from that area and built up a concrete block to stand lathe on – prob. solved! As for insects, seal shed as air-tightly as possible after lighting an anti – woodworm smoke canister. Its poisonous, obviously, but it kills anything flying/crawling/ burrowing. Flies, spiders, woodlice, woodworm, wasps, mosquitos, over-wintering snails, the lot!

[TigermothParticipant @tigermoth]

I have a 12′ x 8′ shed in the heart of Aberdeenshire.

I covered the wooden floor of my shed with the cheapest B & Q laminate flooring on top of a layer of 8 mm insulation. I also have a couple of carpet offcuts on the floor for standing on during the winter and and I have to say that my feet can usually survive our Scottish climate. The shed is heated by a radiator run from the household central heating – keeps the shed dry throughout the winter to protect radio gear – and a gas heater to warm things up when I’m working. I insulated the roof of the shed with the foil type bubble insulation (equivalent to 50 mm polystyrene) and then a layer of plasterboard (B & Q can supply small sheets to cut down on wasage).

I wouldn’t like to try this system with Canadian temperatures though, -15C was as low as we saw in my area this winter and I went nowhere near my shed!

Bob

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

I don’t want to frighten anybody ,but, rats etc. can be a real problem, living in the country I know, just bought another batch of poison, about £25 a tub. Any timber building must be on a concrete pad, with damp proof membrane if possible. If the floor is laid on bearers ensure the out side wall at low level is ratproof, eg. metal sheet or morter facing. It’s easier to keep ’em out than get them out. BTW I’ve seen a female rat dig thru’ half set concrete to get her young out. NB these are not building regs etc. ,just my experience. NB2 keep weeds down near the walls, they don’t like clear ground.

[DanParticipant @dan]

My dad has the concrete floor of our present garage/workshop covered with bits of old carpet. Works great for his woodworking but my metal swarf is a different story! I just have to remember to pull them out of the way if chips are flying.

 

I like the idea of a cheap laminate flooring. hmmm…..

 

We normally get 2 or 3 weeks of sub -35 at some point in the winter. It gets a bit chilly but it’s appreciated because it kills off all remaining insects from the previous summer!

 

BTW, how do I go about editing my previous posts? I seached for 20 min to find a button with no luck.

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Hi Dan

 

” BTW, how do I go about editing my previous posts? I seached for 20 min to find a button with no luck. “

 

A useful facility – we would all like but, sad to say, it’s not available .

 

-35 degrees !!!!  OK I really will stop complaining about the cold here – it got down to 2.8 C in my workshop on one day last year – you would probably go out for a picnic on a day like that!

 

Regards

 

Norman

Edited By NJH on 13/04/2011 19:58:40

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,

Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

 

(Omar Khayyam)

 

It is more convenient if it gets down to -40 because then you don’t need to specify the scale. Does anyone else remember seeing a scene in “The World at War” series way back, of a Russian factory with lines of machines with operators working away while the snow fell around them. The place had been bombed and there was no roof on it. At least it is warmer while it is snowing, although I guess that would be cold comfort.

 

The Norwegians and Swedes could tell you a lot about keeping warm and cosy in wooden buildings in winter. I remember that the insulation in the Norwegian house I stayed in was 8 inches thick in the walls and the windows were triple glazed. They have to have vents to ensure that radon gas cannot build up in the house. It was warm, even though the snow was thick outside.

 

regards

John

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

“the temp goes down to -40C in the winter so the ability to fully insulate the floor is a great advantage”

 

You don’t say

 

I have a false wooden floor over the concrete floor of my workshop. Walls dry lined and polystyrene foam insulation in the gap. I would insultae the ceiling as well, but its already better insulated than the house.

 

Neil

[RobboParticipant @robbo]

Hi All,

I have a solid concrete floor, with damp-proof course, on top of that insulation and then ¾ inch flooring grade chipboard, finished with floor paint. This is comfortable to work on, but our lowest temperature was -15 oC. Canada will need lotsof insulation (or underfloor heating?) This does allow some movement in the floor under the machinery, so that is mounted direct onto the concrete slab. For single machines just cut 4 holes through the flooring for the mounting feet, for a row of machines a long narrow concrete block the length of the building. What was difficult was deciding where the machinery would go (or even what it m ight be) before construction!

I don’t think the floor paint will last a long time, but it is clean and bright and easily swept clean, I have bits of old carpet to stand on. I need to move small machinery round on wheels (extractors,light bandsaw etc) and that is easier on a hard surface.

Phil

[Richard ParsonsParticipant @richardparsons61721]

In an earlier post i mentioned the use of used cat litter in the underfloor insulation to deter the vermin. It niffed a bit for a day or two but it is now OK. As to insects, an annual slap over with the old Creosote – They do not like it.-

Dick

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