Workshop flooring

[Jack01]

I just section off in basement for woodworking shop . small area about 236 sq. ft.

It is working good. Well insulated for sound so I can work anytime without disturbing others.

It has concrete floor in great condition. I am thinking about installing a subfloor with OSB material on  top of concrete.
It will need about 7 sheets , I alone cannot install these so I called one handyman to install , he gave me estimate of $ 500 to install plus material
I was surprise with the cost , labor and material which  will be around $ 600 for a small area
Is this reasonable?

I checked into DriCore material, which I can install, it will be approximately $ 350

Any suggestions?

[DaveParkis]

I have a concrete floor and I use the interlocking tiles like those sold at HF. This has worked out very well for me. Easy to clean, I can change it easily if I want to, and it's relatively inexpensive. The cushiness is also helpful for my knees/back and when a tool gets dropped.

[barryvabeach]

I put down a foam sheet designed to go under laminate flooring, and some very cheap laminate, and am very happy.  Makes it much easier on my feet, I am no where near as cold in the winter ( bare concrete just sucks the heat out of me ) and it is easy to clean.   I put down rug scraps and interlocking tiles in areas that I stand a lot .   OTOH,  I don't think  the cost of about $3.00 per square foot is that high for labor and materials, especially since it is a small job, and he has to cover his travel time.

[Tapper]

I also bought laminate for my shop floor after seeing it down on another member's floor in pictures here. I caught it on sale at Home Depot for something like 59 cents a sq. ft. With the foam padding under it, should provide protection for dropped sharp edges as well as comfort under foot.

It snaps together eliminating installation costs.

Haven't gotten around to installing it yet but am convinced it will be a good and inexpensive solution.

Doug

[Adnick]

Just did my shop floor in OSB, it's great, not only is it much nicer to stand on it helps greatly with moisture control. One suggestion, make sure you paint it or coat it wit polyurethane, or something like that, otherwise it's a bear to sweep/clean....

Andy

mos maiorum

[MikeBob]

In mine a basement and some in the garage, both on concrete, I have the HF floor pads in front of my machinery and work benches, works great, and way cheaper then what you are thinking about. Also I have a stool on wheels that has a height adjustable seat that I use a lot at the bench.

[JGrout]

I expect the price is one of those I will do it for my price deals you can do better 

On a different note I would never put a plastic laminate floor down in a shop I worked in for more than a few hours once in a while and if I did I would religiously clean up at the end of every day 

that stuff is dangerous with debris on it 

JME

[Grayman]

I have a 12x12 shop, concrete floor. I installed rubber horse stall mats - not inexpensive but they provide a nice cushion for feet and some insulation on cold days. Also nice if I should happen to drop a tool, no breakage so far. 

If I recall they come in two sizes, they're relatively easy to cut to size and don't need any adhesive to stay in place. They're a bit on the heavy side but you only have to move them once...

[Steve N]

24 x 32 "shop" area in my barn where I stand and work. It has a well poured concrete floor, and I use a combination of horse mats, and cushy rubber mats I got at WoodCraft. I actually prefer the cushy ones, which aren't near as thick as the horse mats, but anything is better than cold hard concrete.

The cushy mats are 30" x 5' and look like the stuff in the link below. WoodCraft used to have a sale on them all the time, not so much anymore. I want to say I paid 30 bux apiece for them, they are very comfy. I have several in front of oft used tools.

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/comfo...3c42000c9c

[Billbo]

My 235 sq ft basement shop has those interlocking (1 ft square) plastic/vinyl-type tiles, the kind that are sold for garage floors.

I put a 1/8 in rubber underlayment that the tile company recommended down before I put down the tiles.
- Fairly easy 4 to 6 hour do-it-yourself project (includes beer break).
  -- I spent more time researching, and looking for the best price than I did installing it.


One negative is that if you're a bit sloppy with finished, etc. your pretty checkerboard pattern floor has stains on it.
- My wife says "Why don't you replace those stained tiles?"  I say "It's a shop for Pete's sake!"
The other negative is that really, really heavy equipment where the weight is on small feet or small wheels can leave a depression in the tiles. 
- My heaviest tool is a 502 lbs planer on a mobile base and so far no issues.

Overall I'm happy with it - much better than standing on concrete.
- And a dropped chisel, plane, etc. bounces and is not ruined.