Shop Floor Suggestions Needed

[lift mechanic]

6 years ago I built my dream shop. I have a 4 foot crawl space under the shop with 2x10's 16" OC. I sheeted the floor with 1 1/8" T&G plywood. The problem I am having is there are voids in the plywood. When I am moving machines around on mobile bases the wheels will crush a spot where the void was. I have repaired some of the spots by routing out the area and gluing in a piece of plywood. Now there are about 20+ more spots that need repairing. 
My question is, what can I cover the floor with that will hold up to moving the machinery around? I have painted the plywood with gray porch and deck paint. My last shop (2 car garage) I put 2x4 sleepers and covered them with particle board and painted them. The particle board held up well. I am looking for something that looks good as I have to walk through the shop to go upstairs to the living area (attic trusses).

[tomsteve]

i think i would consider 3/4 T&G osb glued and screwed and ran perpendicular to whats down there.

[Snipe Hunter]

Look at AdvanTech T&G subfloor. It is OSB but polyurethane impregnated and much stronger than plywood and any other OSB. They do make 1" and 1-1/8". You will need to pre-drill and screw it down. Nearly ruined my nail gun trying to nail through it. Nails won't go through it. Much more moisture resistant than ply or regular OSB also. I had some scrap I used on the sides of my utility trailer and it lasted years outside without breaking down. It doesn't splinter and the ends don't swell like OSB because of the polyurethane fill. It's easy to find a Lowes... it's the only pile of OSB that isn't bowed.

Lowes carries the 23/32"

If budget allows.. Maybe 2 layers of the 23/32. Might be cheaper than locating and buying 1" or 1-1/8" . I bet you could park a car on 2 layers without issues. Or just install the 23/32 over the existing ply.

I use it when building cement pan showers. It will never move.

Another option is installing plank over your existing plywood. But I think that would be quite a bit more $$ than the AdvanTech.

[Roly]

Look at AdvanTech T&G subfloor. It is OSB but polyurethane impregnated and much stronger than plywood and any other OSB. They do make 1" and 1-1/8". You will need to pre-drill and screw it down. Nearly ruined my nail gun trying to nail through it. Nails won't go through it. Much more moisture resistant than ply or regular OSB also. I had some scrap I used on the sides of my utility trailer and it lasted years outside without breaking down. It doesn't splinter and the ends don't swell like OSB because of the polyurethane fill. It's easy to find a Lowes... it's the only pile of OSB that isn't bowed.

Lowes carries the 23/32"

If budget allows.. Maybe 2 layers of the 23/32. Might be cheaper than locating and buying 1" or 1-1/8" . I bet you could park a car on 2 layers without issues. Or just install the 23/32 over the existing ply.

I use it when building cement pan showers. It will never move.

Another option is installing plank over your existing plywood. But I think that would be quite a bit more $$ than the AdvanTech.

Another option , would be sub floor plywood. Normally tonged and grooved,no voids but not made for appearance.   Roly

[Woodenfish]

Have you considered modular garage flooring tiles like Racedeck or Swisstrax? If you move your investment can move with you.

[MstrCarpenter]

I would frequently check "Re-Store" locations near you for reclaimed hardwood flooring. I did a small house for charity and "reclaimed 1-1/2" wide T&G red oak" was the donated material. I have to admit that there was minimal damage but it had been refinished once so the thickness varied a little. It looked fairly decent when I left, and looked better than "new" pre-finished after they sanded and refinished.

The bonus with strip flooring is you can do half (or a third) the shop at a time, so your tools can stay inside.

I think a laminate floor would cure the void problem but it would be very slippery with a little sawdust on it.

Your budget might be the deciding factor. Compare the all in prices; not the sq. ft. price. The very best might be only $1500 more than the "I guess I could live with that" option. That's a small percentage of your "Dream Shop" total.

[sleepy hollow]

Just a thought:

Overlay with thinnest practical ply or OSB (⅜" or ½"?), then cover with vinyl flooring.  I am not a huge fan of vinyl in a fomral living space but this might be just the place where it would work well.  By all accounts it holds up well to abuse and would make the shop much more attractive than beat-up plywood.  They have so many colors and finishes to choose from it would seem you could find something (on sale?) that would work with not too bad a hit to the purse.  Also if you used the floating floor type then you could repair any areas without too much difficulty if you buy a bit extra.  (Hopefully that would be very occasional as the whole point of investigating vinyl would be to avoid that in the first place.)

As I said, it is a thought to consider, perhaps.

[barryvabeach]

I went with a cheap laminate, then put down rugs where i needed traction

[Gary G™]

My shop (16’ X 32’) has 3/4” T&G sturdifloor. It’s a subfloor treatment as mentioned above.
2” X 6” joists every 12” within 8’ sections—pillars at every 4’ intersection.
No voids, no problems except for rot at the door because of too small an overhang (my fault).