Workshop flooring

[Dave Diaman]

Tapper,  I work in two shops. The large shop I work in has hard maple flooring. My primary shop has laminate that I bought from Lumber liquidators. I did put a thin padding under it. Of the two shops I prefer the laminate in my shop. The maple flooring is great but if you get any sawdust on it at all it is like an ice skating rink. If the floor wasn't finished it would probably be better but that leads to its own problems. The cheap laminate in my shop has a textured surface give it more grip. There is also a coating on it that needs to be cleaned off after installation. A good mop with a strong floor cleaner seems to do the trick for it though. There were a few places where I wanted additional grip. In these areas I taped it off and used my spray gun to spray a very poorly atomized stain poly on it holding the gun about 18" off the floor. This gave the area a really rough orange peal texture while not changing the look. I didn't spray it on thick. Thick over spray texture. It is a lot harder to sweep and a dust mop will not work on it but there in no slipping no matter how hard you try. Sand paper traction strips will work too but I'm cheap and had the finish.  I mainly did this in front of my jointer and shaper to make sure I have traction for pushing. On the maple floor we had to use sandpaper stair tread strips. We put them in front of every machine in that shop. Check out Lumber Liquidators the 1200sf of laminate for my shop cost me roughly $350. 

[Cian]

Great lookin' workspace, David.  Looks well lit and functional. 

[Tapper]

It is just like I have no experience, a regular rookie with just an opinion 

Tell you what why don't you put it down in your shop if you even have one and get back with us 

then we shall have it from the oracle hissself 

HAND

Looks like I've ruffled the feathers (yet again) of "his majesty!" 


  My shop is the basement portion of a 24'x30' addition to my home and has a concrete floor, like many shop floors. It has been used extensively over the last few years by me to finish this addition/remodel (addition is three stories high) as I did all the interior framing, trim work, T&G white oak flooring throughout, etc. etc. myself, hanging and trimming all interior doors (they were all replaced) and many, many other woodworking jobs on this project. Without a shop I could not have completed the necessary tasks. Not that it should matter to you, but I just haven't gotten around to installing the laminate flooring since I hadn't even thought about it until Cian posted the pictures of his shop floor and by then I had already filled my shop with tools, benches and storage cabinets.

To the OP: I hope that Cian Perez and Dave Diaman's testimonials as to the benefits of laminate flooring will allay any safety concerns you may have about it. Cian, like me is a hobbiest and Dave is a professional (builder of exquisite furniture I might add) that makes his living in his shop. Sawdust is slippery; if you're not careful, you can slip on any surface it may be on. That's why cleaning it up is so important.

Doug

[Tapper]

Tapper,  I work in two shops. The large shop I work in has hard maple flooring. My primary shop has laminate that I bought from Lumber liquidators. I did put a thin padding under it. Of the two shops I prefer the laminate in my shop. The maple flooring is great but if you get any sawdust on it at all it is like an ice skating rink. If the floor wasn't finished it would probably be better but that leads to its own problems. The cheap laminate in my shop has a textured surface give it more grip. There is also a coating on it that needs to be cleaned off after installation. A good mop with a strong floor cleaner seems to do the trick for it though. There were a few places where I wanted additional grip. In these areas I taped it off and used my spray gun to spray a very poorly atomized stain poly on it holding the gun about 18" off the floor. This gave the area a really rough orange peal texture while not changing the look. I didn't spray it on thick. Thick over spray texture. It is a lot harder to sweep and a dust mop will not work on it but there in no slipping no matter how hard you try. Sand paper traction strips will work too but I'm cheap and had the finish.  I mainly did this in front of my jointer and shaper to make sure I have traction for pushing. On the maple floor we had to use sandpaper stair tread strips. We put them in front of every machine in that shop. Check out Lumber Liquidators the 1200sf of laminate for my shop cost me roughly $350. 

As Cian said, great looking shop Dave - glad the laminate flooring worked out!

Doug

[Jack01]

Thanks for everyone's input.

It looks like couple of great options

• Horse stall Matt - this will be a non slippery option, also possibly no damaged to tools if dropped, good on feet. easy to install. Challenge will be getting down in basement as it is heavy. I am not sure if the tools will move around on this. All my tools on casters and I move them often. I will appreciate input on this.
  
• Laminate floor. This will be a cheep option. Sometimes I can get laminate flooring on Craigslist for about 50 cents sq. ft. This seems easy to install. Lightweight. Challenge is that it seems slippery.
  

[JGrout]

Thanks for everyone's input.

It looks like couple of great options

• Horse stall Matt - this will be a non slippery option, also possibly no damaged to tools if dropped, good on feet. easy to install. Challenge will be getting down in basement as it is heavy. I am not sure if the tools will move around on this. All my tools on casters and I move them often. I will appreciate input on this.
  
• Laminate floor. This will be a cheep option. Sometimes I can get laminate flooring on Craigslist for about 50 cents sq. ft. This seems easy to install. Lightweight. Challenge is that it seems slippery.
  

I still consider laminate flooring to be the worst possible solution. 

People use it and that is fine but not here

[DFJarvie]

I installed a floor with OSB, good side up. PT Sleepers flat with insulation and plastic moisture barrier. I painted it with floor paint. The OSB is rough enough so you don't slip. In the 6 years I've had it down its held up very well with minimal flaking.

[Steve N]

Thanks for everyone's input.

It looks like couple of great options

• Horse stall Matt - this will be a non slippery option, also possibly no damaged to tools if dropped, good on feet. easy to install. Challenge will be getting down in basement as it is heavy. I am not sure if the tools will move around on this. All my tools on casters and I move them often. I will appreciate input on this.
  
• Laminate floor. This will be a cheep option. Sometimes I can get laminate flooring on Craigslist for about 50 cents sq. ft. This seems easy to install. Lightweight. Challenge is that it seems slippery.
  

Jack the beauty of the horse mats, or the cushy ones like I got at Woodcraft is they are fairly easily moved around. Maybe everyone with the horse mats uses them differently, but I cut mine length wise down the middle so they are a thinned version. I don't need a cushioned floor 3 feet behind me, just in the slice where I stand, walk, and work in front of my TS, Jointer, Planer, etc. Cut in half they are much easier to move, so in the cases when I do want to use the leaf blower, or move a machine it's easy to do.

Saying laminate, or hardwood floors is a mouthful when you think of the many makes, surfaces, and finishes. I certainly can't speak for them all, but I have been in a LOT of shops over the years, and the only ones where I felt unsafe walking around were on the finished wood surfaces. Not all mind you, but most of them. Now a plywood floor on risers with no finish is an awesome floor for you back and legs, and is absolutely sure footed. So I am in Joe's camp that a finished wood floor would never find it's way into my shop. Do they look good, you betcha. Are they always safe to walk on, Nope. I'm 62 and not getting any younger, back when I was a lot more sure footed, maybe, but today, well I'm a realist, and a possible slick floor is not in my future. That said, I respect both Cian, and Dave, and for them their floors are what they want, but I don't think either are getting to be old Men, and so are undoubtedly more sure footed then I am.

[EricU]

laminate on top of dricore is starting to sound better to me.  Only thing is I'm not sure I want to put my 5000 pound milling machine on top of it.

[fredhargis]

laminate on top of dricore is starting to sound better to me.  Only thing is I'm not sure I want to put my 5000 pound milling machine on top of it.

Got that on a mobile base, have ya'?