I am nearly finished with construction of my new retirement retreat, a 40′ X 24′ dedicated shop (with a basement yet!) with central air and heat and a 200 amp elec service. I will be installing a central cyclone DC in the basement ducting up into the shop above.
Now, the question:
I currently have a 3/4″ T&G plywood floor in the main shop area, but I am interested in a “second skin” to put on top of the plywood. Something smoother ( the 3/4″ T&G is pretty beat up from the usual construction traffic) and I am considering MDF, particle board, plywood but probably not OSB. I’ve thought about T&G “seconds quality” oak, but the idea of screwing down sheet goods, flipping it over when it gets beat up has some charm of it’s own.
Any ideas or opinions (durability etc) y’all?? Many thanks
Replies
I would think MDF and plywood with a little sawdust would be a skateing rink. Personally I prefer unfinished yellow pine or oak T&G.
Jack
An Epoxy floor would give you the durability and lasting protection you require. Self leveling Epoxy is what you are looking for.
Personally, I would go with a wide T&G oak floor, I just like the looks and it certainly can take the wear & tear.
Jim
fubar,
Because I'm not afraid of work and I really like to have things that last and last and last I would do things a lot differant.. End grain.. nothing is more durable or neater looking!
I'd take some blocks of white oak heck it doesn't matter what size.. if you want to be creative vary the size if you just want to get it done easily use one standard size.
The way I'd make these blocks is to chop say a 2 inch section off of a 4x4 or 6x6 or whatever a typical 6x6 that is eight foot long would yield about 48 such blocks which would cover 12 sq. ft.. It would take 30 such timber to cover your floor..
a 6"x6"x 8' timber at my sawmill would cost $19.20 x30 timbers and you would have a total of $576.00 in that floor. I'd glue that baby down and take advantage of two conflicting things.. Use Gorella glue or some other one of the newer glues that react to wet wood..
Do it in the middle of the heating season with the wood nice and green and as it dries it will shrink only to swell up again in the summer from humidity..
Frenchy
Never built a floor so didn't want to buy in, but the reserve depot where I have a company has just been refurbished. It has an end-grain hardwood block floor just as you describe and has bee used as a drill hall since the '60s. when the refurbishment was finish, they polished the floor - it looks like it will easily go another 50 years.
dave
patto,
I fell in love with end grain when I visited a factory built around the time of the civil war. It had end grain and had been used real hard for over a hundred years. Extremely heavy equipment had been pounding away for the last century and shop carts with Iron wheels had rolled over it for the same period..
Nobody had ever given any thought to maintinance other than sweeping it. Lord knows what they'd spilled on it.. I'm certain oil and grease and paint etc.. During the remodeling to condominiums heavy construction equipment had rolled over it and all sorts of nasty stuff spilled on it..
In spite of the fact that the factory covered more than a city block, once construction was over they sanded it and put a finish coat on it and it was so stunning everybody complimented it..
frenchy,
I think that's a great idea. I had forgotten about end grain floors.
Jack
Just a minor correction on the math :-). A 40'x24'x2" floor would need 80 of those 8'x6x6 posts, not 30 of them. That's an expensive floor. Might still be worth it though...To the man with a hammer, all the world is a nail.
MaxYak,
I also cheated because my sawmill sells me 8'6" timbers as 8 footers.. That way I was able to ignore the loss from the kerf.
What ever floor you choose to go with do your damnedest to make sure it is as flat and level as possible. My shop is in my basement addition and I didn't do enough looking over shoulders as the floor was poured. As a result there are a few spots (most of the shop area) where machines and runoff tables have to be adjusted level, and most times just so they don't rock. Because the space is not large, and tools get moved often, this is a constant issue. Learn from my mistakes.
Andy
Said least is often said best,
but said best is often said least.
for cost and work involved i woudl find the cheapest hardwood flooring manufacturer i could and then buy 2nd or 3rd grade unfinished flooring.
buy whatever species you can get the best deal on, ususally they have one they just call "oak hardwood" which is a mixture of red and white oak boards. they have small to medium knots and discolorations, but if you appreciate the look of wood it is not unappealing...
you should be able to pick it up for well under $1/sf and then put it down yourself...for a shop floor i think i might even consider leaving it unfinished
That is some choice of name you made. I hope it has no significance.
I have a two-story shop, too, with dust collector below. The previous owner who built it laid a 1/2-inch plywood two-layer floor. A serious mistake! He could have used 3/4 T&G as you did -- wisely, may I observe. IMHO, you should leave the floor as it is except give it a good oil treatment. Unless you have retired in your twenties, the floor will probably last as long as you need it. Anything else you do will probably make the shop no more useful nor desirable. Putting down another layer of sheet goods will make it less desirable as is my floor. You also should take into consideration that the T&G floor flexes. Whatever is put down over it must do the same thing and do it gracefully. LOL!
Cadiddlehopper
PS: If what you want is a stiffer floor, what you must do is glue the second layer to the first. You don't really want to do that, do you?
Cadid
Edited 10/6/2006 6:15 pm ET by cadiddlehopper
Cadid-
Stiffer would be a plus, my main consideration is to improve its appearance, (drywall drops look like a flock of pigeons roosted in the place, as well as some wear and tear from construction efforts) and its "sweepability".
Thanks for your insight
Fub
A very light sanding followed by heavy paint or varnish would help. The epoxy coating someone else suggested might be good. But save yourself the effort of a second layer of flooring. LOL!Cadid
If you wanted a relatively cheap sheet good solution think about masonite. I used to work in live theatre and we would often lay down a masonite deck on top of the stage floor, usually hardwood though I worked on a few softwood stages over the years. Leave a 1/16" gap all the way around and seal with your choice - I like the epoxy with a little grit solution. We'd typically get two years of VERY heavy use from a masonite stage floor - 2000lb. boxes on steel wheels, heavy construction, all sorts of tough work.
Richard
Hi fubar, thought I'd chime in because I used this very forum last year and got fantastic ideas. I finally went with 3/4 T&G ply underlayment. No finish. I did it in my garage with a 2x4, over plastic barrier, framework. It's worked great and was relatively inexpensive. Easy to install too. So when my kids come in the shop to do their "projects" and get paint all over, nails stuck in the floor, and generally hack and slash the floor, it doesn't bother me as much as it may have. I guess when they move out or get older I'll do the end grain floor. That just sounds way too nice to pass up.
Good luck!
Glad to see I'm not the only one who puts more emphasis on the things leaving the shop than on the things in the shop. I also put down T&G Blandex (waterproof?) directly on concrete (dried for two years). Four year later, it is still flat.
Cheap. The only complaint is I can't find little "things" I drop as they tend to blend in with the floor! I do have 14 shop lights (48" dual bulb T8) individually switchable in the 800 sq ft area. Still lose things periodically. Maybe it is my eyes :-)
Workbench. Yeah, custom made. 3ft x 8 ft sheet of OSB with 2x8 frame on 6 each 2x2 oak legs off a shipping crate. Pretty? Absolutely not. Useful? Very. I can beat on it, cut on it, paint on it, file on it, even stack junk on it. Do I care? Nope!
Yeah, I don't worry about damage to the workbench, floor, etc. But the tools are never abused, always cleaned after use and put up. I care more about the projects going to the house or out as gifts.
Maybe I'm missing something about an expensive floor or workbench?
A bad day woodworking is better than a good day working -- yes, I'm retired!
My floor is 3/4 T&G underlayment, on top of 3/4" ply sleepers, with 3/4" foam insulation between. Comfy, could be less jiggly (the concrete floor looks like the North Atlantic in a good blow), is certainly plain jane, and works great.
Looks to me like you have a more than servicable floor. If the basement is unheated and cold, insulate the floor (or go with radiant heat).
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