ChetlovesMer Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 My previous shop had a false floor with laminate flooring. It was nice because I ran dust collection and electrical under the floor. My new shop is a standard 2 car garage. Now I have a concrete floor. My lower back aches after too many hours out there. So, I recently bought a ton of those "puzzle-piece" rubber flooring mats. Now my floor is softer much easier on my back. I think it also helps keep it a little warmer in there, but that may be psychosomatic. Just curious, what do you all have for flooring in your shop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted January 8, 2011 Report Share Posted January 8, 2011 A friend of mine found 4 large weight-lifting mats in one of his rentals that he gave me. These are the same ones you see in LA Fitness's weight area. They are fantastic! Pretty pricey when I looked up the cost. I also have those puzzle mats; had those before and was always annoyed with them coming undone. I wanted to put duct tape over the seams on the underside to keep them still, but now there are only a few in use on a different less-trafficed part of the garage. I have several control joints in the 2-car bay. Two are right next to a tool on a mobile base; when the wheels get stuck, it's a chore to get them unstuck. For that, I used a core-box bit and routed two hollows under a narrow strip of wood; that strip now sits in the control joint flush with the top. I was reluctant to fill the joint with anything rigid and most compounds for doing so (that I found) were like a caulk providing no support if a wheel found the joint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomP Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I have a concrete floor since I work out of my very small garage. I'm waiting for someone to invent a heated tablesaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I'm waiting for someone to invent a heated tablesaw A friend suggested using infra-red heaters in my shop, because they heat what they are aimed at. His idea is that I could have a heated tablesaw, or heat up the specific area I was working in/on. I haven't tried it or looked into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jab73180 Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 i have saw dust on my shop floor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasScott Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 In my work shop I have concrete floors...I was a Machinist for many years and found that standing on wood helped for long hours at a time..Till I started running CNC...Then all I needed was a padded seat... But I know a Barber that had the black thick mats for standing on while cutting hair..He said they worked great so I bought 1 from him and they are the best thing I have found to stand on for many hours..There 4 inches thick with a cut out for the barber chair on the edge of the mat,I just slid that under my work bench...The mat is 4 feet wide and around 7 feet long....Plan on buying 1 or to 2 more for future use...... Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giorgione7777 Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 My shop is in my basement so as of now it's concrete. Still undecided as to which type of floor to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssrt3 Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 what i have is concrete floors, i find a good pair of shoes or boots keeps my feet from hurting in the shop. In the spring i plan to add a 20*34 addition onto my shop with a crawl space under it so i can run my dust collection in it. and add a pooper to (pooper is the main reason) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 I built my shop with a crawl space, so I wouldn't have to be on concrete. I have a layer of 5/8" exterior plywood down, then 3/4" T&G run perpendicular to that, glued and nailed. Finally, I have 1/4" luan ply screwed down as my finished floor. That makes it easy to replace when and if I wear it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted January 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 ..There 4 inches thick with a cut out for the barber chair on the edge of the mat,I just slid that under my work bench...The mat is 4 feet wide and around 7 feet long....Plan on buying 1 or to 4 inches thick! ... Good heavens! I've never seen mats that thick, at least not any designed to stand on. Can you post a picture, because I'm having trouble picturing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Pants Posted January 9, 2011 Report Share Posted January 9, 2011 Some people use shops like mine to park cars in, I know that blew my mind when I first heard it too. Either way my shop floor is concrete, so like Chet I use the little puzzle pieces around my tools. They work fairly well. One day though if I ever get to build my dream shop, I want to put in a raised floor (I work in IT mundanely it's what you have in server rooms), this would leave about two to three feet under the floor itself to run ducting, cords etc, the tiles are a torsion box so they're not as hard on the feet and if it's sturdy enough for server racks it would have to be sturdy enough for machines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmrys Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 So, I recently bought a ton of those "puzzle-piece" rubber flooring mats. Now my floor is softer much easier on my back. I think it also helps keep it a little warmer in there, but that may be psychosomatic. Just curious, what do you all have for flooring in your shop? I have those puzzle piece mats in my garage too. I have them arranged around tools and find it easy to pull them up and redo when I need to move tools on wheels or get the notion to re-organize the place. As for keeping it warmer, I agree. At least my feet are warmer and that keeps the rest of me warmer too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capnjack2 Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 My last shop was in the basement of my house. I have since moved it into a cottage on my property so its got a wood floor and a crawlspace. It's plenty comfortable,, especially compared to the concrete in the basement. One thing I always liked though were those 2' x 4' mats. They sell them at HD for about 15 or 20 dollars. Not 4 inches thick, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petersb Posted January 13, 2011 Report Share Posted January 13, 2011 I have the puzzle pieces in concrete in my shop too. They make it easier on the bones and a bit warmer too. I also wear athletic shoes for some extra cush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbast Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 A friend suggested using infra-red heaters in my shop, because they heat what they are aimed at. His idea is that I could have a heated tablesaw, or heat up the specific area I was working in/on. I haven't tried it or looked into it. The infra-red heaters work great for small areas. Have one over my work bench area. Will not heat a whole garage in the cold winter, but makes work areas comfortable. Also use it to help finish cure in the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 My last shop was in the basement of my house. I have since moved it into a cottage on my property so its got a wood floor and a crawlspace. It's plenty comfortable,, especially compared to the concrete in the basement. One thing I always liked though were those 2' x 4' mats. They sell them at HD for about 15 or 20 dollars. Not 4 inches thick, though. My current shop location is in the basement, also. I purchased a foam mat roll from my local chain discount store (Ironically named Marc's http://www.marcs.com/ ) for about $10. It's 4' by 6', about 1/4" thick, smooth on one side and "studded" with 1/2" dots on the other. And currently rolled halfway up the stack where I'm planning on putting the workbench, as there isn't enough room on the floor to fully unroll it. As for heat, well, I'm actually looking for a fan to get rid of the heat. I didn't realize it until I started working in this particular corner, but with the tools on, the lights on, and the furnace going, all the heat pools in this particular corner. It's easily fifteen degrees warmer in that corner than anywhere else in the basement. The only place in the house that's warmer is the bathroom, which does not have a cold air return, so it's always a sauna. (it has other issues, too.) I was going to put some of those puzzle pieces on the floor too, but I have other things I need to get first. Besides, this mat has done well so far, even though it's gotten limited use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlamulle Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 My previous shop had a false floor with laminate flooring. It was nice because I ran dust collection and electrical under the floor. My new shop is a standard 2 car garage. Now I have a concrete floor. My lower back aches after too many hours out there. So, I recently bought a ton of those "puzzle-piece" rubber flooring mats. Now my floor is softer much easier on my back. I think it also helps keep it a little warmer in there, but that may be psychosomatic. Just curious, what do you all have for flooring in your shop? Well, when I built my shop I built up a hill of soil about 3' high then poured 6" of concrete. I installed my 4" PVC for the dust extraction under the concrete floor to help with grounding it against static electricity as well as keeping it mostly out of the way. I ran 2x4's on 24" centers along the concrete floor and shot them down with a ramset gun. I then placed inch and a half foam insulation on top of the concrete between all the 2x4's and screwed 3/4 plywood on top of that. I covered the plywood with epoxy grey paint then placed cushioned mats at each station. It stays warm to the feet and it's very easy to stand on as well as easy on dropped tools. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeneron Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 I mainly work out of the basement right now and just have the bare concrete floor. It is killer on the feet when standing for even a couple hours. I am in the process of renovating the basement and am going to put down 1" XPS insulation and then 5/8" tongue and groove plywood on top (all tapconned to the floor). For the work area, I have some of the puzzle piece foam as well and will put that down so my feet should thank me when that's all complete. I have a couple of the overhead radiant heaters and they are nice if you are standing in that area, but don't expect them to heat much more than that. I had 2 of them running before Xmas to speed up the finishing on a project and my electricity bill was quite a bit higher that month Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royal Payne Posted January 19, 2011 Report Share Posted January 19, 2011 I also have the foam puzzle pieces, They're awesome and help allot if you suffer from feet or back pain. Plus if something accidentally gets knocked off the workbench it will have a padded landing when it hits the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtoland Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Hog Heaven! (see link below for further explanation) Pricy, but worth every penny. http://www.uline.com/BL_1780/Hog-Heaven-Mats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Enco has some nice 3x3 mats on sale; they are 5/8" thick and I like how they interlock since they won't come apart without some work. And did I say they are on sale? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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