A good and inexpensive floor treatment for a woodworking shop's concrete floor.

[MattF]

I would like to do my floor with the Dri-Core subfloor panels. 

[Minnesota Steve]

21 minutes ago, MattF said:

I would like to do my floor with the Dri-Core subfloor panels. 

There was another thread about these, and they're great for a basement.

The problem with garage floors is that they're intentionally sloped to allow water to drain, and I think it'd be hard to level the dricore.   I guess it depends on how bad the slope is. 

[Minnesota Steve]

PT 2x lumber is so wet... they really warp badly as they dry out.   If you do go that route you'll want to stack and band them like Matt Cremona's slabs as they dry out.

The nice thin about those laminated lumber products is you can buy a 20' long board and it'll be absolutely straight.

 

 

[drzaius]

22 hours ago, shaneymack said:

If you can afford it, get the full length timberstands. It will be much easier, faster and they are dead straight

I love engineered lumber. Strong, straight, stable, consistent.

[drzaius]

37 minutes ago, MattF said:

I would like to do my floor with the Dri-Core subfloor panels. 

I think those would be great over a slab, but I wonder about a shop & heavy machinery. What would concern me is the point load when you're moving a 600 lb (or more) machine on casters across the joints.

[MattF]

16 minutes ago, Minnesota Steve said:

There was another thread about these, and they're great for a basement.

The problem with garage floors is that they're intentionally sloped to allow water to drain, and I think it'd be hard to level the dricore.   I guess it depends on how bad the slope is. 

My shop is in the garage and the floor has a slight slope to it, per design. Its really not enough to bother me. 

[MattF]

7 minutes ago, drzaius said:

I think those would be great over a slab, but I wonder about a shop & heavy machinery. What would concern me is the point load when you're moving a 600 lb (or more) machine on casters across the joints.

I have read reviews of people using this floor in their shops and they say its great. No issues with moving machinery around. Website says they are rated at 4000lbs/square foot, which if my math is correct that roughly 28psi. I feel that should be adequate for a hobbyist shop. 

[shaneymack]

3 hours ago, MattF said:

I would like to do my floor with the Dri-Core subfloor panels. 

I think you will hate your life real quick minutes after you start this install. 

What do you think are the benefits of going with this over framing and sheathing a floor?

[Ecomma]

+1 on the rubber stable mats from Tractor Supply.  Awesome super tough and fairly cheap.

[Chestnut]

11 minutes ago, shaneymack said:

I think you will hate your life real quick minutes after you start this install. 

What do you think are the benefits of going with this over framing and sheathing a floor?

Less height loss. Are they really that bad?

[MattF]

42 minutes ago, shaneymack said:

I think you will hate your life real quick minutes after you start this install. 

What do you think are the benefits of going with this over framing and sheathing a floor?

Why do you think this is a bad product? It seems this would be a pretty simple install with the a shop that is already full of tools. If I was starting with an empty shop, framing and sheathing would be the way to go, still might. I would really like to hear the negatives. 

Also I have 8.5' ceilings and would like to not lose that much height, granted, I could lose a couple inches and not worry. 

 

Honestly, I would like to go the cheapest route that's not permanent for resale reasons. Shop is in the garage, and the next owner may want to, dare I say it, park in there.

[Minnesota Steve]

1 hour ago, MattF said:

Why do you think this is a bad product? It seems this would be a pretty simple install with the a shop that is already full of tools. If I was starting with an empty shop, framing and sheathing would be the way to go, still might. I would really like to hear the negatives. 

Also I have 8.5' ceilings and would like to not lose that much height, granted, I could lose a couple inches and not worry. 

 

Honestly, I would like to go the cheapest route that's not permanent for resale reasons. Shop is in the garage, and the next owner may want to, dare I say it, park in there.

Nice thing about the dricore tiles is you could take them back out and reuse them.

 

[MattF]

8 minutes ago, Minnesota Steve said:

Nice thing about the dricore tiles is you could take them back out and reuse them.

 

Agreed. When we sell the house, the new owner may not want a floor in the garage. I can stack these up and move them with the shop. I am in no hurry to do this. I finished off insulating the a couple weeks ago. For some reason, the builders decided to leave the front 8 foot of the garage unfinished on both sides. Added insulation and drywall along with insulating the garage door panels. It has made a huge improvement so far.

[shaneymack]

1 hour ago, MattF said:

Why do you think this is a bad product? It seems this would be a pretty simple install with the a shop that is already full of tools. If I was starting with an empty shop, framing and sheathing would be the way to go, still might. I would really like to hear the negatives. 

Also I have 8.5' ceilings and would like to not lose that much height, granted, I could lose a couple inches and not worry. 

 

Honestly, I would like to go the cheapest route that's not permanent for resale reasons. Shop is in the garage, and the next owner may want to, dare I say it, park in there.

I do not think is a bad product as long as it is used the way it was intended. I do not think this is the product to go with having an inch or more slope from the perimeter of your floor to the drain. This would be good for a basement where there is slight waves  but no large intentional slope. I think the square foot weight rating you refer to is when the panel is bearing almost completely on concrete. I think the only way to properly install this in a garage with a slope would be to block off the drain pour self-leveling concrete and install over that. You can use dricore shims but I don't think you can use very many.

[Chestnut]

6 minutes ago, shaneymack said:

I do not think is a bad product as long as it is used the way it was intended. I do not think this is the product to go with having an inch or more slope from the perimeter of your floor to the drain. This would be good for a basement where there is slight waves  but no large intentional slope. I think the square foot weight rating you refer to is when the panel is bearing almost completely on concrete. I think the only way to properly install this in a garage with a slope would be to block off the drain pour self-leveling concrete and install over that. You can use dricore shims but I don't think you can use very many.

I wish my garage had a drain . Is that a canadian code to have a drain? It seems like most of the homes around here don't have them. The people I've know that have installed them had nothing but trouble with them.

[MattF]

8 minutes ago, shaneymack said:

I do not think is a bad product as long as it is used the way it was intended. I do not think this is the product to go with having an inch or more slope from the perimeter of your floor to the drain. This would be good for a basement where there is slight waves  but no large intentional slope. I think the square foot weight rating you refer to is when the panel is bearing almost completely on concrete. I think the only way to properly install this in a garage with a slope would be to block off the drain pour self-leveling concrete and install over that. You can use dricore shims but I don't think you can use very many.

 

1 minute ago, Chestnut said:

I wish my garage had a drain . Is that a canadian code to have a drain? It seems like most of the homes around here don't have them. The people I've know that have installed them had nothing but trouble with them.

No drain here. Just a slight slope from the house to front of the garage. Floor is flat in the X and Y. You are correct about the shims, they are to be used for small dips and undulations, not leveling. 

 

-Chestnut- Are you referring to problems with drains, or dricore panels?

 

[Chestnut]

Just now, MattF said:

 

-Chestnut- Are you referring to problems with drains, or dricore panels?

Drains. Even with the heated garage they'd freeze up.

[shaneymack]

3 minutes ago, Chestnut said:

I wish my garage had a drain . Is that a canadian code to have a drain? It seems like most of the homes around here don't have them. The people I've know that have installed them had nothing but trouble with them.

I've never built a house (or seen a house) without a drain in the garage. Not sure where the trouble would cone from ? People park their cars in the garage full of snow and ice so it needs to go somewhere. Also if you wash your car in the garage, kinda needs a drain. 

I find it interesting that you guys don't have drains. Maybe Matt has no drain therefore no slope? Putting dry core on a garage floor here with the drains and slopes we have would be an absolute nightmare. Pretty much not doable

[shaneymack]

3 minutes ago, MattF said:

No drain here. Just a slight slope from the house to front of the garage

Ahhhhhhh ! Please proceed with the dri core installation LOL.

 

We have slopes in the garages anywhere from 1-3" , that's what I was picturing.

[Tpt life]

3 minutes ago, shaneymack said:

I find it interesting that you guys don't have drains. Maybe Matt has no drain therefore no slope? Putting dry core on a garage floor here with the drains and slopes we have would be an absolute nightmare. Pretty much not doable

This varies by local codes. Automotive fluids reaching the environment is a no-no enough in some places that concrete pitches into a trough rather than sinking into a drain well. 

[MattF]

4 minutes ago, shaneymack said:

I've never built a house (or seen a house) without a drain in the garage. Not sure where the trouble would cone from ? People park their cars in the garage full of snow and ice so it needs to go somewhere. Also if you wash your car in the garage, kinda needs a drain. 

I find it interesting that you guys don't have drains. Maybe Matt has no drain therefore no slope? Putting dry core on a garage floor here with the drains and slopes we have would be an absolute nightmare. Pretty much not doable

People wash cars in the garage? 

3 minutes ago, shaneymack said:

Ahhhhhhh ! Please proceed with the dri core installation LOL.

 

We have slopes in the garages anywhere from 1-3" , that's what I was picturing.

I see your thought process now. A drain in the garage with the floor slope in 360 would not work for this application.

[ben_r_]

28 minutes ago, MattF said:

People wash cars in the garage?

Exactly what I thought too! Wha??? How does that work? Dont the walls get wet along with everything else in the garage?

[Chestnut]

36 minutes ago, shaneymack said:

Also if you wash your car in the garage, kinda needs a drain. 

WHAT@! This HAS to be a Canadian thing. My garage slope is a nice even very shallow grade from the front to the door. All the water just goes to the overhead door and i sweep it out once a week or so with some salt and chunks of ice. Even if i had a drain in my garage i don't think i'd ever wash a car in it. This is just flabergasting. Not in a bad way i think it's awesome.

33 minutes ago, C Shaffer said:

Automotive fluids reaching the environment is a no-no enough in some places that concrete pitches into a trough rather than sinking into a drain well. 

I'm pretty sure Canadian environmental regulations are more strict than ours. At least i assume so. They must have sumps that have to be pumped or just go to a french drain or something.

[Tpt life]

1 hour ago, ben_r_ said:

Exactly what I thought too! Wha??? How does that work? Dont the walls get wet along with everything else in the garage?

I have seen many “wash in” garages that we hung steel siding in or saw stucco in. 

1 hour ago, Chestnut said:

WHATI'm pretty sure Canadian environmental regulations are more strict than ours. At least i assume so. They must have sumps that have to be pumped or just go to a french drain or something.

Read more carefully...”some places...” Nationally you may be accurate. Locally you are not. 

[Cliff]

Wow I have never seen a drain in a garage floor. That would be handy.