mikepugh Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 I'm moving my workshop out of my freezing cold garage and into my basement. I finished my basement a little over a year ago (kind of what got me into woodworking to begin with) and back then I had no idea I'd ever create a shop, so I made this one space for a gym and it's got a nice bamboo floor. I'm going to move my shop into this gym space but I want to protect the floor. I was thinking of getting one of those 1/8" thick rubber rolls, and lay down enough to cover my entire bamboo floor but I'm curious if anyone thinks this could be a problem. Does the rubber mat have too much give/bounce for the machines to be on? I've got a band saw, table saw, drill press, jointer, and my bench - and I'd hate to scratch up the bamboo but I don't want to have an unstable tool. If the rubber mats on top of the bamboo sounds like a viable option I'll go that route - if people more experienced than I think it'll be a problem then I'll take up the bamboo floor and put it in storage (this sounds like a pain so I'm crossing my fingers for the rubber mat...). Thanks for any and all advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dozer's Workshop Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 Actually it sounds like a good idea. I got my degree in interior architecture and work for an architectur company. Just one question, is it really spongy or pretty tight? Just make sure the floor is clean beforehand and seal your joints with good carpet tape from the backside to keep any debris from getting under it. Be sure it can handle having things dropped on it without tearing open. Anything that got caught under would just be like sandpaper as you walked around over time, so any tears that do happen should be fixed quick. Since the rubber is only 1/8" thick, you shouldn't have any stability issues with knocking over equipment. If you set up shop in a bounce castle it would be a different story... :-) It should actually help deaden vibration and quiet the space. It would need to float over the existing floor... Don't glue it down.. But I'll bet you figured that out already... If it starts to roll up at the edges, you might need to secure it at the room's perimeter Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben@FineWoodworking Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 What about laying down a layer of Masonite or hardboard down and then the rubber? You'd be sure that the bamboo is protected even if it tore but still have the great look and feel of the rubber. Either way my sore back is jealous. Concrete ain't doing me any favors. (null) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike M Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 You might have a problem is there is ANY moisture coming up through the concrete. The rubber mat will trap it and cause damage and/or mold in the bamboo flooring. Unless the concrete is absolutely dry, I'd find another way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 honestly the best mat that i have found are the heavy anti fatigue mats at menards they are a heavy rubber but desighned so they give plenty of flex to them. and they are tuff enough that that it will be a very very long time before you have to replace any. it wont look nice but here is what i would do. put carpet samples/ cut up area of carpeting under each machine or maybe cheap laminet. and put the mats every where else then you know you tools are solid on floor and wont scratch up the wood but you still have a padded ground under you. like i said not prity and little difficult to clean but i think it would be ok. http://www.menards.com/main/flooring/area-rugs-mats/mats/anti-fatigue/apache-workstep-mat-3-x-5/p-117425-c-6527.htm dont go by that price i have goten them for 7-20 bucks when there are on sale about once or twice e a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikepugh Posted January 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 Cool - I'll give it a try! As for concerns about moisture, I've got a moisture barrier underneath the bamboo to protect it. I've also got a dry basement (for now!!) w/ sump pump so I'm not too concerned about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJC5151 Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 I second the underlayment idea. then you could set your tools on the masonite and buy those cheep finger jointer mats from menards and fit is arould the tools. floor protected by masonite, tools stay secure on hard underlayment surface, and your feet reep the benifit of a soft surface Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flairwoodworks Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 I would not go for mats with holes in them. I have solid mats and they are great. Tools and parts (except for really fragile parts) that fall on the floor don't get damaged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 I would not go for mats with holes in them. I have solid mats and they are great. Tools and parts (except for really fragile parts) that fall on the floor don't get damaged. why would you not use the mats with holes in them? i have several of those and several of the solid ones and i like that dust and chips fall under the mat instead of on top that need to swept off daily. and i have yet to have something that is small enough and delicate enough to fall through the holes and get broken. usualy i its tht small i am siting at a bench with a magnifyer, light on and using tweezers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flairwoodworks Posted January 27, 2012 Report Share Posted January 27, 2012 For one, narrow tools such as chisels can fall through and get damaged. Also, I find them more of a nuisance to clean than mats without holes (we have holey mats at work), especially when you are making small chips and stuff which in my experience can get lodged inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
man of wood Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 Hole in mats feel funny under your feet. Screws fall into the holes. Cleaning them sucks too. I use the flat ones from Cosco or Sam's, you can get (8) 2'x2' for under $20. put the shop on the cork floor and enjoy the non cement floors. Better for your back and you will have the shop there for a long time. Plus, if you don't have an other place for the cork floor, then why store it. I don't know what kind of rubber floor you want to put you tools on, but I do know that you don't want them moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted January 29, 2012 Report Share Posted January 29, 2012 You may need to accept that the floor will be damaged over time or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the stains... ...a contrarian opinion.... While the idea of protecting the floor sounds good on paper, not sure that it will work in the long run. Solvents get split, epoxy drips, tools get dropped, lumber gets stored, stuff just happens... It's a shop... I coated my shop floor with pored tarezo epoxy (about the toughest stuff out there -- and at considerable expense) 10 years ago and you can't tell anymore. It's a shop -- stuff happens -- some areas look terrible. I used to care, now I just look at it like honored battle scars... Oh yeah... that's the spot where I did a big glue-up and the epoxy dripped/cured on the floor and had to remove it with a cold chisel. I think that no matter what you attempt, after a decade you will remove what ever 'covering' you try and still be disappointed. It's a basement (no matter how dry): a completely sealed overlay will trap moisture, and a non-completely sealed overlay will permit the occasional solvent spill to soak through. For what it's worth... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Wanted to update my 2c post with an incident that seems almost provincial... Not twelve hours after writing that ‘stuff just happens’ in my shop, I mixed 2 gals of 1lb cut shellac for a spray operation. The shellac was nicely sealed in a high-quality container. While moving a piece outside for spraying, a helper accidently bumped the container and it hit the floor. Before it could be scooped up, about a gallon spilt from a rupture in the ‘supposedly burst proof’ container. First major spill in more than a decade, but if you’ve never spilt lots of shellac, then you have missed out on a real mess. Having an epoxy floor makes cleanup easy, but a real sticky mess none-the-same. Point is, stuff just happens... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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