Thread: Workshop Floor

Originally Posted by havabeer69

rather then epoxying etc... is it worth just painting it?

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I did my shed in driveway paint. A bit like garage floor paint, but the heavy duty version. Or so it says on the tin. It was brilliant for a long time, but after twelve years or so, it is getting to the the point where there are plenty of places it has rubbed through, and will probably need a re-cover within the next five. It will be timber though. Softer on the feet, easier on the tools, and warmer in winter.

Were I not going for wood, I would pay the money for a good epoxy covering. Having said that, we were in a different financial position when building initially, and the epoxy was out of our budget, so the driveway paint was a great option and I'm glad we did it.

Thinking about this again.

Totally depending on the size the OP is actually trying to cover, is there any reason not to just roll out some vinyl and just stick it straight to the cement in the corners

Senso Lifestyle 3m Wide Nordic White Sheet Vinyl Flooring - Bunnings Australia

While not the cheapest product by far, its probably one of the quickest and easiest to install.

Originally Posted by KeithP

I did consider covering the floor with Structa-Floor, I'm not sure if that would be a viable option. It certainly would be kinder to dropped tools.

Regards
Keith

Also, far kinder on your feet. And warmer in winter.

Originally Posted by haveabeer69

Thinking about this again.

Totally depending on the size the OP is actually trying to cover, is there any reason not to just roll out some vinyl and just stick it straight to the cement in the corners ...

Probably way too expensive.

Fifty years ago, most offices had vinyl floors, then, almost overnight, they were replaced with carpet. This was purely a cost reduction move. (I was involved - first job)

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Fifty years ago, most offices had vinyl floors, then, almost overnight, they were replaced with carpet. This was purely a cost reduction move. (I was involved - first job)

And here I thought that replacing lino and/or vinyl flooring with carpet was all about the reduced life cycle cost of cleaning carpet -- you only need to vacuum a carpeted office once a month, while a hard surface (lino or vinyl) in an office setting usually needs to be cleaned with a damp mop daily.


In Keith's case, sweeping a hard floor when it needs it would seem to be the way he wishes to go

Originally Posted by ian

And here I thought that replacing lino and/or vinyl flooring with carpet was all about the reduced life cycle cost of cleaning carpet -- you only need to vacuum a carpeted office once a month, while a hard surface (lino or vinyl) in an office setting usually needs to be cleaned with a damp mop daily.

In Keith's case, sweeping a hard floor when it needs it would seem to be the way he wishes to go

You are right, Ian, but a little more complex than that.

From memory - and if you can remember the sixties you were not there - some of the relevant costs were:

• Capital cost,
• Cleaning costs,
• Heating costs - carpets eliminated the "cold feet" associated with vinyl => turn the heating down by 1 or 2 degrees and no one notices,
• Insurance costs - fewer slips on carpet,
• Staff perceptions - carpets viewed as a luxury fit out, even though they were cheapest!
• Quieter - supposed to help productivity,
• Corporate image - customers will see we are looking after our staff!

Carpet tiles were for high wear areas - lobbies, corridors, etc - and could be rotated to spread wear - or easily replaced.

Not sure I believed it all - even then.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

Carpet tiles were for high wear areas - lobbies, corridors, etc - and could be rotated to spread wear - or easily replaced.

In the late 70's the top floor corridor of our ~100m long Uni building was fitted with beige and chocolate brown carpet tiles.

One night during rag week a bunch of students relaid the tiles so they spelled out. "[Surname of difficult lecturer] can get F_____"
You had to look hard to see it but it was there for months before the beige were replaced with chocolate brown.

The same group of students didn't like the new speed humps installed on the ring road around the campus so they removed them using a 4WD and some hooks and chains.
They were replace and removed again by the students so instead of replacing the humps for a third time, admin inserted dips which the students filled but the fill was hosed out in short order so the students gave up and went into something else.

The workshop is 3600 x 2500
I will go with epoxy and etch the floor as BobL has suggested. I can use an anti fatigue mat at the bench for my comfort and tool protection.
The house is due for completion at the end of Jan - early Feb 2022.
The garage floor 3600 x 6000 will also be coated with epoxy.

Thanks for your contributions (esp. BobL)

Regards
Keith

if the concrete is new is there any need to etch it?

Cheers,
Geoff.

Originally Posted by Boringgeoff

if the concrete is new is there any need to etch it?

Yeah its better if it is etched as this breaks up the skin produced by finishing the concrete. The etching opens up pores so the epoxy can produce a better bond.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

You are right, Ian, but a little more complex than that.

From memory - and if you can remember the sixties you were not there - some of the relevant costs were:

• Capital cost,
• Cleaning costs,
• Heating costs - carpets eliminated the "cold feet" associated with vinyl => turn the heating down by 1 or 2 degrees and no one notices,
• Insurance costs - fewer slips on carpet,
• Staff perceptions - carpets viewed as a luxury fit out, even though they were cheapest!
• Quieter - supposed to help productivity,
• Corporate image - customers will see we are looking after our staff!

Carpet tiles were for high wear areas - lobbies, corridors, etc - and could be rotated to spread wear - or easily replaced.

Not sure I believed it all - even then.

The story as I was told it, was that the carpet was installed by the cleaning contractor because the "savings" in labour outweighed the capital cost of installing the carpet.

Originally Posted by ian

The story as I was told it, was that the carpet was installed by the cleaning contractor because the "savings" in labour outweighed the capital cost of installing the carpet.

Haven't heard that before, Ian. As a trainee accountant I was involved in double checking all the calculations, and perparing material for the internal information campagne. There was a surprising amount of resistance - Why is management wasting money on luxury carpets? Why not a pay rise?

But the seventies was the start of a transition in cleaning practices. Most enterprises still had employed cleaners in 1970. The outsourcing of cleaning basicallly only started in the seventies and really took off in the eighties.

I remember sitting in on contract discussions as bidders explained how they would reduce costs:

• We will clean the ground floor lobby twice a day,
• We will clean the lifts twice a day,
• We will clean the top floor lobby twice a week.....

It seems axiomatic, but they were tailoring the cleaning to how dirty each area got. Dirty areas got cleaned a lot, cleaner and little used areas were cleaned less frequently. Previously, most had the same cleaning regime on every floor.

A little left field but what about using carpet tiles? Stumpy Nubs has a video on this when he purchased an old post office (I think) as his new workshop and the guy from Make Something also has carpet in his workshop.

Food for thought

I have thought about "shop floor" more than I care to admit.

I have an area of my "shop" that has carpet tiles (shared with laundry). Look - yes you can vacuum every day. And the vacuuming will be a chore and the only way to clean up other than a stiff-bristled broom.

I have ended up with a large cheap plastic mat from the Supercheap at the end of the street which is comfortable, easy on tools, easy to sweep, and nil maintenance.

Originally Posted by samo

A little left field but what about using carpet tiles? Stumpy Nubs has a video on this when he purchased an old post office (I think) as his new workshop and the guy from Make Something also has carpet in his workshop.

Food for thought

My shed is getting closer (construction starts tomorrow), so the subject of flooring (and walls) comes up again. From what I can tell epoxy is fairly pricey ($30+/m2). I probably need something cheaper...