Best finish for wood shop floor

[Thom Sturgill]

I will be building a small (200sf) wood turning shop next year. I plan on a wood floor and am wondering if epoxy garage floor coating would work or be recommended. The floor will be 3/4 A/C ply with 2" foam sandwiched between 2 layers of plywood, so there will be plenty of screws holding the plywood down. Even the best dust collection will not stop the curlies from piling up so being able to sweep the shop clean is important, as is slip resistance.

[Dave Gaul]

I'm not sure an epoxy paint is needed, maybe just a good outdoor paint? Like what you would use on a painted porch/deck floor...

[Gordon Eyre]

I did a two part epoxy paint on a canoe that I built and it really held up well over the years. It was very slick however.

[Chris Padilla]

Slick is good for sweeping up...not so good for firm footing or if the floor might get wet. Plan accordingly but the epoxy paint is quite durable.

[Greg Portland]

being able to sweep the shop clean is important, as is slip resistance.I have an epoxy floor. When you put down the floor there are "sprinkles" that you can toss on top to provide traction. Commercial applicators can mix in grit before applying that will do the same thing. With the grit my shop sweeps up easily but it's still slightly slick with a coating of fine wood dust. However, the same could be said for most flooring options (bare concrete, wood, etc.). Do NOT use exterior paint, it will not handle the grinding/rubbing of tools and feet.

[Thomas Bank]

I'd consider a good porch and floor paint. I've had good luck with Sherwin Williams Porch & Floor Enamel and it is fully tintable.

[Prashun Patel]

If you don't mind flakes coming off or stains, you can use a porch floor paint. Prime it with Kilz or Zinsser BIN first. Kilz smells for a while, beware.

You could also use a decent deck stain or sealer. That'll seal it and make it a little more sweepable, and will be less chippy than a paint.

A floor grade polyurethane (to many, that's redundant) might also be a good choice if you don't wish for an opaque covering.

[Henry Ambrose]

No bigger than it is why not a roll vinyl floor? Easy to do before the tools are installed and can look really nice for a shop.

[Adam Strong]

Speaking of vinyl, you could go with VCT.