Flooring to protect existing pine floor

[Herv Peairs]

My workshop is located in an approximately 200 sq. ft. bedroom that I appropriated from a vacant mother-in-law apartment in our home. It has wide pine flooring that acquired some character during the years it was occupied. I assumed a little more character wouldn't hurt, but after dropping a few tools I've come to the realization that I'm going to ruin the floor for future use as living space if I don't lay something down to protect it.

My requirements for the covering material are that 1) it lay perfectly flat and stay in place without being nailed to the floor underneath. (double-sided carpet tape would be ok, if necessary); 2) it be reasonably easy to sweep; 3) it be reasonably inexpensive; 4) it be reasonably easy to lay; 5) in the future I may buy a band saw and put it on wheels so I can keep it in the corner and roll it out as needed -- so being able to roll heavy equipment is a consideration. However, this is primarily a hand-tools-only (aka neanderthal) shop. 6) It should be pretty firm. My workbench will sit on it. I don't care about depressions in the covering but I don't want it to cause the bench to bounce or absorb much energy when I'm pounding on something. I'm not going to leave an open space for the bench -- the bench has to sit on it.

I've browsed some of the threads on flooring and have gleaned a few ideas. However, most of these threads are about concrete floors so I thought a new thread would be ok. Here are the current candidates:



T&G plywood or OSB
Horse stall mats (I have a local Tractor Supply). I'm not a big fan of this idea due to the weight
Utility mats sold by Tractor supply that appear to be a smaller horse stall mat (1/2" instead of 3/4")
Tight-Lock tiles from rubberflooringinc. These look to cost $500 or so for this job and are thus at the high end of the price range. Looks like most people use these for home gyms. These would be easy to lay and I could easily take them with me when we eventually move.
What else can you think of?


I kind of like the idea of mats but I wonder if they would be impractical in some way or would wear out.

Your thoughts? Thanks!

[Jim Becker]

Anti-fatigue mats from U-Line

[Ole Anderson]

Any floating laminate flooring. I have inexpensive Pergo in my shop, it sweeps easily and is not slippery. $2.30-$2.80/sf at the BORG.

[Tom Bender]

You might get by with linoleum, just taped down at the edges.

[Lee Schierer]

Any floating laminate flooring. I have inexpensive Pergo in my shop, it sweeps easily and is not slippery. $2.30-$2.80/sf at the BORG.

I recommend laminate flooring as well.

[Jim Becker]

Laminate is a good idea...the snap-together type that doesn't need glue. It floats on top of a very thin piece of foam padding and should be innocuous to the existing floor below it.

[John C Cox]

Cheap laminate flooring with the thin, cheap vapor barrier pad underneath.. Get the cheap stuff at Blue or Orange BORG, clearance rack at Lumber Liquidators, Ollie's, or whatever. Just make sure it's all the same pattern or you risk the locks not locking together...

Then if you want - lay down the rubber anti-fatigue mats wherever you need to.....

[Herv Peairs]

Thanks for the ideas. This weekend I'll head to the BORG and look at laminate and lino.

[Jim Becker]

Check out Lumber Liquidators, too, if there's one in your area. ;)

[Ole Anderson]

And laminate will allow tools on wheels to move around unlike a soft floor using mats.

[John C Bush]

I used the snap together laminate type with cork surface for a utility closet and is surprisingly durable and easy on the old knees. Didn't need much so not too spendy but IIRC it was more than the simulated wood laminate.

[John C Bush]

Forgot to mention it is a smooth surface so sweeps easily.

[Tom M King]

When we are working inside a finished house, often a museum house, after thoroughly cleaning the floor, we roll out brown builders paper, tape the overlaps with cheap masking tape, and put down hardboard (Masonite) with butt jointed edges (no fasteners). It lays down flat on its own. When we leave, sometimes after being set up there for two years, it's easy to take up. The paper is just rolled up, and tossed. We've never damaged a floor like this, and that's with a full complement of full sized tools on it.

If we are doing plastering, plastic goes down on top of the brown paper:
http://historic-house-restoration.com/images/roomworkplasterprep.JPG

[Bill Dufour]

Costco is often cheaper on the laminate floor then the borgs. But they will not have the trim and edgings.
Bill D. For one room check habitat.
Bil lD

[Herv Peairs]

When we are working inside a finished house, often a museum house, after thoroughly cleaning the floor, we roll out brown builders paper, tape the overlaps with cheap masking tape, and put down hardboard (Masonite) with butt jointed edges (no fasteners). It lays down flat on its own. When we leave, sometimes after being set up there for two years, it's easy to take up. The paper is just rolled up, and tossed. We've never damaged a floor like this, and that's with a full complement of full sized tools on it.


Interesting idea. What thickness of masonite do you use?

[Herv Peairs]

Interesting idea. What thickness of masonite do you use?

Wait. I got confused and temporarily equated masonite and mdf. The hardboard I see on the borg sites is mostly about 1/4" thick. I like the price per square foot and the simple installation. I wonder if I could skip the brown paper, this not being a museum.

The only possible concern is traction.

Maybe I need to stop woodworking in my socks.

[Brian Behrens]

I just did my whole shop (about 1000 sf) with the "luxury vinyl planks". I caught a sale at Lowe's, it was about 1.75 sf. They are cheap, installation well, and it's holding up great. It looks really nice too .The ones I used are a floating floor, it locks together just like laminate .The weight is very low .

[Jim Becker]

Herv, the rosin paper helps protect the floor from any dirt that gets under the hard-board surface....that stuff can grind a floor in a nasty way. I'd probably tape the seams of the hard-board, too, if I were going to do this and planned on any machine mobility.

[Tom M King]

It's not too slick to matter, but anything on wheels rolls easily on it, and it's easy to sweep. The first time we used it, we taped the seams, but never have since. The paper saves even having to vacuum anything but the edges when you take it up. It's just as clean as how you had the floor when you covered it up.

My portable saw is a Unisaw with a long table to the right that is on a mobile base, and we use a 3hp 4 bagger DC that rolls around on it too, along with a full complement of other stuff in the woodworking tool rooms, but the floor looks just like that in the plaster picture, with the Masonite down.

As you can see in the plaster picture, we don't even cut it any more to do all butt joints (but I probably would in your case), but just overlap whole sheets for the last row, and it's never been a trip hazard. Wheels even roll over the 1/8" jump with little trouble. What you see in that picture was used in several other locations, both before that picture in 2012, as well as since, and it's still in use.

I've never measured it, but it's probably not even a full 1/8" thick.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

It's not too slick to matter, but anything on wheels rolls easily on it, and it's easy to sweep. The first time we used it, we taped the seams, but never have since. The paper saves even having to vacuum anything but the edges when you take it up. It's just as clean as how you had the floor when you covered it up.

My portable saw is a Unisaw with a long table to the right that is on a mobile base, and we use a 3hp 4 bagger DC that rolls around on it too, along with a full complement of other stuff in the woodworking tool rooms, but the floor looks just like that in the plaster picture, with the Masonite down.

As you can see in the plaster picture, we don't even cut it any more to do all butt joints (but I probably would in your case), but just overlap whole sheets for the last row, and it's never been a trip hazard. Wheels even roll over the 1/8" jump with little trouble. What you see in that picture was used in several other locations, both before that picture in 2012, as well as since, and it's still in use.

I've never measured it, but it's probably not even a full 1/8" thick.

I'm borrowing this technique Tom. Been using the same approach, but with 1/2" CDX. It's fairly rough and the overlaps are a little big though, I'm switching!