What to make new shop floor from?

[Bill Courington]

I'm going to dedicate a one-car garage to woodworking and general shop use. It has a very rough and uneven concrete floor. Looks like it was smoothed with a small rake. No cracks, however.

I want a light-colored, reasonably smooth, level, flat floor that's easy to clean (dust, glue, paint), and doesn't hide small hardware bits that I drop onto it. I don't have any heavy machinery - nothing I can't lift.

The options I'm considering:
- Having the concrete resurfaced with some magic goo that leaves a smooth, shiny surface.
- Installing a wood floor (painted plywood?) on 2x4s laid flat on a vapor barrier.

But I haven't a clue as to which option, or one I haven't thought of, will work well in practice. Money is an object. Spending US$500 would be fine, $US1,000 would be too much.

Thanks in advance for ideas from those with knowledge and experience.

Bill

[Bill Simmeth]

Hi Bill and welcome to the Creek! Given the choice, I'd always vote for a wood floor over concrete. With your desire for a light finish your option for painted plywood sounds good. You might also consider yellow pine flooring or similar. Good luck on your project.

[tod evans]

welcome bill. i think wood is your only choice the "goo" is going to be over a grand ........tod

[Frank Pellow]

There is no doubt at all that I would go with the plywood. Issue 160 of Fine Woodworking has a good article on how to build such a floor over conrete. All their articles are available on-line.

[Bart Leetch]

Why does it have to be so complicated?

Put your machines in place & cover the rest of the floor with 2'x2' interlocking rubber mats your legs & hand tools & drill & router bits will thank you. This is what I have & it works very well.

To clean I have some wedges hot glued to the bottom of the floor nozzle of my shop vac so that it allows air to move so that the nozzle picks up chips & dust & not the mats.

[Steve Clardy]

Welcome Bill!

Go down to your local U-rent it store. SOme of them carry a concrete grinder, similiar to a large floor polisher.
Maybe you can do a little smoothing up on it, then use a epoxy paint on it.

[Jim Young]

Personally I would go with the 2x4 boards covered with plywood. I would like to do this to my basement shop but the head clearance would deteriorate.

[Jim Becker]

Another option is DriCore (sold by HD) and a similar product sold by Lowes. Provides both a wood (OSB) surface as well as a knobby plastic base that raises it slightly and helps with a little R-Value. But the Fine Homebuilding article referenced is a really interesting way to do floors and avoids dealing with sleepers, etc....as long as you don't want to also level the floor if it is pitched.

[Frank Pellow]

Welcome Bill!

Go down to your local U-rent it store. SOme of them carry a concrete grinder, similiar to a large floor polisher.
Maybe you can do a little smoothing up on it, then use a epoxy paint on it.
Yes, but then you would still be stuck with a conrete floor. :( One of the big big advantages :) in moving from my basement shop to my stand-alone shop is that I moved from concrete to plywood. Never again a concrete floor!

[Steve Clardy]

Yes, but then you would still be stuck with a conrete floor. :( One of the big big advantages :) in moving from my basement shop to my stand-alone shop is that I moved from concrete to plywood. Never again a concrete floor!


Yes Frank. But when it's smooth, then a plywood floor could be installed, without leveler, without 2x4's.:rolleyes:

[Frank Pellow]

Yes Frank. But when it's smooth, then a plywood floor could be installed, without leveler, without 2x4's.:rolleyes:
OK Steve, but I would recommend insulating the floor, in which case, 2/4s or something similar are needed anyway.

[Bill Courington]

... who pointed me to Fine Woodworking #160. That looks like the way to go.

Bill

[Frank Pellow]

... who pointed me to Fine Woodworking #160. That looks like the way to go.

Bill
You are more than welcome Bill and I hope that the floor works out well for you. By the way, I just noticed that these are your first posts here so would like to welcome you to Saw Mill Creek.