Linoleum on shop floor

[rodney mitchell]

I just noticed in the new Wood magazine they were using linoleum on the floor of their new shop. I am setting up shop in a two car garage and wanted to do something with the floor. I was leaning towards concrete stain or paint, but why not linoleum? Kind of unconventional I guess, but has anyone put it down in their garage floor?

RM

[Brian Hale]

Seems like it might get a little slick with sawdust on it.....

Brian :)

[Don Baer]

I personaly don't think it would hold up with the heavy equipment on it, like for instance the new Ollie that I'll soon be adding to my shop equipment..It would get torn up pretty quick.

[Bob Childress]

I agree with Don. The heavy equipment would tear it up in no time. :eek: That's why I have not used linoleum in a laundry room in 25 years.

[rodney mitchell]

Yeah I can see your point, but what if everything was on mobile bases?
Still no good?

RM

[Per Swenson]

Armstrong makes a product used in hospitals called Medintech.

This is the most amazing stuff you are likely to find.

It is expensive. It is indestructible.

If I had a new shop and concrete floor, this is what I would use.

http://www.armstrong.com/commflooringna/product_details.jsp?item_id=362

[Wes Bischel]

Hey - actually something I know a bit about!:D Medintech is a good product and expensive as Per points out. It is solid vinyl - no felt backer like most vinyl floors. It is also uses full bond adhesive (adhesive over the whole floor). Some products are perimiter bond - they are the ones that rip easily. The felt backed vinyl sheet products vary in durability - usually the corlon products (vinyl chips) wear better than the printed products.
Linolium is a definite no-no for a shop. It will rip and indent too easily to hold up in a shop.

If I were putting a floor product in my shop or garage shop, I would put in VCT (vinyl composition tile). It is what you see in most stores - 12"x 12" tile - wears like iron and won't tear or indent easily. The model shops where I used to work (Armstong) had VCT in them - with a few anti-skid strips in front of each tool.

FWIW, Wes

[Chris Padilla]

Whatever you use on the floor, think about getting some nice mats if you plan to stand in place for long periods of time. Your feet, legs, and back will thank you many times over. My wife even uses the mats in her kitchen when she goes on her cooking marathons (which is usually every Sunday evening as she cooks for the week). I went and purchased her her own mats just for the kitchen!

For a garage floor, I would just seal it good with some Rustoleum floor paint (epoxy) or try out www.ucoatit.com (http://www.ucoatit.com) for some excellent garage floor paints/epoxies. Next, get some good mats to stand on! Concrete is just too hard for the human body to stand on for long periods of time!

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=6954 are what I got from Woodcraft.

[John Timberlake]

Look for the type of tiles they have around aquariums in pet stores. I had vinyl (squares) in a shop and had trouble standing up it was so slick. Need something with a good grip.

[Peter West]

I know a bit about!:D Medintech
Wes,
Armstrong don't seem to do Medintech in the UK. Is this the same stuff?

http://www.armstrong.com/commfloor/eunw/uk/gb/line_detail.app?lineId=1783.0

I will soon be at the stage where I have to decide what to do with my new garage/workshop floor.

[Wes Bischel]

Peter,
Medintech was developed for the medical industry - solid vinyl without fillers or backing so it won't support growth of any bad stuff - plus it can be installed with site welded seams to create a truely monolithic floor. That said, I'm not sure what is used in the UK and Europe as a whole. I suspect DLW (German subsitiary) has some products that fill that void - possibly linolium based.
The link you provided is for the VCT tile I was talking about. John is correct, it can be slick, hence the mention of anti-skid strips in front of the machines. On the flip side, it does make clean-up very easy. If you don't wax it, it will make stains harder to clean, but won't be slick. VCT wears well because it is mostly limestone with a vinyl binder. Oh, one point, if you use the garage for the car as well as the shop, the tile installation can be affected by standing water. I have seen tile lift if there is too much water sitting on it. (Yes, college dorm hallway for one - made into a large slip-n-slide:eek: :rolleyes: )
And as Chris mentioned, most floors on top of concrete will still need anti-fatigue mats.
Hope that helps some.

Wes

[Michael Merrill]

I'm using the VCT type flooring in my 21' X 14' shop. I knew I didn't want bare or just sealed concrete as this is in the basement and ajoins the finished entertainment area. I like the floor, did a little welding and sparks will burn a few spots, no real tears or anything. I also like to be able to hit the whole thing witha old wet mop on occasion to get the fine dust off and it work well. I't probably a bit better than standing directly on concrete, but not exactly a comfy pillow feel either.

I'd do it again, but not sure about a garage with cars, my garage is just stained concrete, could have been better with epoxy.

[rodney mitchell]

Michael, where did you get the VCT and how much a square foot does it run?
Thanks....

RM

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Is the shop going to be just a shop or have cars in it too?

I'd spend the money and do a wooden floor, I VERY much regret that I did not put a wooden floor in my Dungeon before I filled it up with stuff, now it would be a HUGE job to put a wooden floor down, so I use mats, if you can put a wooden floor down, that is the route I'd go.

My two yen's worth! :)

[Peter West]

Thanks for the info Wes.


From the sound of it I guess I'll stick with the concrete and probably lay a wooden floor in due course.

Thanks again.

[JayStPeter]

I used VCT in my basement shop (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=10597). I paid just under $1/sqft from a local flooring place. I did notice recently that HD was carrying one color of it (I think white with gray/black chips) for something like $0.58/sqft. I've had it down for around 2.5 years now and it has proven very durable.

Jay

[rodney mitchell]

Thanks Jay, I am going to check with my HD this weekend and see what they have in stock in the VCT. I have also strongly considered a wood floor also, Lumber Liquidators has #2 grade oak for .99 a square foot. Would you have to put down a sub floor though? My slab is 20 years old with no moisture problems. If I could avoid the expense and work of a sub floor, I would look seriously at the oak. The garage might house a car every once in a while, but not that often.

RM

[Michael Merrill]

Can't remember the cost but got it at HD in the flooring section. Goes down with a mastic using a small notch trowel. I'll try to post a photo or two.

[Michael Merrill]

Here is a photo of the construction phase to give you an idea.

http://home.comcast.net/~sm.merrill/Posted_photos/SawMillCreek/Finished%20floor%201.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~sm.merrill/Posted_photos/SawMillCreek/Finished%20floor%202.jpg

It's been holding up pretty well, but it isn't this clean now:D

[rodney mitchell]

Michael that looks great, I am definitely going to stop in at HD this weekend (the closest one is an hour away) and see what they have. Thanks for the pics.

RM

[rodney mitchell]

Does anyone have any experience at putting down oak flooring directly to a slab without using a subfloor?

RM

[John Lucas]

Armstrong makes a product used in hospitals called Medintech.

This is the most amazing stuff you are likely to find.

It is expensive. It is indestructible.

If I had a new shop and concrete floor, this is what I would use.

http://www.armstrong.com/commflooringna/product_details.jsp?item_id=362

Per,
Fantastic website. The cost analysis is great,