Shop floor question for those with Raynaud's or Neuropathy

[Damon McLaughlin]

My shop is a 12x16 shed built on 2x6 joists on top of five 4x4 pressure treated skids. The walls and ceiling are very well insulated but the floor is not insulated at all. The floor four inches above ground on the skids so the cold air during the winter flows under the shop keeping the floor ice cold.

I have both Raynauds and neuropathy in my feet. My feet always feel as if they are in a bucket of ice with lots of painful tingling, during the winter when I'm standing on cold ground (either outside or in the shop) my feet feel much worse.

Is there an effective way to keep the shop floor warmer? I can't get under it to insulate it. I can block the ends to limit the wind blowing cold air under the building but its still cold air in there. The floor is 3/4" boards with sheet vinyl on top. When I keep my heater on in the shop during the winter, 24/7, the temperature in the shop is 70 but the floor is always around 45. I was thinking about a heated mat at my work bench but just wondering if there are other ideas. Any radiant floor heating that would work right on top of wood boards and won't catch wood shavings on fire?

[Steve Eure]

Have you given any thought to electric socks? I too have neuropathy and my feet feel like ice even when its 70 degrees outside. I think that socks might be a good alternative to re-flooring or even heat strips.
There are also inserts that fit inside your shoes that are heated by batteries that may work.

[Brian Backner]

A couple of thoughts:

Shove 5" thick EPS foam boards from one side to the other and thereby insulate the floor.

Even better, fish a strip of heavy, 10 mil polyethylene from one side to the other to prevent moisture from migrating from the ground. Temporarily block one side with the open ends. Use an insulation blower to pack shredded fiberglass starting at the far/blocked end and slowly retract the supply tube to keep the fill tightly packed. When done, tack PT 1x6's on both sides to hold the fill in place.

You could also use expanding foam with a long supply wand from both sides, but that would be much more expensive than either of the above.

[Kevin Jenness]

If you can stand to lose some headroom you might add a layer of foamboard topped with Advantech or plywood. Steve's idea of electric footbeds sounds worth a try. I know a lot of people use boot heaters when skiing, maybe that is a place to look.

I can relate to your problems. My feet don't pain me so much anymore, but the neuropathy in my hands leads me to wear gloves any time the temperature is under 65. Good luck.