Contributor
The last shop that I had with a wood floor in it, I used no.2 2-1/4" Oak flooring. I just left it unfinished. That was decades ago, but I'd do it again. It was cheap then, but I have no idea what it costs now. If it got scuffed up, I'd just run the flooring buffer over it with an 80 grit screen, and blow that dust out with the rest of it.
https://hardwoods4less.com/products/...AaAucQEALw_wcB
Last edited by Tom M King; 02-08-2021 at 4:45 PM.
Moderator
Thomas, a black floor will not kill your light if the ceiling and walls are bright, IMHO. I have a lot of my floor covered with black anti fatigue matts now...and it's still like being on a sunny beach with the level of lighting I have in there!
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Member
I put down 1" thick treated YP 4" deck flooring on 16" centers, cut 1" blue dow foam to fill in the gaps, then laid t&g flooring over the top. All splices are on the sleepers. Mine is not finished either. I enjoy the insulation, and the feel of a wood floor.
Member
I'm in a bare concrete floor garage shop now... would love to get a nicer floor in there at some point like you guys. Question for those in a similar situation (garage shop)... do you address the slope and unevenness of the floor while installing the new floor? Or do you just cover as is and continue to make any leveling adjustments to the furniture/machines that go in?
Contributor
I'm in the middle of doing my shop floor in my 12x19 garage.
It is the middle of winter here and I have nowhere to store my tools while u tackle this job. So I decided to start with dricore R+ subflooring. I can easily move all my tools from one end of the shop to the other. Already the shop is noticeably warmer.
I'm in the final stages of deciding the floating floor ill use on top. I'm leaning toward cork flooring and have a bunch of samples laid out.
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Contributor
I would be afraid of the trip hazard of the 3/4” mats. Those kinds of hazards are cumulative in a shop. Just to complicate things for those contemplating this, it is a good time to install radiant heat if you so desire. Sleepers, insulation, tubing with the air space and your flooring material. There goes the budget. Zac, I would level the floor if I was doing this.
Contributor
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After 22 yrs. my old finish had worn thin on my not so level concrete floor. It was a lot of work to move everything out of the shop, but that allow the flooring contractor to use his 1000 lb floor grinder to remove the old finish and level out the floor. Looking forward to to clear coat going on tomorrow and moving back in on Saturday.
Member
Oh man, I'm jealous, that looks awesome! I realize we are in two different parts of the country, but what is the ballpark cost to have this done?Originally Posted by Pat Rice
Contributor
Cost runs around $1,800 - $2,000 depending on square footage, has been my experience.
Member
Thanks for the info, Pat!
Contributor
It would be a LOT of work but installing a wood floor like the old mills in New England had would be a lifetime surface for your great grandkids. I went to an auction north of Boston 20 odd years ago looking for old arn machinery (didn't score any). One of the more spirited lots that day was for the floor. It was 300,000 sq ft of white oak--but not laid flat as would be seen in a home. This mill had some mongo machinery -- think 15 TON pieces of cast iron. To support those behemoths, the oak was cut into 18" long pieces of actual 2x4s and they were set down vertically -- yes the finish floor was 18" thick. Each piece was glued to the floor, but not to each other in case one needed replacement (drill it out and clean up the bottom with a special chisel, replace, repeat). There were places where those big machines had been removed with barely a dent visible in the floor -- five minutes with a floor sander and you'd never know.
There was an old timer that had worked there back in the 60s and he said the floor was smooth and comfortable. Never had to worry about nicking a tool if you dropped something. The one downside that I saw is the end grain soaked up oil and dirt like a sponge (I don't think it was sealed).
If you're wondering, I think the 450,000 bf of oak went for something like $30 or $40K. The company that bought it had to remove it and then cut off the tops and bottoms to clean them up. I was told the high bidder was from California -- they made some kind of small widget out of white oak, heard about the floor to be auctioned, and hired someone locally to inspect and bid on it for them. Apparently it was a near life time supply.
Obviously, you'd need a purpose designed space for a floor that thick (as well as mucho bucks for the oak), but I bet common 2x4's cut 3" long would be serviceable for a home shop (as long as it didn't get wet and push out the walls when it swelled!).
Contributor
For my shop, I put a Dricore sub-floor in (2x2 squares, link here: https://www.amazon.com/DRICORE-Subfl...6&s=hi&sr=1-10). Was easy to put in, and provides a nice layer on top of the concrete floor.
Sealed it with a coat of hardwood-floor poly, works great. Dropped tools (happens way to often) aren't damaged by hitting concrete, it's way nicer on my joints as well. I only have mats down in a few spots where I spend a lot of time.
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