Shop Flooring Options?

[Joe Beaulieu]

Hi All,

I am very lucky to have purchased a new home that came with a 30' x 30' close to brand new 12' clear height pole barn. It has two overhead doors, a man door, and a separate 100 amp service. I even have a nice security system with flood lights and cameras abounding. I am really psyched about it. It is going to be made into a wood working shop as I can afford it. The first thing was to get some 220 outlets installed. Now I can spot my machinery. I was thinking about some of those "feet saver" work pads. I could certainly use some cushioning at the bench and other machines. What is the best way to go - the interlocking tiles, or the ready made pads? The ready made pads seem to be easier to sweep, but the tiles are thicker and maybe provide more comfort? What are you all doing for foot savers. BTW - I need to sit down for most of what I do due to physical limitations, so rolling around is a necessity. That makes me think the ready made pads are better, as they have the gradual edges that allow easier movement. But I am sure there are arguments both ways. I much appreciate the help all.

Thanks

Joe

[Zachary Hoyt]

There is an aphorism from somewhere that says something like "It is easier to wear shoes than to cover the world in leather" and in a shop where you or your tools need to roll easily on casters this may be extra applicable. As I see it the trouble is that the more cushioned the floor is the harder it will be to roll anything on casters. My current shop is concrete, and my upcoming shop will have a plywood or OSB floor most likely. I tried one of those rubber anti-fatigue mats in the shop 15 years ago or so, but everything got stuck against it when rolling, even the shop vac, so I put it in the kitchen instead. Maybe there is a better way with some of the interlocking tiles and such, but I would suggest finding some kind of comfortable shoes if possible.

[mike stenson]

I wouldn't use the soft anti-fatigue mats, but more dense rubber flooring would be fine. I have a couple horse stall mats under my workbench. They're about as hard as the OSB I have in part of the shop. More forgiving on the body than concrete ever is, also more forgiving on any dropped tools. I'm pondering getting some rolls of the same density at about 10mm instead of the almost 1" these 4x6 mats are. Ideally, I'd go with plywood on wooden framing, but since the building is on slab.. not gonna happen.

[Leigh Betsch]

I've heard, although I don't know if its true, that its not the hardness of a concrete floor that you feel but rather the concrete draws the heat out of your feet causing discomfort.

[mike stenson]

I've heard, although I don't know if its true, that its not the hardness of a concrete floor that you feel but rather the concrete draws the heat out of your feet causing discomfort.

You can physically feel the difference between concrete, asphalt and dirt, just by running or walking on them. Concrete is very, very, hard.

Oh, also.. my house has both concrete and brick on sand floors. Both are pretty much the same temperature, and both are heat sinks. Guess which feels softer? It's noticeable.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Hard as a rock is the phrase that comes to my mind. Asphalt can be hot in the right conditions, but it still feels harder than dirt that's cooler.

[Andrew Seemann]

I've got concrete floor now (hopefully this summer I can do a wood floor over it). My machines are all on wheels so I can move around and reconfigure or adjust for infeed/outfeed clearance.

No matter what shoes I wear, the concrete kills my back. I have interlocking matts next to my work bench, in front of the saws and other places I stand a lot. If I need to move some something and they are in the way, they are easy enough to pick up or drag to another part of the shop. The ones I have a pretty light weight. Half are colored children's mats from when my kids were little and the other are anti-fatigue mats, either way they are all the same material and are interchangeable. I think the same company even made them.

[Ed Aumiller]

My shop is on a concrete slab... I covered the ENTIRE floor with 1/2" plywood.. I can roll tools around easily and it is so much better than the concrete.. also warmer.
Have several 4'x6' rubber backed carpets from a garage in front of workbench, lathe that have tapered edges to make sweeping easier. The main thing that helped was
simply covering the concrete with the plywood.

[John Ziebron]

My pole barn workshop has a concrete floor. I didn't have time to do anything to the floor when I moved in. I wore thick soled shoes in the winter but always had issues with my lower back if I didn't remember to sit down every once in a while. Years ago I did buy anti-fatigue mats with beveled edges and they helped a bit.

When I was still working I had a coworker that loved the spring loaded shoes and swore by them. I always wanted to try some but I need an extra wide width and no one made them at the time. About 2 years ago I discovered a company with spring loaded heeled shoes that offered several styles in extra wide. Except for slippers in the house these are the only shoes I wear now. My lower back issues have decreased dramatically. I told my chiropractor, that I rarely see anymore, about them a year ago and he loves them. And the added benefit for me is that the soles are thicker and do a good job of insulating from the cold concrete.

[roger wiegand]

I'm extremely happy that I chose to put hardwood flooring in my shop. Comfortable, things don't break when I drop them, looks great, everything rolls or slides easily on it. I put down a concrete slab, sleepers, plywood, then hardwood. My supplier, when I asked what they had that was cheap, offered "mixed domestic hardwoods" for a buck a foot. I've counted 17 different woods in the floor. Many folks have remarked on how nice it looks.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I am looking for the 3 inch thick, end grain, warehouse flooring that we had in Jamaica Plain Mass in the 1980s...
In the meantime, I see this on the web.
Dad says the springiness of having floor joists is what makes the difference.

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[Jeff Roltgen]

Joe,
I've been on concrete for the last 15+ years, full time woodworking. Pads at machines, as they can be easily moved for clean-up. However, at the workbench, I've always put down a floating floor. Hit the big box stores and look for cheap closeouts of laminate flooring. Typically a buck a square foot, so $100 gets a pretty good area covered. Put a pad down, then the flooring. You'll have a very shallow step up (3/8"), a reasonable amount of cushion vs raw concrete, and it's easier on sharp chisel edges (or plane bodies!) when they occasionally get bumped off the bench. Plus, it just makes the workspace look better with a nice hardwood pattern, IMHO.

Jeff

[Jim Becker]

Historically, I've used good quality anti fatigue mat in those areas where I stand frequently. Even with very comfortable shoes, the mats made a "yuge" difference.

[Wayne Cannon]

I wouldn't use the soft anti-fatigue mats, but more dense rubber flooring would be fine. I have a couple horse stall mats under my workbench. They're about as hard as the OSB I have in part of the shop. ...

Use firm mats. Cushy mats result in slight instability and constant small rocking that is tiring for your legs and back.

The U.S. Post Office tests and recommends shoes for postal workers that are very comfortable if you are on your feet all day. I get mine from Red Wing shoes. They have a cork insole and a firm crepe rubber sole. They're "just" plain lace-up oxfords, but noticeably more comfortable at the end of the day than any other shoe I've tried.

[Carl Beckett]

In my prior shop I used vinyl tile over concrete. It was easy to clean, but was way to slick.

Currently I have 1/4" cork underlayment (rolls off amazon) which I then sealed. It has a great feel to it (and sound). Dropping tools are a soft landing. Heavy equipment on casters will deform it, but once I got mine in place I tend to leave them for the most part. Areas that have damaged I simply cut out a chunk and put a new piece in its place.

Dont know how well it will hold up over years, but its been 1 year and so far so good.