# Turning my shed in to a workshop



## JimT (11 Jul 2009)

Hi folks,

Having enjoyed dabbling with woodworking as a hobby for the last year or so I have decided to take the next step and turn my shed in to a workshop. Rather than getting things wrong from the outset I'm hoping you can advise me on some basics.

Firstly a few details about the shed. It is 25' 6" by 11' 4", has a pitched slate roof, has stud walls sitting on a couple of courses of bricks and the whole lot sits on a 1' thick concrete slab. There is power running to the shed.

I have absolutely no machinery yet and have no real idea what sort of direction I will be taking in terms of the projects I want to undertake other than my first project will be a workbench!

My questions:

1. I am going to use rigid board insulation and am thinking of facing this on the inside with a hardwood plyboard. I don't have money to burn so what is the minimum thickness ply you would recommend? Also do I need some sort of damp proof/vapor barrier?

2. When the walls are finished is it important to paint them White?

3. Should I coat/cover the concrete floor in any way?

Any advice would be greatly appeciated.

Cheers,

Jim


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## wizer (11 Jul 2009)

Welcome Jim. I'd use 12mm OSB for the wall. If you use this then you won't need a vapour barrier. It's not essential to paint it white but it's a much nicer environment if you do. Finally, it's probably not worth painting the floor. You can buy special concrete paints, but I'm not sure why you would. Use anti-fatigue mats for the area you'll be standing for any length of time.


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## MikeG. (11 Jul 2009)

Welcome Jim,

That's a great shed!

Save yourself some dosh by lining it with 9mm OSB rather than ply, and yes, paint is virtually essential to turn it from a dark cave into a light bright workshop. Floor paint would be a huge bonus.........my biggest regret is that I didn't apply it when I built the shed. If you line with OSB or ply there is no need for a vapour barrier.

What is the outside of the shed clad with? Almost all claddings should ideally have a 25mm gap behind them, so you are going to have to do an awkward bit of fiddling about with battens to space your insulation off the back of the cladding.

It is safest to run your electric cables around on the inside of the shed (ie not in the walls). If they are already in the walls, unclip the cables and do your insulating and lining first before refixing them on the surface.

Pictures are, of course, compulsory!!

Mike


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## Tony Spear (12 Jul 2009)

wizer":2cr90n5m said:


> Use anti-fatigue mats for the area you'll be standing for any length of time.



If you were as old as me you'd be recommending duckboards!


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## Boz62 (12 Jul 2009)

I've recently rehashed my workshop. Piccies here before and after. 

I used 11mm OSB and then white paint which has made a LOT of difference, as you can see. I found fluorescent lights with "daylight" tubes made is all brighter as well. Putting chipboard flooring down on top of the concrete has also made it a nicer place to be. Easier than trying to seal old and dusty concrete and saves breaking tools when I drop them . 

I used rockwool batts for insulation - not as good thermally as Celotex or similar, but better for noise damping. It depends which is your highest priority. I did use a vapour barrier. As Mike G says, that was overkill, but it did help hold the insulation in place while I was manhandling the ceiling. 

If you do use ply, beware of going too thin. I used 6mm for the ceiling - I had height limitations and uneven joists to bend to. Now it's done, fine, but getting it up there single handed was "interesting" 

Good luck with your build

Boz


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## joiner_sim (12 Jul 2009)

Planer/ Thicknesser & bandsaw would be my recommendations for first machines. Build a good and solid work bench, and build up your handtools, the rest should be aquired when you feel the need.


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## PAC1 (12 Jul 2009)

I agree with the others about OSB and would paint the floor with good quality floor paint. The Shed sounds a good size. 
When you make your workbench there are two options a good quality bench that will last you a life time for which you need to read and research different types or buy The Workbench book from Taunton press. The alternative approach is to make a heavy robust, stable frame from softwood and screw a sheet of 18mm MDF to it to make a work surface, mount a vice in the frame or bolt it to the MDF and off you go till your skills reach a level you are proud of, at which point you can make a new lifetime bench. 
The reason for the robust bench with MDF is that it is flat and will not move. If you make a mess of it by gouging it with chisels etc after you have turned it round and over to use all four areas you can replace it with a new sheet of MDF at minimal cost. Having a flat surface to work on is very important and not easy to achieve when you make a solid hardwood bench. 

good luck!


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