Flooring options for existing workshop

[fezman]

I used Costco techno floor hard rubber flooring. It doesnt look to be online, but was in 2 flavours. A grill mat (92x163), and a gym mat ( i think it was approx 2x1m). £15 and £31 respectively. It comes rolled, and they take an age to go completely flat. But they are great for moving machines around, and for saving chisel egdes!!
Also I had the same issue Tom, i needed to lay them one strip at a time, did this fairly easily. Also used contact adhesive for the more stubborn curly bits

 

[supertom44]

Wow thanks all for the awesome replies and suggestions.

If I was to go all in I think I'd have to hire a container of some sorts, but I think that may end up being too expensive overall.

I imagine flooring tiles could be good if you get the correct ones, mine were fairly cheap ones from Amazon so they are quite soft, which is nice for standing on, but castors on anything remotely heavy just dig into the tiles.

I'm leaning towards the DPM, 25mm PIR, VCL then 22mm P5 chipboard approach.

I'm tempted to try the above approach with a smaller section of my workshop where my workbench is located to see how I like it before committing to doing the entire shop.

 

[PDW125]

The other option is hire a Luton van with a tail lift for the weekend - easy to secure (back it up to the house ..!) and the tail lift makes it easy to load and unload. My local place has them for less than £150 for a weekend so that should be plenty of time if you want to clear the garage etc and lay SLC / flooring as the good ones go off in 3-4 hours.

 

[supertom44]

After much consideration I went with flooring tiles from garage floor tile company.

Ordered a sample first and was impressed with how tough they seem.

One of the main deciding factors came down to thickness and not wantint to loose much height in my workshop.

Super easy to install, cut nice and clean using the table saw, came with a couple of ramp sections too, which were great for rolling machinery up onto the new flooring.

My workbench and table saw roll beautifully on it, not marks or friction.

Excitied for the ability to be able to roll machines around my workshop for different tasks etc.

 

[Cabinetman]

That looks good Tom, had a look and are they 7mm thick solid PVC. not sure exactly what that’s like, is there any chance of wheels leaving an indentation? Also does it feel better under foot? And warmer?
Ian
Edit, is that the manual winder for a shutter style garage door in the photo? Just to say you should keep it somewhere else other than inside the garage, damhik!

 

[supertom44]

That looks good Tom, had a look and are they 7mm thick solid PVC. not sure exactly what that’s like, is there any chance of wheels leaving an indentation? Also does it feel better under foot? And warmer?
Ian
Edit, is that the manual winder for a shutter style garage door in the photo? Just to say you should keep it somewhere else other than inside the garage, damhik!

So far I've not noticed any indentations but only time will tell on that one.

It's a lot nice under foot than the concret yeah, a bit warmer, a lot warmer in the sun ha.
I think I'll end up getting some anti fatigue matting or something for around my workbench as the flooring is rock solid, I imagine the longer sessions at the bench will cause some aches and pains.

It is a manual winder yeah, I have access to the garage from inside the house so shouldn't be a problem keeping it in there. It's normally at the other end of the garage.

 

[Cabinetman]

Good to hear thanks, nice to have a door from the house, saves letting all the cold in.

 

[BucksDad]

Get a guard on your table saw

 

[Cabinetman]

Fraid he’s right especially if that’s a push block! Puts you right next to the blade! Sorry.

 

[supertom44]

Haha I do have a blade guard, reason it's not on in the photo is due to making some dados before doing the flooring.

I do appreciate the concern though

 

[P.j.Ofurey]

Read all the above , if the machinery moving is not an option due to storage ,I would simply hire a Luton van with a tail lift , get all your kit stowed in there over a weekend ,use a sika self levelling floor resin ( two'pack ) these are expensive but mine has lasted over twenty years so far , try to avoid wooden floors for machine tools .

 

[Ilya]

Did similar to that with Duramat tiles - was very easy to install, but I put some thin underlay (2 mm), just for some little bit more softness and warmth/damp.
Since that used and abused it, cannot even recognize the colour of it)) But it is still as durable and usable as in the beginning. Wooden glue does not stick to it, plaster does not stick, paint, ironing does not stick. Dropped hammers, chisels, boxes - nothing. Yet hammers do bounce back - so be careful))

 

[Linda Devo]

I have used 18 mm thick rubber stable mats directly onto concrete in an old cattle barn. They are 6’ X 4’ each so plenty of friction to stop them moving once down. They cope with an uneven floor, rolled concrete with undulations and the occasional larger defect. A bit of a handful to lay single handed for someone well over retirement age but doable.
I did not use self levelling compound and do not regret this. Cost less than £1000 for 44 sq m, 4 months ago. Warm underfoot and enough give to be kind to dropped tools. Happy to provide more info if required.

Hi, I like the sound of the product you used. Could you kindly share a link?