New workshop flooring

[outcycling]

Hey guys,

Awsome site. Been trolling through all this for the last few weeks and book marked a load of great projects and advice for future ref. Hopefully I will be able to contribute in the not to distant future as just about to embark on a year or 2 renovation of a house with workshop first job.

I have an OLD triple garage part stone part timber which I am going to renovate replacing all rotten timbers, insulate, roof etc. Currently the floor in one half is old bricks laid on their sides. Looks nice but pretty un-even and I dare say there will be not a lot other than dirt under it.

I was going to rip up the floor, stick down a DPC, chuck in some insulation and concrete then maybe paint the finished floor. Is this the best way to do it ? Long term I am hoping to turn this into an income maker so will be spending a lot of time in here. I also found this site for a workshop woodburner.

http://www.workshopstoves.co.uk/workshopstoves.asp

Anyone used these or think they are a good/bad idea for a workshop ??

Many thanks for any advice.

Russ

 

[MikeG.]

Welcome Russ,

your described new floor is pretty much what I would do, although I would suggest digging out a foot or so of earth and using some clean hardcore, well compressed, with a couple of inches of sand blinding on the top of that before putting down the DPM, insulation and concrete.

The only proviso is..........is this a listed building, or in the curtlage of a listed building? If so, you must get permission first.

A triple garage should make a great sized workshop.......so lots of photos please to make everyone jealous!

Mike

 

[Night Train]

Yep, as Mike said, digging out and laying new if you are allowed.

Make sure the concrete is thick enough to take the weight of any machines. Also if you are drilling in rawlbolts to fix machines to the floor make sure you have enough thickness for that too or you will be drilling though your insulation and DPC.
you can also set in a ground anchor if you know you will have a portable machine or tool locker that is worth locking to the anchor when not in use. For my motorbike shed (when I had a Harley Davidson) I laid a 4" floor with an 8" area where I set in a 25 ton D shackle to chain the bike to. The shackle was between the bike and the wall so difficult to chain up be even more difficult to get at with cutting ot breaking tools.


The floor paint is a really good idea as it does stop the surface dusting in use. I used grey on my workshop floor as it is quite a light shade.

 

[outcycling]

Hey Mike,

No not listed but area of ONB. House is 1896 with walled garden & garage is of a similar age. Neighbours places are listed but not mine .

Yep, you are probably right re hardcore. That is what I did on a previous house/shed workshop but forgot about it. It is really two 1.5 width garages joined together but should do nicely I hope. Planning on one side for glueup & finish area as want a nice big FLAT glueup table. My small past experience tells me that it is an invaluable item in a workshop.

Ok, pictures in a few weeks time when I get going. 2 weeks left of current job before FREEDOM...

 

[outcycling]

Yep, security is a worry as there will be a lot of expensive tools in there. I will have an electric security gate on the drive eventually which should help and will alarm the workshop. I've used ground anchors in other places but can't help feeling there are so many things in a workshop that can be pinched, securing them all is impossible.

 

[outcycling]

That is some ground anchor, but then they only have the chain/lock to get through. You'll never stop the hardened criminal, just have to hope you can do enough to put the general ones off.

 

[Mailman14]

BEFORE you dig the floor out - make sure you get a test trench dug (about 12" wide) ALONG the length of your chosen wall.

THIS will tell you whether you have any foundations or not!

My wife worked for a large company in Derby, that decided to dig pits for machine beds...The hole was big enough to get a full size JCB in it :shock: unfirtunately, the wall caved in - the driver jumped up and out of the JCB like a rabbit according to witnesses at the scene.

...ALSO, unfortunately, it was the only building to survive intact, from the bombing during WW2, and the roof collapsed along about 2/3 of the way down the building - ended up being cheaper to demolish & rebuild... :roll:

NOW, I'm not saying the hole / building / roof thing IS going to happen, just, if you dig out the base, the walls will all tend to want to meet at the floor level...

Take care,

 

[Night Train]

BEFORE you dig the floor out - make sure you get a test trench dug (about 12" wide) ALONG the length of your chosen wall.

THIS will tell you whether you have any foundations or not!

Good point.
When I did my basement workshop I left a 2' strip around the walls where the footings were and stepped down into a lowered floor. The bench and machines went on the raised section and I worked in the lower section.

Eventually it all got underpinned anyway.

 

[outcycling]

Indeed. Tbh I had kind of expected the place wont have any foundations but thought that wouldn't matter as there isn't a great deal of weight up there especially once I have stripped the tile roof off (it needs all re-doing, breather membrane etc). I thought that once the floor went in that would add to the strength of it all but maybe I should check and underpin first. That'll be a right pain in the butt of a job But better than the alternative... Down there tomorrow so will dig a few holes and see what is down there.

Thanks

 

[Night Train]

Even though there may not be much weight if you just dug out the whole floor right to the footings the walls could collapse into the hole you have just dug.

Either under pin or do it in sections.

 

[outcycling]

Ok, will do, thanks for the advice. Fingers crossed for foundations..

 

[Russ]

Anyone used these or think they are a good/bad idea for a workshop ??

Russ

Hi Russ (Great name)

I inquired about a workshop stove that burns off-cuts, shavings etc. You need to mix the two together as shavings burn like rocket fuel and theres a risk that the whole thing may glow red and melt... put me off a bit to say the least so opted for a log burner which is great for off cuts. Storing the shavings as I plan to get them processed into pellets for the house burner. Free heating

Russ

 

[Mailman14]

Storing the shavings as I plan to get them processed into pellets for the house burner. Free heating

Russ

Ermm - can you p.m. me and let me know more, please Russ?

 

[outcycling]

Well Mailman, Night train etc, as we suspected, no foundations . Just come in from digging a small hole. I was pretty positive there wasn't going to be any but as said thought it might not matter. There is about 2.5 bricks wall below ground level laid on-top of a row of bricks laid flat, side on. Just dirt beneath that. Well tbh, if you all reckon I have to underpin it then I think I need to take a step back and re-evaluate as already have to strip the roof, replace a fair amount of the timbers which are rotten, rip up the floor to re-lay, DPM, put stud wall internally to insulate the solid stone wall etc etc. So now thinking it is going to be a damn lot quicker and cheaper to knock it down and start again with proper foundations etc. The existing wood walls are also sat directly on the small wall with no DPC so really does not make sense to me to go to the hassle of underpinning. Going to have to have a digger in anyway for house extensions so all makes sense to re-do the garage/workshop at the same time. Will also give me a much better/warmer building. I guess I better inflict you all with the new workshop build WIP as I go, only seems fair to contribute after all the useful information I am gaining
Best start re-designing the building and making a few discreet enquiries. No doubt this will require planning permission etc which is a right pain in the butt. Don't think it'll be a problem just another long delay

Hey Russ, is it financially worth the hassle to get shavings converted into pellets ? Looking into a complete new heating system for the house. After a LOT of looking into it I have decided for just the two of us it wasn't worth the outlay for most of the 'green' solutions so have just opted for a condensing boiler, some velux solar panels, radiators & a little bit of wet underfloor in the bathrooms. But also planing on sticking a free standing woodburner in the main room and a smaller one in the wall of another. Looked at pellet burners but thought it probably wasn't worth going that route. I am also a qualified tree surgeon so expect to pickup a few jobs from now on which should give me a pretty good supply of timber. Hoping to pickup a few nice bits to bandsaw up as well New bandsaw will be first on the list for the new workshop!

Anyway, back to that glass of red will I ponder my lack of foundations...

Thanks all.

Russ

 

[Night Train]

That's the same sort and size of footing under my three storey and basement Victorian house.

It would probably be more cost effective to start from scratch. Get quotes to see. You can save quite a bit if you do the demolition and clearance yourself and then most of the labour for the build.


I have also been thinking of making wood pellets. I am thinking of a hydraulic ram in a tube with a smooth reduction at the end leading to a smaller tube. There would need to be a feed hopper over the larger tube to refill when the ram retracts but I would need to look at the frictional losses of pushing the wood chips down the tube.
But at the moment the cats are using the wood chips for kitty litter and I don't really want it back when they are done with it.

 

[outcycling]

:lol: Be interested to hear how the pellet making goes.

Some of my houses walls definately have similar foundations but they have stood for a 100+ years so going to leave well alone!

Yep, doing all the work myself so will be the cheaper route and existing building is nothing special so the way to go I think.

 

[Night Train]

I guess the foundations in your house are quite stable if left alone. I remember mine letting me know they needed looking at when I came home from work one day and the double doors at the entrance had jammed together because one side of the frame was significanly lower then the other side. :shock:

It took weeks of slow jacking with a couple dozen acro props until things were level again.

 

[Mailman14]

Glad you found out sooner, rather than later!

Sorry to have put the cat amongst the pigeons, but I guess tha's why you asked the questions?... :wink:

I also concur, knock it down, start again - you'll get a 'nicer' job, to your specs too (don't forget all the sockets you'll need!)

 

[Night Train]

Don't forget insulation for sound as well as heat. Means you can make more noise for longer.

My workshop is the front room of my house and so I have to see if the neighbours are in before I start up something noisy like the surface planer or thicknesser.
They've never complained though but I wouldn't like to give them reason.

 

[Night Train]

:lol: Be interested to hear how the pellet making goes.

I can imagine cat poo would help hold the pellets together ifnothing else.