Sloping workshop floor advice

[MattRoberts]

Hi guys. I work from my single garage, and I'm looking to make some improvements. One of the first things I'm planning on doing is sorting out the floor. There's two issues with it:

1 - it's very rough concrete which is difficult to manoeuvre my machines on

2 - there's a huge slope. It's approx 10cm over the 5 meter length.

Before I calculated how bad the slope was, I was planning on using self levelling compound to solve both problems, but I can't work with a 10cm high lip at the entrance to the garage.

So now I'm thinking I'm stuck with the slope and all I can do is re-surface the floor somehow.

Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks very much for any help

 

[SteveF]

can u work with a 10cm high step \ slope to the entrance?
and level the rest
Steve

 

[MattRoberts]

Not really - I'd struggle getting the machines back in and I get a moped in and out daily

 

[thetyreman]

in a pretty similar situation, so have subscribed to see what people say, following this.

 

[SteveF]

ramp outside

its only a scooter

Steve

 

[worn thumbs]

I would just skim the floor to take away the coarse ripples and get on with life.Is there any work planned that absolutely must be done on a level floor?Lots of work has been done on sloping floors and even bumpy earth floors and a large flat assembly bench is very useful,even when slightly tilted.Level is a bonus and if your machines are on wheels that can't be locked you may have to wedge or lock them in place with brackets.

 

[Bod]

Level all but the last metre, then slope the last bit.

Bod

 

[Roughcut]

I'm just wondering if the garage floor was sloped like that for a reason?
Ours is like that and I wondered if it was done deliberately (my thinking was in case of light flooding as ours has a sewer inspection cover a couple of metres away in front of the garage door which has over flowed in the past due to a blockage). :?

 

[MattRoberts]

I would just skim the floor to take away the coarse ripples and get on with life.Is there any work planned that absolutely must be done on a level floor?Lots of work has been done on sloping floors and even bumpy earth floors and a large flat assembly bench is very useful,even when slightly tilted.Level is a bonus and if your machines are on wheels that can't be locked you may have to wedge or lock them in place with brackets.

I'm planning on building cabinets around the edges and making a workbench. At the moment, the slope is pretty severe and as it's not level it's making it difficult to do certain things (such as building a flat mitre saw station, or levelling table legs)

I may well just have to skim and live with it. Any suggestions on what I should use?

 

[MattRoberts]

Level all but the last metre, then slope the last bit.

Bod

It's a good suggestion, but I can't really afford to 'lose' a fifth of the length to an even shaped decline

 

[MattRoberts]

I'm just wondering if the garage floor was sloped like that for a reason?
Ours is like that and I wondered if it was done deliberately (my thinking was in case of light flooding as ours has a sewer inspection cover a couple of metres away in front of the garage door which has over flowed in the past due to a blockage). :?

I'm guessing it's just for drainage should there be any water in the garage, but it just seems quite an unnecessarily severe decline

 

[ColeyS1]

Batten and chipboard the floor ? Providing your units, bench and machines are levelish (flat being more important than level) I can't see it being much of an issue. That's not to say it won't annoy the heck out of you what about hiring a concrete grinder to wack off the lumps ?

Coley

 

[Neil S]

I believe the slope is to make sure carbon monoxide exhaust fumes run out from when you reverse your car in. No, I can't understand it either. Using a garage to keep a car in ha!
-Neil

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

[Bod]

Level all but the last metre, then slope the last bit.

Bod

It's a good suggestion, but I can't really afford to 'lose' a fifth of the length to an even shaped decline

1/2 metre, only where you roll the scooter in/out.

Bod

 

[woodpig]

I've had several garage workshops and have to say concrete is nasty on the feet, especially in winter.
My current workshop has a ply floor with several coats of floor paint and it's much nicer.

 

[MattRoberts]

Thanks all. I like the idea of the small slope Bod, but I wonder if a half way solution might be better.

What if I leveled to about 5cm height (half of the 10cm total), with a more gentle slope at the end? It will still be sloped, but only half as much.

Or is that a stupid idea? I'm tired!

 

[n0legs]

You could level the whole floor, but slope a small section (say 600-900 wide over about a metre length) in the centre at the door.

 

[monkeybiter]

I'd level the lot and have any slope outside. Workshop trumps garden/drive every time!

 

[siggy_7]

Cempolay ultra is the screeding compound you want for garages. Alternatively hire a big floor grinder for a weekend to get the roughness out.

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

 

[sunnybob]

I have an even worse floor. My garage is 3 x 5 metres and I have a 12 cm drop across the 3 metre width with another 10 cm drop from end to end. Add to that its stamped concrete with a random slab pattern. It was originally designed as just a car port and I had the sides filled in.
I no longer have motorcycles so getting in and out isnt too much problem, but I have solved most of it by building in a 3 metre x 60 cm workbench along the lowest side, and having my non movable machines along the high side (bandsaw, router table,. mitre saw bench, belt sander bench, dust collector). So now I have the middle section to move stuff in and out of and its livable.

Every so often I study it again with a view to levelling, but always decide the cost and time is not worth the gain.

If you levelled yours you could keep the high side clear for the scooter, build along the low side because the step wouldnt matter, and work in the middle. If so, dont just use self levelling complound, build shuttering and use concrete. Self levelling is too expensive and too brittle to be the finished surface.