New 12'X19' shop

[Joelm]

You can omit the lower cleat from the fan mount.
It’s lifting the upper cleat off the rail.

If worried about the fan climbing off the rail when spinning you can stick a long wedge above the cleat.

Thanks Michael, good eye! Even though I used spacers for all the cleats, some are not perfectly spaced. I just moved it down one space and the top cleat now bears all the weight. I'll see if I need a spacer when it warms up (it is -15C today and my shop is only 6C, so don't want to turn the fan on).

Here is my latest tool holder. Just a simple shelf for my Festool sandpaper boxes. It has all been living in a tupperware box that I've been tripping over for months. Now it is nice and neat and out from under foot. I can't wait to use up the rigid 3M sanding sponges I've got there and get some more Festool sponges. The Festool ones hold up way longer! I guess you get what you pay for.

 

[nicholam77]

Wow, looking awesome! I too, like the look of the birch walls. Even though they are both 1-car's your new space seems much more functional and organized. The tool holders are great, too. Keep sharing!

[big grin]

 

[Joelm]

Thanks nicholam77, will do.

Little update, I made a charger holder. Second attempt. First one did not go so well with fancy mitered cleats. I ripped them off and just put screws into the holder itself. I've got room for one more charger. Not sure if I'll put another one I already own or maybe keep it open in case I get a Milwaukee charger at some point.
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I've decided that my workshop is just too darn chilly in the winter. This morning it was about 6C (42F) and the concrete floors just drain the warmth in the room. My next big shop update is to install new flooring! My floor has a slight slope out to the garage door but I'm not worried about making it level. There are just a few areas that dip but it isn't too bad. I've also noticed one long crack going across the floor but it doesn't look like it has gotten worse. I think the plan is to buy some insulated Dricore and lay it down on the concrete. Once that's done I'll at some point put down some plywood sheets. Maybe in the spring when we aren't in lockdown I'll pick out a flooring to go on top. I think a minimum of insulated Dricore should really help. I'm not sure what to do about the concrete that goes up the wall bellow the drywall and plywood walls. Maybe I'll glue some rigid insulation then cover it with more ply. Any suggestions?
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[RustE]

...
I'm not sure what to do about the concrete that goes up the wall bellow the drywall and plywood walls. Maybe I'll glue some rigid insulation then cover it with more ply. Any suggestions?

Run some of the DriCore insulated panels through a table saw and glue them to the concrete?  PL and others make foam-specific adhesives.

 

[chrisrosenb]

We have a finished walk out basement. The concrete floor would get very cold in the winter. The floor had a heavy carpet & pad, but that did not help with the cold. About 11 years we remodeled the basement. I put down 6 mill visqueen over the concrete. Then laid 1" styrofoam over the plastic & then laid laminate floor over the styrofoam. It made the basement very comfortable. I would have liked to used thicker styrofoam, but I had 2 exterior doors that limited the thickness of the foam that I could use.

I would think that the same process would work on your shop floor.

 

 

[Joelm]

Thanks guys. I would like to do the vapor barrier and rigid foam however I don't think it would be as easy as the dricore.
I have all my tools and machines on wheels so I can work on one section of the floor at a time.  If I went with large sheets I'd have a hard time packing everything to one side of the shop and then be stuck trying to do a laminate or lay down large sheets of osb before moving things back. The floors are also a bit uneven and I doubt I could cleanly level it with a full garage and outside temps at -20C.
Oddly home depot will deliver all my dricore for free but all the other stuff would cost $70 to deliver.
When I originally took the temperature of my garage my thermostat was at eye level. Yesterday I placed it on the floor and the temperature dropped to 1C... ouch no wonder my feet are getting cold. I'll keep this thread posted as to what I end up doing.

 

[RustE]

...
The floors are also a bit uneven and I doubt I could cleanly level it with a full garage and outside temps at -20C.
...
Oddly home depot will deliver all my dricore for free but all the other stuff would cost $70 to deliver.
...

You would probably have to scribe 2x4’s to the floor, cut, and fasten with Tapcon screws. At that point, the more appealing option is DriCore panels with some of their shims to true-up low spots.

The size of DriCore panels makes them easier to ship through FedEx or UPS. Whereas the other materials need to be loaded and unloaded on a truck.

Not sure what plywood costs in Canada right now either. Around me, a piece of subfloor plywood is going for $40-$50 per sheet and 1/2” foam board is $13 per sheet. An equivalent amount (by size) of DriCore R+ would be $64.

 

[Joelm]

Thanks for the sanity check RustE.

I decided to get started today with cleaning up half of the shop.
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I then thought, I had better check just how uneven the floor is before I go and buy some expensive flooring material. I got out my laser level and put it against the back wall facing the garage door. Because the laser can't be right down on the ground I got out my combination square and set the stock of the square to the height of the laser.
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The laser at the garage door was at the same height.
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I thought I would then walk the length of the shop and periodically check how high or low the laser was compared to the squares stock.
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Wow! some areas were well over an inch! I can't use Dricore on that! Or I at least need to level it out with leveling compound... which is messy and will it even cure if the concrete floor is 1C??? ARGH! I was so mad! I went inside all jaw clenched and stomped around for a bit. Then after a few minutes I calmed down and thought about it. The floor doesn't need to be level the whole length, I just need it to be level to itself over a certain distance. I went back to the shop and found one of my long 8' cleats that I could use as a straight edge.
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What do you know, none of the gaps are larger than 1/8" relative to the actual floor. Phew! I can go ahead with my order and try to unclench my jaw muscles.

My wife took a look and made the nice suggestion of not leaving the dricore osb as the final floor. She wants me to use cork. After looking into I'm thinking that's a great idea. I'll post with updates as I progress.

Oh and I did have time for a small tool holder for my saws.
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[rvieceli]

Good ideas and great work.

You might want to take a look at rubber flooring as well. Sometimes called horse stall mats or stall mats. It comes in different thicknesses and either tiles or rolls. It's a nice softer surface and is designed to give the horses some cushion as well as to keep them off a slippery concrete stall floor. You can get them online but most farm supply stores either have them or can order them for you.

Here's a Canadian link to give you an idea of what they look like.
https://perfectsurfaces.ca/shop/longhorn-animal-agricultural-surfaces/equestrian/

Ron

 

[Joelm]

Here is my update for the week. I bought just under half of the Dricore panels I would for the project. I did this because I could only fit about half in my hatchback with the kids car seats in the back.
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Yesterday I spent most of my shop time (usually just an hour after the kids are done school) removing the old stairs to my garage and laying out the first strip of Dricore. Looks like my next project will be making new stairs as the wood split apart.
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Here we are this evening. I've got just over 3 rows done and I've used up all 32 tiles I bought. Tomorrow I'll empty out the kids car seats in the back and go get the rest. This floor is so uneven that I have already gone through a few packs of shims.
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Here are the samples of cork flooring from a local floor shop. I'm leaning towards the brown, second from top left. I think it would be a nice contrast to the white ceiling and bright birch plywood walls.
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[Joelm]

Here is a quick update.
Finished DriCore. This was super easy to install and shim. I used my Carvex to scribe the edge panels.
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I was able to grab some samples of cork flooring from a local shop. I'm glad I did and did not just go from the photos they sent. I'm leaning towards the reddish sample. I think having some warm looking floors will make the space look more inviting. My second pick is the dark brown. Not interested in the concrete grey or whites. The yellow looks too much like osb. Not really something I want to look at day in and day out for the price it costs.
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I'm thinking I'll cover the exposed concrete with rigid insulation and then probably build cabinets the whole length of that wall. Just deep enough to hold a single systainer and the worktop would be just shy of the first french cleat on the wall. Maybe I should stick my Kapex there instead of having it on a cart. Just a thought for now.

 

[chrisrosenb]

Looking good.

 

[Dane]

Shop is looking good.  Couple of thoughts on the cork.  I’ve used a lot of different styles and I find that the glue down stuff is way more durable and significantly cheaper than the floating.  It’s also super easy to install.  Sometimes it’s as low as .99 per foot at lumber liquidators.  But- cork is slippery as all get out when sawdust gets on it- I mean like ice skating slippery.  Something to consider.

 

[Joelm]

Hey thanks for the reply. That's why I'm posting here so I don't make a costly mistake.
So the cork in looking at is a floating floor by a company called Torlys Cork. Dimensions are 1/2" x 7-1/2" x 45 13/16". The Elite style is $6.89 sq ft. Torlys recommends a top coat that has slip resistant property.
I'm also looking at their lower tier which is closer to$5 but isn't as thick.
Are you worried about durability with heavy machinery? Or is it bad with daily use in say a kitchen?  I have mostly light weight mobile tools no heavy table saw or jointer and the space is too small for that anyway. The heaviest thing in my shop will be the workbench I make this spring for hand tool woodworking.
I'm also weary of glue down as I don't want anything that's too difficult to tear up in maybe 10-15 years if we move.
Would cork be as slippery as some other flooring like lvp or engineered hardwood?
I did get a quote for unfinished ash hardwood but thought it would be a lot more work to lay down and it would be more prone to movement. Maybe I'm wrong?

 

[Hotwheels]

I recently moved and have a basement workspace (12x22) about the same size as yours.  It has concrete floors and a. block wall to the outside with a couple small windows. My tools include, jointer, planer, table saw, Kapex, and a couple MFTs plus some tool chests.  I sold my Delta dust collector before moving with the intent of getting something new at my current location.  My table saw has a 52 inch fence that I plan to cut down to 30 or 36" so I have more shop room. I have yet to decide on what to do for storage so some of your ideas are helpful

I am thinking about an epoxy or vinyl click together floor since I need something to accommodate the larger machines. 

I am curious about your dust collection choice and did you consider any other options other than the Dust Right?

 

[Joelm]

Hi John,

I did consider the onieda mini gorilla but that would just be another cart on wheels that takes up floor space. The dust right does a decent job when paired with a cyclone.

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In my old shop I discarded the wye connector that attaches to the dust collector itself and bought a 6" flexible hose to run down to my cyclone. The wye that comes with the collector reduced the pipe to 4" even though the inlet is 6". I also rotated the collector 90 degrees so that the inlet was straight down to the cyclone. After I did this I noticed a nice improvement in airflow. I haven't had time to figure anything like that out in my new shop yet. Most of my tools only require my Festool dust extractors. I've got a CT26, CT15, and CT SYS.

I didn't want epoxy floors because of how cold it gets here. The Dricore is working well for insulation but I'm second guessing my choice of cork flooring. Argh hate second thoughts.

 

[Hotwheels]

I like your idea of a wall mounted dust collector in a space that size, makes sense.  The Oneida machine you mentioned is on my list too, but I'm early in the shopping stage and making a short list of possibilities.  I use dust collection one machine at a time for the table saw, planer, and jointer and use one Ct22 (yep it is old) for MFT work and I have another CT22 dedicated to the Kapex.

Good point about epoxy being a colder floor material.  Last night here (Northern Wisconsin) the air temperature was -26 degrees, the high today will go all the up to -5.  Just moved here from California, so it is something of an experience......

Nice work on your shop space.

 

[Dane]

Cork is pretty durable no matter what, I’ve just found the floating stuff to be more prone to denting.  And yes, definitely as slippery as engineered.  Any of those prefinished products will be slick.  I’ve had good luck with Bona Traffic floor finishes.  They have one with an additive that decreases slickness.  I’ve seen unfinished cork tiles before,  that with the bona on top would be a great combo.  The bona is an easy finish to lay down and dries to walkable in a couple of hours.

 

[Joelm]

Thanks for the reply Dane. So glue down would be ideal but not necessary. I don't want something that is difficult to remove if I decided to sell years from now.
I'll definitely check out Bona Traffic with that additive. The flooring shop is closed today for a holiday but I'll be calling first thing tomorrow with my order. Hopefully I'll get it later this week and start laying down floor by the weekend.
I'll keep you posted.

 

[slafredo]

When I started finishing my basement, where my workshop will be, I painted the walls with DryLok Extreme and the floor with DryLok Protector. UGL said to not use the normal DryLok on the floor b/c if water did try to come up it would cause the floor to heave. The DryLok Protector breaths. I then covered the majority of the basement in DriCore, great stuff. My hope is that if I do get some water the DryLok will let it flow under the DriCore and dry instead of saturating the concrete. I glued 2" Foamular to the walls using the PL foam glue mentioned earlier, then spray foamed the joist cavities, and studded in front of the Foamular and anchored through the DriCore. The basement is MUCH warmer though still sweatshirt chilly in the winter at least until I finish the rest.

Since I did this over a period of time, I noticed that the biggest improvement for basement AND whole house warmth was spray foaming the joist cavities.

Really like the BB walls and cleats and really interested in how the floating cork flooring works out.