Shop Flooring

[TheTechRunner]

I'm getting close to "finishing" my basement workshop. It's in a back room of a finished basement with Dricore panels as a subfloor, so I would like it to look a little more finished than the OSB look the Dricore panels have. Does anyone have suggestions? We used floating LVP in other parts of the basement. Do you think it would hold up for a workshop floor?

Equipment wise, I don't have a ton of heavy stuff. I have a 6" jointer that probably weighs 200 pounds. Some day I will probably buy a table saw which will probably weigh < 300-400 pounds.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I like the look of sanded and varnished osb. I’d avoid high pressure surface flooring as it’s too slippery for a shop. Maybe the interlocking vinyl if you can’t use real wood.

 

[TheTechRunner]

I like the look of sanded and varnished osb. I’d’ avoid high pressure surface flooring as it’s too slippery for a shop. Maybe the interlocking vinyl if you cause real wood.

That's some great insight, thank you. I never thought of that. I imagine getting some saw dust on LVP would be super slippery.

 

[TSO_Products]

- the weight of the machines is not as critical as the localized load from casters creating divets and making them hard to move.
You can mitigate this problem to some degree by using leveling feet with a large diameter foot pad and lifting the casters off the floor in that way. Costly but works well. High quality casters and leveling feet can be re-purposed when your needs change.

Think of them as lifetime investments.
Then there is always a real tongue and groove wood floor. Your feet will thank you.

Share with the rest of FOG world what you choose and how it works out.

Hans

 

[chrisrosenb]

I have had finished OSB for my shop floor for 27 years. It was coated with 2 coats of oil based poly when installed. It still looks fine, other than some scratches here & there. The finish is wearing thin in spots.

Vinyl plank would look nice & would hold up, but as was stated above, it would be slippery with saw dust. Also scratches will really stand out.

The only downside to the OSB for me is that it is very difficult to find small fasteners that I drop. This is because of the different colors of the OSB surface.

 

[Scott in San Diego]

Have you considered painting the OSB floor and then a top coating it with satin water-based polyurethane?  The poly is quite effective for paint protection.

 

[rvieceli]

Depending on what part of the world you are in, you might want to consider rubber barn flooring or stall mats. They come in either rolls or mats and thicknesses from 1/4 up to usually 3/4. Since you already have some flex in the flooring I'd think about just the 1/4 inch. Gives a little cushion for your feet and if you drop tools. It is usually black and has some texture to make it non slip.

Most farm supply places will stock it. Here are some examples: but just Google rubber barn flooring
https://www.rubbercal.com/rubber-mat/barn-flooring/

Ron

 

[TheTechRunner]

Does the two coats of polyurethane make it slick? Maybe the roughness of the OSB makes it non-slick versus the LVP being fairly smooth.

The rubber mats are a good idea - I was down there most of the day yesterday and my feet definitely felt it by the end of the day. Only thing that concerns me with them would be cleaning them - I'd probably have to mop every now and then to get the fine dust off?

 

[chrisrosenb]

Does the two coats of polyurethane make it slick? Maybe the roughness of the OSB makes it non-slick versus the LVP being fairly smooth.

I did not sand the OSB before coating. It is not slippery.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Does the two coats of polyurethane make it slick? Maybe the roughness of the OSB makes it non-slick versus the LVP being fairly smooth.

The rubber mats are a good idea - I was down there most of the day yesterday and my feet definitely felt it by the end of the day. Only thing that concerns me with them would be cleaning them - I'd probably have to mop every now and then to get the fine dust off?

No slicker than the finish of any other real wood floor. The relative softness of the osb chips would make it less slippery than hardwood flooring.

My shop floor is concrete. Vinyl foam mats moved to where I work make it tolerable to stand for long periods.

 

[Cheese]

Does the two coats of polyurethane make it slick? Maybe the roughness of the OSB makes it non-slick versus the LVP being fairly smooth.

If you’re worried about being slippery, you can always put down 2 coats of Bona Traffic Anti-slip. I use it on the stairs and that solved the issue.

 

[Gregor]

If you’re worried about being slippery, you can always put down 2 coats of Bona Traffic Anti-slip. I use it on the stairs and that solved the issue.

Or kick over a barrel of epoxy (well, just enough to just close the whole surface and when it has leveled throw some fistfuls of sand evenly.

 

[Gregor]

If you’re worried about being slippery, you can always put down 2 coats of Bona Traffic Anti-slip. I use it on the stairs and that solved the issue.

Or kick over a barrel of epoxy (well, just enough to just close the whole surface ) and when it has leveled throw some fistfuls of sand (evenly).

 

[mwolczko]

I’ve covered the walking/standing areas of my garage workshop with these interlocking foam floor mats:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003R2JATU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_-j9BEbXZ8KTM3
(Not available at this page any more, but I’m sure you can find them somewhere on the web.)

They’re cheap, easily arranged and rearranged, make it more comfortable to work, and dropped items break a whole lot less often than landing on concrete! The only downside I’ve found so far is that some solvents (notably, acetone) strip the color almost instantly.

 

[Bob D.]

I have used the puzzle mats too in areas. I did this because I had a bunch of them that I had used to protect a kitchen floor when I was working in there for an extended time. They do not slip and are inexpensive. You can get them many places but be warned if you have some or source from different places if not the same brand they may look alike at first glance but may not be interchangeable.

I can still take them up and use to protect a floor on a job if need be. They are ~2x2 feet and roughly 1/2" thick. SO in an area 2x2x2 you can store almost 50 of them which is 200 square feet. I've seen them at Walmart for ~$15 for a package of six pieces or 24 SF.

 

[TheTechRunner]

I wish you could thumbs up or like posts on here or something. You folks have offered a lot of great suggestions. Thank you!

 

[Cheese]

I wish you could thumbs up or like posts on here or something. You folks have offered a lot of great suggestions. Thank you!

Like this?

[thumbs up]

 

[TheTechRunner]

I wish you could thumbs up or like posts on here or something. You folks have offered a lot of great suggestions. Thank you!

Like this?

[thumbs up]

That cheese goes great with your username.  [big grin]