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View Full Version : What flooring should I have in my home workshop?



Eveness
05-03-2014, 12:20 AM
Hello all,

I am very much a newbie just getting my own home workshop set up and wanted to pick your brains on what sort of floor covering you have in yours?

Right now my workshop is in the attic bedroom which is currently carpeted but I am thinking that it might be a good idea to put down some interlocking Vinyl/PVC/Lino type tiles on the floor?

Of course this would cover and protect my carpet but my main consideration for this is to reduce fire risks from any blowtorch accidents that might happen.

I would be most grateful if you could give me your thoughts on the best way to do this without it breaking the bank in the process.

Thanks in advance!

Eve x


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Dennis
05-03-2014, 06:05 AM
Good morning, Eve.

The main cause for concern will be dropped sticky things such as wax and BluTack, dust and filings, and of course dropped objects, particularly hot ones.

Thick vinyl is probably best, covering quite a large area around where you sit, but preferably in one or two pieces, rather than tiles, if they are likely to be forced apart due to the movement of your chair.

It is also a good idea to choose black, or a dark grey, to show up gemstones and dropped silver, but disguise the inevitable stains and burn marks

At the moment I have two, very thick loose floor protectors from Ikea, covering about two square metres and laced together with cable ties. Being translucent, they are the very devil to find dropped objects on and now are stained and disgusting. However they have never been penetrated by hot metal. Dennis.

mizgeorge
05-03-2014, 08:43 AM
I use exactly the same thing as Dennis - I've also got one in the kitchen :)

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/44881100/

Patstone
05-03-2014, 08:49 AM
I used to work for a flooring contractor and didn't advocate putting vinyl of any sort on top of carpet, for one, any sharp objects will penetrate, and because of the pile on the carpet it wont stay put, it will move around so not suitable. I also make jewellery in my small bedroom which is also carpeted and I just have a very large white cotton rug also from Ikea on top of it to protect it a bit. Bear in mind though that cheap rugs on top of pale carpets will bleed colour, so if you have a pale carpet, go for paler rug. The one I have is fairly thin and will just about go in the washing machine, I tried the plastic cover that Dennis is talking about, but found that when I try to put pressure on anything my chair shoots backwards and I end up scooting across the room. You would probably be better to take up your carpet and roll it up and put somewhere safe. Expect the vinyl to stretch on a wooden floor because of the flexing when you walk on it. Hope this helps.

caroleallen
05-03-2014, 05:32 PM
I used to use these in my studio http://www.tooled-up.com/product/floor-cushion-anti-fatigue-matting-6-pieces-600x600mm/146397/?Referrer=googleproductlisting&gclid=CMOc4Jz2-7wCFQUIwwodBJsAAg

I bought mine in B&Q. They worked really well and were great under foot.

Patstone
05-03-2014, 06:06 PM
Not on top of carpet though I don't expect.

LydiaNiz
05-03-2014, 06:42 PM
this is very timely. The floor of my studio is concrete, and as previous occupants wre painters/sculptors etc, it is in dire need of looking less grim. I've been wondering about vinyl too. Didn't even think about the hot metal aspect *hangs head*

caroleallen
05-03-2014, 07:25 PM
No Pat, not on carpet. I've got vinyl now and so far it's been fine. Just don't drop hot metal on it.

Dennis
05-03-2014, 08:39 PM
While we are on the topic of hot metal, avoid synthetic aprons, because they melt, so hot pieces might fall right through. Dennis.

Tabby66
05-03-2014, 09:10 PM
I have very similar to Carole, over floorboards......as has been said, dropping hot metal isn't good for them, the one advantage is that I usually get a little plume of smoke and a melting smell to help me find and recover the dropped piece (with tweezers)!!

Eveness
05-03-2014, 11:59 PM
Thanks everyone for your very valuable advice. I shall have a think about how to store the carpet if I lift it up...or if I opt for the IKEA mats for the moment (I know what you mean though Pat, I've had one of these before and remember it was pretty easy to move around on!)
Good point too on the apron Dennis!


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Wren
06-03-2014, 12:01 PM
this is very timely. The floor of my studio is concrete, and as previous occupants wre painters/sculptors etc, it is in dire need of looking less grim. I've been wondering about vinyl too. Didn't even think about the hot metal aspect *hangs head*

The floor in my workshop is also concrete and cold too, I put B&Q carpet tiles down warmer than vinyl, they stop dropped stones from bouncing out of view and keep my feet warm, if I were to drop anything hot- heaven forbid and burn a hole then I can replace the tile.

pearlescence
06-03-2014, 02:25 PM
I'm about to get laminate - that'll stop those pesky pearls from hiding!

donnie
06-03-2014, 04:40 PM
My experience of floor coverings is a painfull one, after working in my garage where if you dropped anything smaller than an anvil it was gone forever. Bit by bit I sneaked my tools etc. into my office in the house. I was soldering this ring and some how it jumped out of the third hand and on to the carpet quick as a flash I bent down picked it up burnt fingers dropped it , picked it up burnt fingers dropped it, picked it up bur. you get the idea. Three ring shape burns in the carpet, size R if I remember. I am now in my purpose built workshop with concrete floor.

DONNIE


[url]www.facebook.com/Silver n Things

surfergirl
06-03-2014, 06:53 PM
I was soldering this ring and some how it jumped out of the third hand and on to the carpet quick as a flash I bent down picked it up burnt fingers dropped it , picked it up burnt fingers dropped it, picked it up bur.

Haha! I'm sure lots of people can relate to this, Donnie! I have several bezel shapes burnt into my 'bench' (kitchen table).

Petal
07-03-2014, 01:30 PM
Further to James' recommendation, I bought 2 sheets of 8ft x 4ft x 18mm thick plywood from B&Q, taped together with very strong tape. It means that things which are dropped make a lovely pinging sound and if you are quick you can see where they have gone to. Its ok for dropping hot things too, as you can see the burn marks to locate it!

LydiaNiz
07-03-2014, 04:58 PM
I dont know if I've told my best 'dropped it' story on here. My first studio was above a furniture workshop. It was basically a 40 x 30 foot open warehouse where a chap made oak furniture by hand, and was full of planks, blocks and about fifty tons of shavings and sawdust at any given time.
I was making a ring for a friend, and she'd given me her engagement ring to size it from. The engagement ring was silver, and really dirty, so as an extra 'nice', I thought I'd polish it.
It got snatched by the mop - flew up into the air, down onto the floor, sideways and perfectly straight through a gap in the floor, 20 feet down to the furniture workshop.
I almost threw up. Went down into the workshop, and apparently 'went white' looking at the odds of ever seeing it again.
I explained to the chap what had happened, and unbelievably, he reached down between his feet and picked it straight up.
I never did fess up to my friend...

pearlescence
07-03-2014, 07:27 PM
St Eligius clearly on duty that day

Ebo Von Gaz
15-03-2014, 09:11 AM
Ha, just looked up who St. Eligius was, never knew there was a patron saint of goldsmiths, and car mechanics.

I had to laugh when I read that " Besides Eligius' self-mortification, Dado recalled his propensity for weeping, "For he had the great grace of tears."" - probably tears of frustration from dropping teeny leetle things and trying to find them again on a wooden floor.

He also apparently shoe-ed a horse by chopping its leg off, affixing the shoe, and then glueing the leg back on. Pretty much how I'd go about it too.

Goldsmith
15-03-2014, 09:41 AM
Ha, just looked up who St. Eligius was, never knew there was a patron saint of goldsmiths, and car mechanics.

I had to laugh when I read that " Besides Eligius' self-mortification, Dado recalled his propensity for weeping, "For he had the great grace of tears."" - probably tears of frustration from dropping teeny leetle things and trying to find them again on a wooden floor.

He also apparently shoe-ed a horse by chopping its leg off, affixing the shoe, and then glueing the leg back on. Pretty much how I'd go about it too.

UK goldsmiths also have St Dunston as the patron saint of goldsmiths and silversmiths, St. Eligius was an earlier French patron saint of goldsmiths.

James

Ebo Von Gaz
15-03-2014, 10:04 AM
Cheers for that, made some interesting reading. Crikey, Dunstan had it in for the devil didn't he?

"St Dunstan, as the story goes,
Once pull'd the devil by the nose
With red-hot tongs, which made him roar,
That he was heard three miles or more"

" Dunstan nailed a horseshoe to the Devil's hoof when he was asked to re-shoe the Devil's horse. This caused the Devil great pain, and Dunstan only agreed to remove the shoe and release the Devil after he promised never to enter a place where a horseshoe is over the door. This is claimed as the origin of the lucky horseshoe."

I think in a fight between Dunstan and Eligius, Dunstan would win.

LydiaNiz
15-03-2014, 01:00 PM
Well, thanks to this thread, I now have to clear out my studio for the last week in March. Wooden floor going down (to give some insulation between the concrete, as it is FREEZING in my unit), then will see about varnishing it or lino on top.