I have recently moved to a home where I will actually be able to
have a room dedicated to my metal working hobby. I have made cast and
soldered silver jewelry in the past, but I hope this dedicated room
will allow me to expand my scope. Although I know it would be best to
have a separate building for safety reasons, that is just not
economically feasible. There is one room that is the most logical for
the metal studio, it is 13 feet by almost 11 feet. While getting the
house ready to move into, I found it necessary to remove the previous
old commercial grade carpet, because it was totally saturated with
cigarette smoke. So, are there any specific suggestions on a logical
flooring material besides bare concrete? Wood maybe or some type of
vinyl? Just paint the concrete? All suggestions are greatly
appreciated!
If it were my shop, and I have set up quite a few in the last 30
years, I would paint the floor a light to medium grey color. Stones
and bits of metal seem to show up better for me on this color. I
would then purchase some cheep commercial carpet pieces. I usually
get mine at home depot etc. when they are on sale about $20-$25. I
usually use 6’x8’ sizes and place them under my benches and along the
edges of grinding and buffing areas. Every five or six years or
whenever they get worn I take them up and send them to the refinery
for precious metals recovery. They also add traction for my wheeled
task chair at the bench and help provide some cushion at the stations
that require me to stand, such as the buff. If you drop something on
the carpet it cushions the concrete and you can always pull it up and
shake it out if necessary.
Vinyl and wood floors tend to let little metal pieces be ground into
the surface, which makes for difficult if not impossible recovery.
Anyway that is my two cents and congrats on your new space.
Although it is not fireproof, I have my studio floor covered with
carpeting for several reasons. First of all, it is comfortable
underfoot, and equally important, when I drop something on it I do
not have to worry about breakage—and believe me, I drop plenty of
stones, which usually stay where they fall and are easy to retrieve.
It is even carpeted in the soldering area. Ideally, it should be
fireproof in that area, but in 20 years (yes, same old carpet), I
have never had anything hot fall on it. I do keep a fire extinguisher
and a bucket of water close on hand, but have never had to use them.
It is another story in the separate studio where I fire my enamels,
burn out my waxes, do casting, and work with acids for etching
etc…–in short all the dangerous messy stuff. There, the floor is
concrete, except in areas which are not in danger of flammable items.
i would suggest since you will be starting from scratch, that You
use a hard fireproof surface in areas which need protection,( which
would rule out wood flooring, which might burn), and put some
carpeting where you do your stone setting etc…
I to just ripped the carpet from my new shop and laid a vinyl
laminate that is soft and will last for years. It looks like wood
and it came from Home Depot. Its easy to do.I am now in the process
of putting water in and counters. I am buying mechanics tool chest
to slide under the counter. Its a better solution then cabinets. I
will hae the cabinets on top. This room measures 10x15 ft. I will
have a space for forging. Yea!
I used Masonite on my floor. I cut up sheets into tile sized
rectangles, put a clear oil-based sealer on the front sides of them,
then applied them to my concrete floor as if they were ceramic
tile…grouted the joints and all. They look just like terra cotta!
It looks great, and is very resilient to wear, and easy on dropped
stones, and easy to find little parts on when they drop. I can email
photos to anyone interested in seeing the effect.
water glass, sodium silicate solution is a great sealant for
concrete floors, or any concrete for that matter. It leaves a glossy
finish but is impervious to chemical spills, staining, etc once
dried- which happens fast, and there is absolutely no odor upon
application or drying…thats what i have to say about concrete- aside
from the obvious benefits regarding its flamability or other negative
consequences of dropping something molten on it…but i do recommend
some padded flooring material at the foot space under your bench and
at any counter you may have a drill press etc on, that requires
yourr standing at it for a period of time- concrete,bare concrete
floors are torturous on feet…if you write me off orchid i’ll give
you some flooring catalog links and recomendations other than harbour
freight occassionally has some very good thick mats for under 10
bucks for a ,say 2 1/2 ‘x6’ runner, or 3x6 mat of dense black
foam-not the interlocking blocks they are advertising this week in a
four pack, they pretty much suck and don’t stay connected or where
placed, unless you are setting a hydraulic press or stump and anvil
on top of the blocks…anyway, water glass for concrete= good, and i
have a world of resources for flooring -just give me a really
specific detailed description of what you conceptualize and i’ll be
happy to try and help…
I live in a loft with a polyurethane sealant on concrete floors. I
have rubber mats for wood working shops. I believe they are more
comfortable than restaurant mats (which I have used in my catering
days). With a shop vac, concrete floors, and either mat, this set up
works well for recovering materials for refining. I haven’t started
using stones yet so I can’t speak to that.
I found it necessary to remove the previous old commercial grade
carpet"
Whichever you choose here is some info. Commercial carpet is usually
glued directly to the concrete. When it is removed, some of the glue
and backing remain on the concrete. Commercially, the old glue is
usually removed by “scarifying” the concrete, which means that a
nylon, abrasive pad is put on the bottom of a buffing machine and
run until the concrete is smooth. The old glue marks will remain on
the concrete, but it will be smooth. You can then put vinyl, more
glued down carpet, or paint over it.