I have recently moved and am in the process of setting up my shop as it
will be for a very long time. It will be located in a two-car garage
with a concrete floor. My knees aren't so good and it has been my
experience that walking/standing on a concrete floor for a long period
of times is really uncomfortable - especially when it is cold. So, I
am looking at options. I have looked into some type of shock-absorbing
flooring, most of which is rubber similar to what you see in gyms and
fitness clubs. It looks like a nice option but it is REALLY expensive.
The formula for the material I would need looks roughly like;
$$Flooring = ($$ 8" jointer) + ($$ stationary Planer)
After I recovered from the initial shock, I started thinking that a
really good pair of shoes instead of my current set of work-boots might
be the way to go.
If others would be so kind as to share their opinions, I am interested
in hearing the pros/cons of each.
While I don't like the idea of spending the $$ for the flooring, if it
will sufficiently optimize my shop time comfort over the long haul, I
will likely do it. However, it seems like I could buy a lot of REALLY
good shoes for that $$ over time.
Thanks in advance for your time . . .
L
on 3/7/2005 5:37 PM David D said the following:
> As I said, I have had it in my kitchen for a few years now ... never a
> problem, and I went "wall to wall" with appliances on top ... looks as good
> today as when I laid it, and as you say, leave a bit of space at the walls
> that you can cover with trim.
Thanks, I figured I'd have more problems with moving the appliances in
and out with that "lip" even if I trimmed it out with their transition
piece or made my own.
My suggestion is good shoes and anti-fatigue mats as well. I bought my
mats from Costco and they are quite economical. All my mats are
36"x36" and I have them running in front of all my tools in a
continuous run. All in I probably have about 25 mats. At a cost of
about $15 per mat, it's not hard on the wallet. As well, if you intend
to use your shop for it's original purpose at all, like for cars, then
these mats are very convenient.
Neil
"James "Cubby" Culbertson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> There was a review of various mats etc... in a recent Fine Woodworking
> IIRC. I do remember
> that it was pretty pricey for even a small shop. I'm really liking the
> laminated floor idea. Not to mention
> the Jones' factor. Can you imagine telling your neighbor that you put
> down the same laminate they used in their
> house, in your garage (in my case unfortunately)? Good shoes are really
> a neccesity in my book whether cushioned
> floor or not.
> Cheers,
> cc
>
>
Even at a buck a square foot laminate flooring is not inexpensive. Do the
math, a 20 foot x 20 foot room will run $400. 5-6 fatigue at mats at work
areas will run much less than that. Then if your shop is also a garage the
flooring is pretty much out of the question.
If you have bad wheels the you may want to look at custom made boots.
Will cost you $800 maybe little more. Can be resoled. You feet are not
growing any more like the kids. Concrete is all over the place. and your
padded floor will only be in the 20X20 shop.
You only get issued one set of wheels when your born so make the best of
what you have left of them.
Hell take a look at the loggers up in the Pacific northwest. They don't
spend $1500
just for the hell of it. There is a reason .
Red wings good boots........ for someone
who has ok feet. If there as bad as you say do the most for them. Who
was it that said you only want to cry once when you buy a tool. Well
same thing here.
There is no easy way out. And I will tell you one thing ,. If you get
custom made boots they will not fit someone else very good. Store bought
boots will fit a ton of workers.
"Duane Bozarth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> How did you put it down?
Cut the underlay to fit, clicked the flooring together over top ... a few
cuts, but pretty straightforward. Bit of trim to make it look nicer and trap
the sawdust.
Moving the tools and stock out and back was the hardest part.
"Upscale" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> How well does dust and little pieces of wood sweep up from it?
Cleans up beautifully. Vacuum with the shop-vac, then when I want a real
nice job, go over it with the swiffer wet mop ...
David D wrote:
...
>
> Here's a compromise solution in 2 parts ... put a floating laminate floor
> into the shop, with a nice foam cushion under it ... I got mine for 99
> cents a square foot, and it is surprisingly durable under shop conditions, a
> breeze to clean up, and very cushy with the foam underlay, not to mention
> warm ... and buy some Dr. Scholl's gel inserts for your boots.
How did you put it down?
If one has a good farm supply, one can usually find livestock floor pads
at much less than equivalent shop padding costs. A few of those in
judicious locations can make a big difference.
I'm in the same boat wrt to knees/back, etc., so it makes a big
difference on both fronts--cushioning and not so blamed cold (directly
on the feets, anyway)...
David D wrote:
>
> "Duane Bozarth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
> > How did you put it down?
>
> Cut the underlay to fit, clicked the flooring together over top ... a few
> cuts, but pretty straightforward. Bit of trim to make it look nicer and trap
> the sawdust.
>
> Moving the tools and stock out and back was the hardest part.
Interesting...wondered if it didn't/doesn't move. How thick is the
underlayment?
I could see something like this down the road...
David D wrote:
>
> >> "Duane Bozarth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > Interesting...wondered if it didn't/doesn't move. How thick is the
> > underlayment?
> >
> > I could see something like this down the road...
>
> It does move, marginally, Duane, hence the term floating floor; however, the
> movement is nominal ... case of small fractions of an inch rather than
> inches, and it "moves" as a unit.
>
> The underlayment I chose is only about ¼" thick, but very dense, and between
> it and the flex of the flooring, very cushy underfoot.
>
> Also, it looks classy as heck. Practical, inexpensive and stylish. Gotta
> love it.
Thanks, David...it's an option that I hadn't considered at all for the
purpose.
David D wrote:
>
> "Cherokee-Ltd" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> > Beware, it looks great and it's cheap and easy but slippery as heck with
> > sawdust down. You have to keep it really clean.
> >
> > -Brian
>
> That was an incentive for me, Brian ... keeps me from being lax about shop
> upkeep. Good point to bring up, though.
Yeah, I bet it would be...what you got me thinking of though was try
essentially the same thing w/ the leftover strip flooring I have...
David D wrote:
>
> "Duane Bozarth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Yeah, I bet it would be...what you got me thinking of though was try
> > essentially the same thing w/ the leftover strip flooring I have...
>
> My only concern would be that wood won't be as resilient as is the laminate,
> Duane ... if that's not a concern for you, then I'd say go for it.
No, it won't, but this is left over yellow pine from the original barn
and salvaged from other outbuildings--it's milled 80 years or so and is
thus hard as it can be. I would leave it as is to keep the patina but
add the little cushioning instead of laying it directly on the slab. I
can try a small area as a try to see how it goes.
James \"Cubby\" Culbertson wrote:
...
> ...I haven't priced out those horse mat type things ...
The local farmers' supply has 4x6 (perforated or solid, your choice) at
$28/ea, w/ volume discount as much as 25% depending on number. I like
the holes for the shop as it lets chips, etc., fall in. Only
disadvantage is they're fairly heavy so if join a bunch together it's
somewhat of a pita to clean up completely. I keep most separate so
simply lay one at a time back and sweep up (on the rare occasion I get
that anal about it)...OTOH, a hose w/ floor sweep attachment on the DC
makes pretty quick work of the bulk of it so there's not a real need
unless one is fanatical. If the shop were in the house/basement sort of
thing it might be a different story...
Anyway, they're relatively cheap, almost indestructable, heavy enough to
not move, have good traction and yet "cushiony-enough" to make a really
noticeable difference plus help a lot on the cold-feeling slab in an
unheated area.
Australopithecus scobis wrote:
>
> On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 10:44:47 -0600, Duane Bozarth wrote:
>
> > I like
> > the holes for the shop as it lets chips, etc., fall in. Only
>
> I figgered that was a disadvantage; too hard to sweep up. Ok, I guess, if
> you use a shop vac. How are they (the stock mats) for resilience?
It's a mixed blessing...overall, I like the hole so I don't step on
small cutoffs, etc., that gives an uneven footing and will put up w/ the
cleanup hassle for that. They can be had in either form, however.
For resilience, I'm not sure which specific issue you're wanting to know
about...they're dense but flexible and have sufficient cushion to
relieve the foot-weariness yet don't feel spongy as some of the lighter
ones do. They are a really tough for withstanding cuts, etc., as they
will stand up to cattle/horse traffic for quite some time.
HTH...
I've put this in my home, 1 room and hallway...but the shop? What a concept!
For those who have it installed in the shop, are your stationary tools on
wheels? I'd like to try this (someday) but would think that the laminate
would chip or crack while rolling a heavy object (lets say dc-380 15" planer
with a mob base)
"David D" <crumbl @ gmail.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >> "Duane Bozarth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > Interesting...wondered if it didn't/doesn't move. How thick is the
> > underlayment?
> >
> > I could see something like this down the road...
>
> It does move, marginally, Duane, hence the term floating floor; however,
the
> movement is nominal ... case of small fractions of an inch rather than
> inches, and it "moves" as a unit.
>
> The underlayment I chose is only about ¼" thick, but very dense, and
between
> it and the flex of the flooring, very cushy underfoot.
>
> Also, it looks classy as heck. Practical, inexpensive and stylish. Gotta
> love it.
>
>
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I have recently moved and am in the process of setting up my shop as it
> will be for a very long time. It will be located in a two-car garage
> with a concrete floor. My knees aren't so good and it has been my
> experience that walking/standing on a concrete floor for a long period
> of times is really uncomfortable - especially when it is cold. So, I
> am looking at options. I have looked into some type of shock-absorbing
> flooring, most of which is rubber similar to what you see in gyms and
> fitness clubs. It looks like a nice option but it is REALLY expensive.
> The formula for the material I would need looks roughly like;
>
> $$Flooring = ($$ 8" jointer) + ($$ stationary Planer)
>
> After I recovered from the initial shock, I started thinking that a
> really good pair of shoes instead of my current set of work-boots might
> be the way to go.
>
> If others would be so kind as to share their opinions, I am interested
> in hearing the pros/cons of each.
>
> While I don't like the idea of spending the $$ for the flooring, if it
> will sufficiently optimize my shop time comfort over the long haul, I
> will likely do it. However, it seems like I could buy a lot of REALLY
> good shoes for that $$ over time.
>
> Thanks in advance for your time . . .
>
> L
Here's a compromise solution in 2 parts ... put a floating laminate floor
into the shop, with a nice foam cushion under it ... I got mine for 99
cents a square foot, and it is surprisingly durable under shop conditions, a
breeze to clean up, and very cushy with the foam underlay, not to mention
warm ... and buy some Dr. Scholl's gel inserts for your boots.
Cheers,
"David D" <crumbl @ gmail.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>>> "Duane Bozarth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> Interesting...wondered if it didn't/doesn't move. How thick is the
>> underlayment?
>>
>> I could see something like this down the road...
>
> It does move, marginally, Duane, hence the term floating floor; however,
> the movement is nominal ... case of small fractions of an inch rather than
> inches, and it "moves" as a unit.
>
> The underlayment I chose is only about ¼" thick, but very dense, and
> between it and the flex of the flooring, very cushy underfoot.
>
> Also, it looks classy as heck. Practical, inexpensive and stylish. Gotta
> love it.
>
I am in the same situation looking for flooring for my basement workshop.
This sounds like a great idea and not one I had considered as I would be
concerned as to how it holds up in the long term with heavy machinery on it.
(300LBS+). I would be expect that it might dent where the feet or wheels
touch the surface of the laminate when the equipment stays in place for an
extended period of time. Wonder what the lbs per square inch ratings are on
this type of flooring as all of my machinery is mobile so only 4 to 6 touch
points not much larger than a square inch support the machinery.
BTW, where are you finding this at 99 cents a square foot. The best I have
found is around 1.99. With approximately 550-600 square feet, this would
make a big difference in cost, another decent tool at a minimum.
Thanks,
David
There was a review of various mats etc... in a recent Fine Woodworking IIRC.
I do remember
that it was pretty pricey for even a small shop. I'm really liking the
laminated floor idea. Not to mention
the Jones' factor. Can you imagine telling your neighbor that you put down
the same laminate they used in their
house, in your garage (in my case unfortunately)? Good shoes are really a
neccesity in my book whether cushioned
floor or not.
Cheers,
cc
>> "Duane Bozarth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> Interesting...wondered if it didn't/doesn't move. How thick is the
> underlayment?
>
> I could see something like this down the road...
It does move, marginally, Duane, hence the term floating floor; however, the
movement is nominal ... case of small fractions of an inch rather than
inches, and it "moves" as a unit.
The underlayment I chose is only about ¼" thick, but very dense, and between
it and the flex of the flooring, very cushy underfoot.
Also, it looks classy as heck. Practical, inexpensive and stylish. Gotta
love it.
on 3/7/2005 1:47 PM Duane Bozarth said the following:
> Interesting...wondered if it didn't/doesn't move. How thick is the
> underlayment?
>
> I could see something like this down the road...
If I'm not mistaken, all of those laminate floors, Pergo, etc. are meant
to be floating. You must maintain a gap between the flooring and walls,
cabinets, etc which are then bridged with shoe base and quarter-round.
Getting ready to do a kitchen and I'm somewhat concerned as to whether
or not to run it in all the way underneath the refrigerator and the
stove/oven or just far enough to conceal the rough edge. Probably not a
problem and I'm leaning to just installing it all the way beneath the
appliances. I can't imagine there being enough seasonal movement with
the laminate (will be using Pergo) to be a problem so long as the
stuff's not butted up against the cabinet bases and/or wall plates.
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> $$Flooring = ($$ 8" jointer) + ($$ stationary Planer)
>
> After I recovered from the initial shock, I started thinking that a
> really good pair of shoes instead of my current set of work-boots might
> be the way to go.
>
> If others would be so kind as to share their opinions, I am interested
> in hearing the pros/cons of each.
>
> While I don't like the idea of spending the $$ for the flooring, if it
> will sufficiently optimize my shop time comfort over the long haul, I
> will likely do it. However, it seems like I could buy a lot of REALLY
> good shoes for that $$ over time.
>
> Thanks in advance for your time . . .
Like any flooring, most if it goes unnoticed and or unused. Why have
expensive flooring under and behind heavy equipment. I suggest Rockport
hiking shoes. That is what I use and have spent years working on concrete
and nothing gets tired or sore anymore because of the floor. Alternatively
you can put down good quality anti-fatigue mats in areas that you do a lot
of standing. These can be easily moved when you rearrange the shop again.
:~)
>
> Even at a buck a square foot laminate flooring is not inexpensive. Do the
> math, a 20 foot x 20 foot room will run $400. 5-6 fatigue at mats at work
> areas will run much less than that. Then if your shop is also a garage the
> flooring is pretty much out of the question.
Agreed that at $1 a foot it's not necessarily more inexpensive than some
solutions.
I have tried those 1/2" or so mats from the likes of Sam's Club etc... and
actually found them
to be a bit too cushiony for my tastes and I couldn't get good leverage on
them for tasks like
hand planing etc... Looking at the mats that FWW reviewed, prices
ranged from $1.10/SF to $4.29/SF so comparing to these alternatives, the
laminate would
be cheaper. I haven't priced out those horse mat type things but I do
remember my local
Woodcraft had them on sale a while back and the cost to do a portion of the
garage was
better than $200 (price to do the laminate). I figure 1/2 the garage is
just woodworking and
there are no vehicles there (well a Harley but that's ok) so no worries
about putting a car on it.
Ultimately, if I could afford it, I'd have a dedicated shop and build a
raised floor with planks but
that's the "dream" so to speak....
Cheers,
cc
"Duane Bozarth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> David D wrote:
>
> Thanks, David...it's an option that I hadn't considered at all for the
> purpose.
Beware, it looks great and it's cheap and easy but slippery as heck with
sawdust down. You have to keep it really clean.
-Brian
"Unquestionably Confused" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:Ah5Xd.17495
> If I'm not mistaken, all of those laminate floors, Pergo, etc. are meant
> to be floating. You must maintain a gap between the flooring and walls,
> cabinets, etc which are then bridged with shoe base and quarter-round.
> Getting ready to do a kitchen and I'm somewhat concerned as to whether or
> not to run it in all the way underneath the refrigerator and the
> stove/oven or just far enough to conceal the rough edge. Probably not a
> problem and I'm leaning to just installing it all the way beneath the
> appliances. I can't imagine there being enough seasonal movement with the
> laminate (will be using Pergo) to be a problem so long as the stuff's not
> butted up against the cabinet bases and/or wall plates.
>
As I said, I have had it in my kitchen for a few years now ... never a
problem, and I went "wall to wall" with appliances on top ... looks as good
today as when I laid it, and as you say, leave a bit of space at the walls
that you can cover with trim.
If it can withstand a passel of kids and the stringent and harsh cleaning
necessities that entails as well as rolling appliances across it regularly
(fridge out for cleaning, portable dishwasher as the kitchen reno featuring
a built in is at least a year away ... ), you should be ok.
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] wrote:
>I have recently moved and am in the process of setting up my shop as it
>will be for a very long time. It will be located in a two-car garage
>with a concrete floor. My knees aren't so good and it has been my
>experience that walking/standing on a concrete floor for a long period
>of times is really uncomfortable - especially when it is cold. So, I
>am looking at options. I have looked into some type of shock-absorbing
>flooring, most of which is rubber similar to what you see in gyms and
>fitness clubs. It looks like a nice option but it is REALLY expensive.
Rockler and Woodcraft sell some pretty nice anti-fatigue mats in various
sizes. It's certainly less expensive to put several small mats where they're
needed, than to try to cover the entire floor. I have four mats in two
different sizes. One large one stays next to the workbench most of the time,
one large one stays in front of the table saw most of the time, one small one
gets kicked around to wherever it's needed, and one small one *never* moves
from in front of the lathe.
Good shoes with arch supports are a must, even with the mats. Rockport makes
several that are suitable. I've also found combat boots to be surprisingly
comfortable. Your foot comfort will also be considerably enhanced with good
heavy socks made of natural materials; I'm partial to wool myself, but cotton
works well too. The synthetics just don't allow your skin to breathe.
We've kicked this topic around a few times before, too. A Google search on
this newsgroup will turn up hundreds of opinions.
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt.
And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?
"Doug Miller" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Good shoes with arch supports are a must, even with the mats. Rockport
> makes
> several that are suitable. I've also found combat boots to be surprisingly
> comfortable. Your foot comfort will also be considerably enhanced with
> good
> heavy socks made of natural materials; I'm partial to wool myself, but
> cotton
> works well too. The synthetics just don't allow your skin to breathe.
Actually, Doug, as ex military myself, and as I mentioned, my partner runs a
daycare and one of our families is current military, good, properly broken
in combat boots make excellent and extremely comfortable and safe shop
footwear. Our daycare dad has arthritis, and the Canadian military provides
him with custom boots from a company called BioPed ... my slippers should be
so comfortable and supportive.
I also agree about the natural fiber socks, although I prefer cotton to wool
... or silk to wool. Wool is too hot for my taste.
"David D" <crumbl @ gmail.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "DL" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:4d4Xd.46736$755.24213@lakeread05...
> I got mine at Rona, David ... like Lowe's but in Canada (and yes, paid in
> Canadian dollars too ... woohoo!) I've actually seen laminate as cheap as
79
> cents a square foot at a local borg.
>
> And at that cost, if it wears out in a couple of years, it sure doesn't
owe
> me anything.
>
> Having said that ... my refrigerator is on laminate for the last 3 years
...
> big heavy sucker, and it gets wheeled out for cleaning every week or two,
so
> my guess is the laminate will tolerate a bit of abuse and certainly some
> weight.
>
> I'd have a nicer kitchen floor but my partner runs a daycare out of our
> home, so cheap and durable are the two watchwords for us in that regard. I
> did the shop floor with laminate because I had spare ... wouldn't have
> thought to do so otherwise.
Hi David
Did you get the foam underlay at Rona as well? If so, can you remember the
brand name?
Our local Rona is a little on the dim side when it comes to anything that is
not the norm, so when you ask about underlay for laminate floors all they
preent you with is the thin white foam (2mm maybe 3mm at best).
George
Montreal
"Cherokee-Ltd" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Beware, it looks great and it's cheap and easy but slippery as heck with
> sawdust down. You have to keep it really clean.
>
> -Brian
That was an incentive for me, Brian ... keeps me from being lax about shop
upkeep. Good point to bring up, though.
I find that there are about four spots in my shop where I stand at least
80% of the time. (in front of the bench, in front of the lathe, in front
of the table saw, and behind the table saw (I use the outfeed table as
an assembly and finishing area)). A good quality anti-fatigue mat big
enough to catch most dropped tools (about 3ft x 5ft) in each of these
spots solved my concrete floor pains with minimal investment. I can drag
one where I need it as projects demand, as well. I got the "super-soft
corrugated top 5/8" thick sponge vinyl" mats from McMaster and they have
held up for 10 years of use so far. You can order any size by the foot
from them.
Roger
"Duane Bozarth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Yeah, I bet it would be...what you got me thinking of though was try
> essentially the same thing w/ the leftover strip flooring I have...
My only concern would be that wood won't be as resilient as is the laminate,
Duane ... if that's not a concern for you, then I'd say go for it.
On Mon, 7 Mar 2005 21:30:39 -0500, [email protected] (O D) wrote:
>If you have bad wheels the you may want to look at custom made boots.
>Will cost you $800 maybe little more. Can be resoled. You feet are not
>growing any more like the kids.
On the contrary - feet do change size even for OFs like me.
I'm 58 - about three years ago I had to dump all my size 12 shoes and
go for 13. Not that I'm against custom footwear, but your next pair
might not be your last pair.
=====
Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others.
=====
{remove curly brackets for email}
On Tue, 08 Mar 2005 10:44:47 -0600, Duane Bozarth wrote:
> I like
> the holes for the shop as it lets chips, etc., fall in. Only
I figgered that was a disadvantage; too hard to sweep up. Ok, I guess, if
you use a shop vac. How are they (the stock mats) for resilience?
--
"Keep your ass behind you"
vladimir a t mad {dot} scientist {dot} com
"toolguy" <[email protected]> writes:
>My suggestion is good shoes and anti-fatigue mats as well.
>All in I probably have about 25 mats. At a cost of about $15 per mat
well there might be a question of quality... but we just picked up a
pack of mats at sam's club for ~15. they are two sided, black on one,
colored on the other and interlock like a puzzle. It was sold as a
"multi purpose mat" IIRC. (showed kids on the colorful side and a guy
working on the black side.)
Each unit mat is ~2x2 and there were 8 total... so ~$2 a mat, or
$0.50/ft^2 after taxes.
We picked it up for the wife's DDR (dance dance revolution) floor-mat
which doesn't have any padding of it's own, but now that i think about
it, i might pick up a couple packs for the shop. ;)
--
be safe.
flip
Ich habe keine Ahnung was das bedeutet, oder vielleicht doch?
Remove origin of the word spam from address to reply (leave "+")
"Duane Bozarth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> No, it won't, but this is left over yellow pine from the original barn
> and salvaged from other outbuildings--it's milled 80 years or so and is
> thus hard as it can be. I would leave it as is to keep the patina but
> add the little cushioning instead of laying it directly on the slab. I
> can try a small area as a try to see how it goes.
Sounds lovely. I'll look forward to pics in abpw when you get it laid.
"DL" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:4d4Xd.46736$755.24213@lakeread05...
> I am in the same situation looking for flooring for my basement workshop.
> This sounds like a great idea and not one I had considered as I would be
> concerned as to how it holds up in the long term with heavy machinery on
> it. (300LBS+). I would be expect that it might dent where the feet or
> wheels touch the surface of the laminate when the equipment stays in place
> for an extended period of time. Wonder what the lbs per square inch
> ratings are on this type of flooring as all of my machinery is mobile so
> only 4 to 6 touch points not much larger than a square inch support the
> machinery.
>
> BTW, where are you finding this at 99 cents a square foot. The best I
> have found is around 1.99. With approximately 550-600 square feet, this
> would make a big difference in cost, another decent tool at a minimum.
>
> Thanks,
>
> David
I got mine at Rona, David ... like Lowe's but in Canada (and yes, paid in
Canadian dollars too ... woohoo!) I've actually seen laminate as cheap as 79
cents a square foot at a local borg.
And at that cost, if it wears out in a couple of years, it sure doesn't owe
me anything.
Having said that ... my refrigerator is on laminate for the last 3 years ...
big heavy sucker, and it gets wheeled out for cleaning every week or two, so
my guess is the laminate will tolerate a bit of abuse and certainly some
weight.
I'd have a nicer kitchen floor but my partner runs a daycare out of our
home, so cheap and durable are the two watchwords for us in that regard. I
did the shop floor with laminate because I had spare ... wouldn't have
thought to do so otherwise.
"George" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Hi David
>
> Did you get the foam underlay at Rona as well? If so, can you remember the
> brand name?
> Our local Rona is a little on the dim side when it comes to anything that
> is
> not the norm, so when you ask about underlay for laminate floors all they
> preent you with is the thin white foam (2mm maybe 3mm at best).
>
> George
> Montreal
No, George, I actually got the underlay at End of the Roll
(www.endoftheroll.com, two Quebec locations). Much better quality for about
the same cost ... I know exactly the stuff Rona's trying to sell you. The
stuff I used is very dense, moreso even than a carpet underlay.
"David D" <crumbl @ gmail.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Duane Bozarth" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>> How did you put it down?
>
> Cut the underlay to fit, clicked the flooring together over top ... a few
> cuts, but pretty straightforward. Bit of trim to make it look nicer and
> trap the sawdust.
>
> Moving the tools and stock out and back was the hardest part.
And I did lay it directly onto the concrete ... my shop is in the basement.
The foam and the flex of the laminate compensate for any irregularity in the
surface.
Google on Apache Mills... they make all the good stuff
for foot comfort mats... Sam's Club carries a NICE mat
for around $25 for a 3x3...
[email protected] wrote:
> I have recently moved and am in the process of setting up my shop as it
> will be for a very long time. It will be located in a two-car garage
> with a concrete floor.