Tips and tricks for winter?

[Luke Pighetti]

I put a wood floor in my shop. 2x4 sleepers with rigid foam between, plastic then OSB on top. It made a huge difference in the comfort of the shop. Before you could feel the cold coming off the slab and in turn your heater has to work harder.I run my heater when I'm out there and have never had any issues with rust and I live 1/4 mile from the ocean. Having the shop insulated will help deal with moisture also.

I like this idea for the floor. Should be fairly cost effective. Any suggestions for the walls? It's a 3 bay insulated garage that I only use 150 sqft of, that's why I want to put up cheap walls to lower the volume to heat

[Jim Andrew]

Have you considered installing a small wood or pellet stove?

[Luke Pighetti]

Have you considered installing a small wood or pellet stove?

Budget is tight and I'm renting the space. Plus I think a wood stove would be overkill for a 150 sqft mini-shop.

[Don Jarvie]

If your renting you may want to consider how long your going to be there. The wood floor can be taken up but it will fit the space so the downside is only some of the wood would be reusable. Adding a wall would be fairly cheap with some 2x4s and insulation and drywall.

The electric heater sounds like a good option since you can take it with you when you move.

[Luke Pighetti]

That's the main reason for wanting the electric heater. Brainless to install, brainless to remove, don't have to worry about direct vent. The coal burning generator 20 miles away can worry about direct vent for me haha.

The problem with building something is if the cost to build exceeds the cost savings in heating it's pointless.

There is a junk fridge in the space that I think I can turn into heated storage. Maybe put up some kind of double walled plastic tarp tent around the three open corners of the space (my workbench etc is right tucked into the corner of the insulated garage) would be most cost effective. If I can lay down SOME kind of insulated floor... even a rug... should make a big difference. Then I can keep the 'fridge' heated all winter and only heat the shop when I show up to work.

[Luke Pighetti]

Alright, so, I consolidated the shop today and set up a much more efficient layout. I was able to fit the entire shop into 90 sqft. Or 9' x 10'floor plan, and that includes all workbenches etc.

I also figured out that 90% of my time would be spend standing in the same 4' x 4' zone, so this will help a lot. I will probably make a floor for the aisle out of 4x8 sheet of stiff insulation and thin plywood on top. On top of that I will put a heated mat.

Now I need to figure out how to keep my hands warm and my finishing supplies at a reasonable temperature. I've switched 100% over to shellac and Wood Turners Finish at this point so I don't think I'll need to outsource finishing.

So I guess the question is, do I go radiant heat source or some kind of heater/blower configuration? How do I go about insulating the space the cheapest? And if I go radiant, will there really be any reason to?

[Andrew Joiner]

So I guess the question is, do I go radiant heat source or some kind of heater/blower configuration? How do I go about insulating the space the cheapest? And if I go radiant, will there really be any reason to?

With a shop that small you could probably get by with just heat lamps and no insulation. This would be cheap and easy to try. Since you're renting I'd experiment with this first.
I tested a 1500 watt milk house heater vs 6- 250 watt bulbs. The bulbs use the same energy but they feel way warmer because it's radiant and you get lots of light as a bonus. The milk house heater heats the air and blows it around so it would work in a tight well insulated space. I also tested a 1500 watt garage radiant heater like this. It was too concentrated over my bench. That's when I got the heat lamps so I could shine the heat where I wanted it.

[Peter Froh]

Vapour barrier, tightly sealed doors and windows and good insulation are the three key things. I have two baseboard heaters that keep the shop above freezing and a construction heater (220V small box with fan) for fast heat when I want to go to work. Install a ceiling fan!!!!! This will help keep the heat from staying at the ceiling. This pays big dividends.