Workshop flooring - rubber tile sources

[mark mcfarlane]

Building a new shop ~900 sq ft. Concrete slab on grade. One side of the shop will have a garage door in front, and some day may actually serve as a garage for the next home owner, hopefully after I die.

Was contemplating a professional epoxy job on the concrete at a round $3,000-4,000, but then my feet and knees starting complaining. Now I'm thinking I'd be better off just leaving the concrete bare and putting down rubber tiles everywhere. Tiles would allow for the expected reconfiguration,...

The other option is to throw mats over the epoxy, but I can see the value in total coverage since I'll be moving around a lot, and the cost of a rubber floor is probably similar to a professional high-solids epoxy job.

So what are people using for interlocking rubber floor tiles? How thick? Who was your supplier?

[Jebediah Eckert]

I found flooring to be the best value when bought locally. I tried and tried to get a cheaper price ordering online, it came close but it still ended up being cheaper from a local supplier. Since your in Saudi Arabia, it would be an awful far journey to where I went . Good luck, shipping was a killer to CT, I can only imagine what you have to pay.

[Andy Giddings]

Mark, I remember reading about someone that had used DRIcore subfloor tiles in a similar situation. The article was in FWW a while back. Basically interlocking tiles that are normally used for a basement, stops any damp rising from the concrete and cushions the floor. Also has sufficient weight capacity

[mark mcfarlane]

Mark, I remember reading about someone that had used DRIcore subfloor tiles in a similar situation. The article was in FWW a while back. Basically interlocking tiles that are normally used for a basement, stops any damp rising from the concrete and cushions the floor. Also has sufficient weight capacity

The DRICore subfloor is interesting. 2'*2' T&G OSB with a plastic piece on the bottom for air circulation. Pretty cheap - ($1/69 sq foot) but I'm not sure how much cushion it provides, and I really don't think I want an OSB floor.

[mark mcfarlane]

I found flooring to be the best value when bought locally. I tried and tried to get a cheaper price ordering online, it came close but it still ended up being cheaper from a local supplier. Since your in Saudi Arabia, it would be an awful far journey to where I went . Good luck, shipping was a killer to CT, I can only imagine what you have to pay.

Thanks Jedediah. The shop will be in Texas, I'm retiring in 5 more months. I changed my location to avoid future confusion. I'll look round for some local suppliers, next November when I get to Texas.

[Garth Almgren]

I have Harbor Freight foam tiles down on my floor - they're just "OK" but it was very cost effective for my small shop.

A while back I read that someone used thick rubber stall mats intended for horse stalls. Tractor Supply has a 3/4" thick 4'x6' mats for $40 each, but you might be able to find it even cheaper at a local co-op or farm supply in Texas.

[mark mcfarlane]

I have Harbor Freight foam tiles down on my floor - they're just "OK" but it was very cost effective for my small shop.

A while back I read that someone used thick rubber stall mats intended for horse stalls. Tractor Supply has a 3/4" thick 4'x6' mats for $40 each, but you might be able to find it even cheaper at a local co-op or farm supply in Texas.

That's an awesome price for interlocking 1/2" foam - $10 for 16 square feet. Why 'just ok'? Do they not fit together well, or the edge come up, or they are too soft,....?

[Garth Almgren]

I don't think mine was actually 1/2" but I'd have to double check. The ones I got were pretty flimsy, don't provide a whole lot of cushion, and they've become a bit brittle after a year, so I have to be really careful about not tearing them. I've doubled up in a couple places and that helped a bit with the cushioning.
It is cheap enough that if they completely disintegrate I'd have to think real hard about replacing them with something more durable and thicker.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I think it would be cool to do a rubberized coating like some basketball courts are made with. I have no idea how much that costs, but your quote for epoxy is much higher than I would have thought. It would be worth checking out. My high school had it and it was hard but had some spring to it.

[Bob Coates]

I used what I think were called "cow mats". They are 3/4 inch thick rubber that has ribs. Installed after shop was in use for awhile so just put down over all bare floor. I am happy with them and would use again. One small issue is that the ribs will fill and compact in ribs, which I can tolerate. Perhaps if vacuuming after use it would be a problem. Purchase at a tractor supply or other type farm store. It might have been in hind sight that they should have been installed with the ribs down and "bubble" side up??
Bob

[Randall J Cox]

I used what I think were called "cow mats". They are 3/4 inch thick rubber that has ribs. Installed after shop was in use for awhile so just put down over all bare floor. I am happy with them and would use again. One small issue is that the ribs will fill and compact in ribs, which I can tolerate. Perhaps if vacuuming after use it would be a problem. Purchase at a tractor supply or other type farm store. It might have been in hind sight that they should have been installed with the ribs down and "bubble" side up??
Bob

I have used pieces of that stuff for under some of my non movable machines like my 8" jointer, etc. Really tough stuff. And I put the ribs down. Don't even know where I got it but I think a whole floor of it would be awesome. I have concrete and makes my legs ache after all day in the shop. Randy

[Jim Becker]

My shop floor is concrete as the building was originally a 3.5 car "garage". I make use of anti-fatigue matts from ULine throughout. Some were purchased directly for the shop and a couple are long strips that were originally in our kitchen (brick floor) galley area but got too worn looking for that purpose. The ULine stuff is nice quality and available in a variety of sizes including long rolls if one wants to do a large area. The only area I keep them out of is where I spray. You can see examples in this pano photo from the northeast end of my shop. (more have been added since) The piece at the J/P was cut out to fit around the machine. I did similar at my lathe (not in this picture) and there's a 14' long x 3' wide strip along the whole length of my miter saw station down in front of that big window in the background. The reason for the uncovered area between the J/P and the slider is because I cut down the right side table of the saw a year and a half ago to move it back for better material handing and that meant the matt moved, too. I'll fill that in next time I have an appropriate scrap available.

[Michael Stein]

I, too, have the harbor freight ones and I agree, they are OK. They were very cheap for my one-car garage shop. The one (and really only) complaint I have about them so far, is I have tools on wheels, and when I have to move a tool (specifically my flip-top cart that houses my planer) the tiles sort of "bubble" or "bunch up" due to their lightness. Other than that, they are great for the cost. I think I did my whole garage, after coupons, for under $50.

The other thing I noticed... The first couple packs I purchased all fit together great. I then wen't back later, and got two more packs, and they didn't seems to fit as well with the existing ones (still fit, just not perfect). Guessing they came off a different line, or different day, or different plant altogether. I would recommend, if you go this route, buy all you will need up front, and they are cheap enough so get a few extras, to minimize the chances of this.

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[Joe Jensen]

My shop floor is concrete as the building was originally a 3.5 car "garage". I make use of anti-fatigue matts from ULine throughout. Some were purchased directly for the shop and a couple are long strips that were originally in our kitchen (brick floor) galley area but got too worn looking for that purpose. The ULine stuff is nice quality and available in a variety of sizes including long rolls if one wants to do a large area. The only area I keep them out of is where I spray. You can see examples in this pano photo from the northeast end of my shop. (more have been added since) The piece at the J/P was cut out to fit around the machine. I did similar at my lathe (not in this picture) and there's a 14' long x 3' wide strip along the whole length of my miter saw station down in front of that big window in the background. The reason for the uncovered area between the J/P and the slider is because I cut down the right side table of the saw a year and a half ago to move it back for better material handing and that meant the matt moved, too. I'll fill that in next time I have an appropriate scrap available.

I too use the Uline mats. Maybe 1/2" thick and nice soft foam. Very comfortable to stand on. I use them in front of the benches and the places I stand a lot. They are available in ton of sizes.

If you want full coverage commercial vinyl flooring is available pretty thick and looks nice when laid.

[Wade Lippman]

I have Harbor Freight foam tiles down on my floor - they're just "OK" but it was very cost effective for my small shop.

A while back I read that someone used thick rubber stall mats intended for horse stalls. Tractor Supply has a 3/4" thick 4'x6' mats for $40 each, but you might be able to find it even cheaper at a local co-op or farm supply in Texas.

I tried stall mats and the are terrible; no cushioning at all, and I was always tripping over them. What horses need and what woodworkers need are completely different.
I went to rubber mats I got at Lowes. They are okay.
Then added some HF tiles. They are great. If you use them a great deal you will probably wear them out, but they are cheap enough.