Sprucing up basement shop advice

[Peter Aeschliman]

I've been working on remodeling the basement for a woodshop for nearly 2 years at this point (did a lot of other stuff too, like a drainage system and earthquake retrofitting). I just FINALLY got the lighting going today!

I was also very concerned about making my shop feel like a stale hospital with white walls. But I ended up painting the walls and ceilings a semi-gloss white and it was such a great transformation. I haven't regretted it one bit honestly. I really recommend going with white.

Think about noise, dust, and finishing fumes getting into the house. I spent a lot of time insulating, putting dampening matting on the furnace ducts, and generally sealing off the ceiling from the house. At the very least, get yourself some "Great Stuff" expanding foam and go nuts closing off holes to the house. I ended up putting MDF paneling on the ceiling (safety nazis: I now that drywall is more fire proof, but MDF is a big improvement over the old exposed joists). I liked the MDF for a few reasons: 1) I can drop the panels fairly easily for access to the utilities that service the house upstairs (although I did caulk the gaps), 2) low ceilings will eventually get hit by a carelessly swung piece of wood, and it will resist denting much better than drywall, 3) you can hang things from it (within reason!) without having to worry about finding a joist.

Definitely make sure you don't have any moisture issues. Not sure what part of the country you're in, but in my parts, just about everybody has wet basements unless they have a drain system and sump pump (which I had the joy of installing as part of my project). As part of this, don't underestimate the moisture that is evaporating through your slab. If you have a musky smell in there, you most likely have moisture wicking through your slab and evaporating in the air. If you don' want to epoxy the floor, then you can instead just grind the floor a bit and spray down a siliconate sealer. it will leave the concrete looking like nothing has been applied, but water just beads up on it. this means way less moisture will make it into the shop air.

I did a bunch of earthquake retrofitting as well, which prolonged my project. You might want to consider addressing any potential structural issues before going too far. It definitely adds time and effort, but it could pay off in the long run.

Good luck!

[Brian Tymchak]

On a side note, some of the 2x4s look almost pink, is this some sort of treatment?

There is a fire coating applied to dimensional lumber that is pink. You should be able to tell on an end cut if it is coated or not. I wonder though if what you are seeing is SPF (Spruce/Pine/Fir) dimensional lumber. I've used some with a pink cast to it.

As some others have advised, definitely paint the walls with a white masonry sealer (I used DryLock in my old house.) I think there are others that are better, although I don't see any signs of dampness in your walls. The white walls will reflect light and make the area much brighter. And it will feel bigger as well.

Good luck with your shop. If you live in the Northeast or midwest, you might also want to test for radon since you are going to be spending a lot of time in your basement.

[Eric Sarno]

Thanks again everyone.

John, I guess part of the problem is I don't even know my dream machines yet! And yes this will be more of a general woodworking shop, so I think keeping it simple and generic right now will be my best bet. I love the idea of the alternating lights though, that's much better than half on half off for each side. I think I've got a good idea of a logical outlet placement, and I'm almost sure I"ll just have an electrician do it. If it is really expensive, maybe I'll install half now and wait until another time to get some more installed. It looks really easy to wire them, but even still probably not worth the risk.

Peter, good points about sealing the ceiling (ha). I'm the only one who lives here right now so noise isn't an issue, but I will definitely have to work out the dust control system. My heat is baseboard which should also cut down on dust compared to something like forced air. For finishing fumes, the only time I've run into that is with spray paints, which I now will only do outside / in the garage, so I think I might be OK there for now as well. I will probably end up taking your suggestions at some point though! But I think right now I can get up and running without tackling that expense & effort. What do you mean by earthquake retrofitting? Thankfully that's not really a problem in CT, about the only disasters we get are snow storms. I do wish I knew more about the moisture here - generally around this area when it's a problem people have installed a sump pump, but there is not one here. The basement does not smell musty at all, but we have also been in a drought for a while, so I'm not sure if the ground is just really dry.

Thanks Brian, I'll investigate a little more on the lumber. I'm going through pulling out the nails so that I can use them to build a sturdy workbench. As for signs of dampness, the only evidence I could see was the efflorescence, generally in the corners. At my previous house, the efflorescence was very apparent - very white and fluffy. In this one, it seems to be minimal. Even behind the walls where that paneled room was, it is almost like a very light coating rather than what I was used to seeing. So what you can see in the pictures on the walls is probably the accumulation over 50 years. If it ends up being a problem maybe in the summer I will work out an exterior drainage system.

Thanks again everyone, I'll try to call an electrician this week to at least get quotes. I did end up getting all of the lights in though!

[John K Jordan]

Thanks again everyone.

John, I guess part of the problem is I don't even know my dream machines yet! And yes this will be more of a general woodworking shop, so I think keeping it simple and generic right now will be my best....

Ah, so right. Based on that and your earlier comments ("...I think for a while my best method of experimentation will just be to start working and see where things end up. I want to get more into some furniture type building, but one of my main focuses is definitely going to be electric guitars..."), it sounds like you would be happy with a general purpose shop.

There are a couple of things you might do. One, look at a bunch of shop layouts which will give you an idea the kinds of tools long-time woodworkers use and of how they have arranged them. I bought several books with shop layouts, one was named something about "small shops", another on general shop layouts, and a couple of more. Before I even planned my shop and bought tools I studied these and what the shop was used for and decided what tools I wanted in the long run and got ideas on how to arrange them.

Some things are very basic but sometimes a challenge in a basement shop: you need to have a path to carry wood into the space and a place to store it, at least temporarily. Cabinet makers need to have a place to break down plywood and a big workspace to assemble large things. Musical instrument and small furniture makers can get by with tighter spaces and different tools. A complete woodturning shop can fit in a tiny space! General furniture building can take anything from hand tools to monster equipment.

Minimum must-haves for me: good lathe, bandsaw, bench grinder, drill press, workbench
Desired for how I like to work: table saw, jointer, planer, SCMS
What I find useful: drum sander, belt/disk sander
Some people can't work without: shaper/router table

I've read threads where some are getting away from a table saw in favor of a panel/track saw for cabinet making, especially where space is tight. Most consider the table saw important. I don't use mine much but when I'm glad it's there when I need it. Same thing with a jointer/planer - especially if you use rough lumber.

You might consider planning the space with some of these in mine for the purpose of running 240v receptacles. If you don't use them for years or never, they won't hurt anything. In the wood part of my shop, the 240v tools are lathe, bandsaw, table saw, jointer, air compressor, and dust collector. But you can get 120v versions of all these at a compromise on power/features.

You do have other options for future rewiring, such as putting a new circuit in conduit running on the outside of the wall. Or building with removable paneling for the walls so you can get inside later. And some electricians are pretty good at fishing wires to impossible places.

JKJ

[Eric Sarno]

Thanks again John! I will have to start reading and planning. Thankfully all of my tools are on wheels and there are old outlets around that I could wheel them to for the time being.

Step 1 is done or almost done I think - Paint the walls! I used 10 gallons of Drylok which did 2 full coats. I have another 5 gallon bucket which I might use, since they said 5 gallons does 500-600 sq ft. At 33x22x7 feet, that puts me at 756 sq ft, and 1512 for 2 coats. I must have skimped somewhere, though it looks pretty good, not every little hole is covered.

My next step for now is to start hanging the lights. Each light has a spot to connect 2 lights together but did not come with a cord. It's kind of a small 2-prong deal. I'll try posting on the Costco lights threads to see if someone knows what I can use for that. Once the lights are hung, I'll try and finalize my outlet plans and how I want things wired up and will get an electrician to come in.

As far as woodworking equipment, here is what I have now. I actually enjoy restoring old machines (especially when the price is right) which is part of the reason I'm not sure what to plan for - I'm not sure what I'll find!

Walker Turner 16" Bandsaw
Atlas 10" Table saw w/ Vega fence
Craftsman 6" 'Alien' Planer
6" Delta Jointer
1959 Dewalt Radial Arm Saw
40's 14" Delta Bench Drill Press
60's 15" Rockwell Floor Drill Press
Duro Overarm Router
(Not old - Rigid Belt/Spindle sander)

In the future I would love to set up the 16" Bandsaw for resaw and get maybe a 14" delta for general duties, as I can see myself really using both. The jointer I'd like to swap out for a larger one at some point. The atlas table saw possibly switch out for something like a Unisaw. I have a friend who says they will give me an old Delta lathe, but I haven't talked to them in a bit. Definitely would like to find an old planer to restore as well, one 14"+ that I could send a full guitar body through at once would be nice.

I know the tools that I need for guitar building, but my needs may change when I try to tackle amps and furniture. So far my house has hardly any furnishings, I think it would be fun to practice by building my own. For the amount I'd spend on some cheap piece, I could buy the wood and work on my skills at the same time.

[Eric Sarno]

So far so good on the light hanging, 11 more to go! I figured it would be best to hang them all before calling in an electrician.

It seems it would be efficient to link the lights together across the center beam. Only problem is I need another 5' of cord, and the connector on the end of the light is only a 2 prong. At first I was thinking of trying to find 2 prong extension cords, but I think it might be better to get a handful of adapters and a handful of 5' 3-prong cords to bridge the gap. That way if I ever need an extension cord in a pinch I can have a 3-prong ready to go.

The old lights are actually junction boxes, I think I will have the electrician remove the light part altogether and just make them boxes, that way I don't have the light hanging down that I can accidentally smack and break.

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[Jim Becker]

You can use a three prong extension cord with a two prong light fixture...the ground remains open just as it does with the two prong OEM cord.

[terry mccammon]

If it is not too late, consider installing all the wiring that is not lighting through a lockable breaker panel. That way, you can lock out all machine power, but still turn on the lights.

[Thomas Pratt]

The one thing I did was to scab some 1X2's on the concrete walls and put up peg board. I love it. Maybe you should paint the peg board white before you put it up'

[Len Rosenberg]

Eric, the advice given so far covers just about everything. I went through the same process years ago when I moved to a new house with a large unused basement area. The one thing I regret not doing, and it's too late now without dismantling my entire shop, is leveling the floor. Yours might already be level, but mine is not even close and it is a continuing PITA, everything has to be shimmed. Something I added later that has made a very big difference is serious dust collection - a large Oneida cyclone with 6" Nordfab pipe and 5" drops. Designing and installing the piping takes a lot of planning. Have fun in your new workshop!

[Eric Sarno]

Thanks Jim, it was more an issue of finding an extension cord with a 2-prong male end, as that's all that will fit in the end of the light. I was able to find some on Amazon that have a 2-prong male end as well as 2 female ends on one cord. That will save me on cords since now I can hook up 2 lights on the far side to a fixture on the stair side (the light says you can chain 4 max so I should be fine).

Terry, that's a good idea even though I am the only one in the house. Will definitely look into this when it's time to call the electrician and upgrade to 200 amp service.

Len, that is something I hadn't thought about! I will try to get a laser and check out of curiosity, but honestly for what I do I'm not sure if it's something I'll go through. I checked out a few videos on leveling a floor and it seems like quite an undertaking. Maybe I'm thinking about this the wrong way, but at 704 sq ft basement, adding only 1/4" from the "LevelQuick" 50lb bags measurement would take over 28 bags. At the '20 or more' price ~$25 apiece, it still ends up being over $700. I have a feeling I'll be ok without doing it (I won't be running a commercial shop or anything) but I will check for curiosity for sure. And I will definitely have to start thinking about dust collection!

[Jim Becker]

Ah, you have the fixtures that can be daisy chained. Now I understand the need for the two-prong cords.