Workshop flooring

Ok, got the lathe finally ordered, and ready for delivery - so I thought I had better get it's new 'home' sorted out - a spare bedroom in the flat is being converted into the workshop, and I was going to have a new floor laid (bit more sound and oil/swarf proofing!)

I have seen some rubber floor tiles advertised that interlock, and are designed for garages - thought this might be better tham vinyl flooring and I can do it myself - anyone had any experience with this sort of flooring, or have any opinions, positive or negative?

Sooner I get this sorted out the sooner the lathe gets delivered, and the sooner I can start learning <g>

Thanks

Chris

Hi

I've got that interlocking stuff from Machine Mart on my floor.

Its nice to stand on ( better than concrete) and the main advantage is if you damage a square you just replace it rather like carpet tiles.

Its easy to cut to shape round things as well.

It does dent rather easily tho and dont get hot chips on it or they will melt in. metal chips that is, not the potato kind, ther'e a bit tougher than that.

Roy.

BTW I dont work for M M and I think you can buy it in other places too.

Thanks for that - the brand I have been looking at are recycled rubber, must admit I hadn't considered them melting with hot chips, did you buy foam or rubber?

I guess if they do get a bit scuffed, or pehaps melted as you correctly say you can replace a tile or two

Regards

Chris

I did my double garage floor in hard rubber interlocking tiles from Barkley Plastics in Birmingham. They sell them on ebay around 60p each. They are excellent and very easy to lay. Oil an petrol resistant and I have not found them melting from hot swarf chips. I stand my machines directly on them and they don't squash. Definately recommend them.

Paul - perfect timing - I am going to Birmingham on Friday and have found the supplier on eBay - I am picking some up when I get there, you have saved me quite a bit of money, thank you very much

Best wishes

Chris Parsons

Chris- You can see them laid as they have laid them all over the factory. The only down side is if you use a bright colour they do show the dirt. I used red and grey in a chequer pattern and they do need cleaning if you want them to stay looking new but i gave up on that as they are cheap anyway. Good luck.

If you are not on the ground floor it will pay to have some sort of sound-deadening pads under the lathe stand.

neil

I don't know anything about rubber interlocking mats, but I use industrial sheet vinyl with complete success. Very easy to clean. There is no problem with hot chips damaging it, but when I had a small mat in front of the lathe, bits of swarf would collect between mat and vinyl and stick to the mat backing. The solution was to get rid of the mat !

This is in my garage workshop. The floor consists of a DPM, 4 x 4 ft slabs of 2" thick polystyrene with a matrix of 2 x 2" battens round the perimiter and between the slabs. On top of this is flooring grade chipboard and the aforementioned industrial grade vinyl.

This system, while maybe not being the cheapest, provides a good level of inuslation and standing comfort. There is no sign of settlement under the machines (M300 lathe @ about 800 kgs and Thiel mill @ 1.25 t - among other bits and pieces). After 10 years use, I see no reason why it cannot continue for at least another 10 years.

I would agree that in an upstairs bedroom, sound insulation should be considered, especially if another dwlling is adjoined to yours or if downstairs rooms are being used while you are enjoying yourself.

Dave

The Emerald Isle

Hi Chris,

would you be so kind as to let me have the link to the eBay site, I have searched and can find no mention of them. Only to much more expensive tiles at £18.00 psm.

Regards

Terry

Think these are the same ones...

**LINK**

They are 60p a tile but the tiles are small - according to the company 8 inches square, so a square metre works out at 25 tiles or 17.99 including the VAT as you mention

I have a small room (2.5m * 3m) so this is not too expensive (£135) but I guess a big garage will be a lot more. They charge a lot for delivery too (£ 50) but as I am up there anyway I dodge that particular bullet <g>

I was originally quoted well over £ 500 for industrial workshop vinyl, fitted!

I am now looking for sound deadening pads, although I am planning to lay these tiles on top of 12mm ply which I hope will help - the lathe is a Sieg SC4 and I admit am getting a bit nervous about the comments about the noise. When I did my course these machines did not seem to generate a lot of noise.

Best wishes

Chris

I've got this stuff from Machine Mart. It's easy to keep clean and stops my tools and workpieces getting any dings when I drop them - quite comfortable under foot too.

Actually, I have an old hearth rug at my bench, which as well as being very comfortable under foot, is nice and warm in winter.

Martin.

The noise from a machine on a floor above another space is 'Subliminal' It is perceived as a rumble or you can even feel it !

We installed a milling machine on a first floor in the corner where there was plenty of light and as soon as it was switched on the complaints started.

Initially we placed it on two Alu. strips 6" wide and 30" long and about 12mm thick, hoping to spread the load of the machine over that area.

We ended up with a full size 1" Blockboard sheet and then the alu. which seemed to keep the perceived noise level down. The wieght was some 890Kg.

I think the idea is to spread the load over a large area and give some solid support on the under packing for the machine.

Clive

Noise and vibration go together. Try Googling "anti vibration mounts" for rubber-type feet to go under the bench legs. Also, walls can transmit noise and vibration, so leave a slight gap between the bench and the wall.

There will be plenty of washing machines in the flats, and your lathe probably won't be as noisy as one of those on its spin cycle, but the noise will probably go on for much longer.

Much will depend on the floor. Floorboards on wooden joists will act as more of a sounding board than concrete. My lathe is in a spare bedroom with a normal boarded floor, without any sound precautions. I have just set it going and listened in the room below. The hum was quite audible, and I would be annoyed if I was in a flat and the lathe belonged to an upstairs neighbour, particularly if he was making an interrupted cut.

Andy

Yes, depressingly I think you could well be right - but when I put the workbench together (still flat packed at the moment) I will see it I can put some antivibration feet on it, can't hurt but I think the legs will just have plastic bungs in the ends, so I will have to find a way of attaching the feet.

An obvious solution is to make a large version of a 'T nut' to fit the bottom of the legs and tap that out for the feet but I don't have a mill and the lathe hasn't been delivered yet! (waiting for the room to be sorted out) so I will have to be creative

The floor is boards on wooden joists, hence my plan to cover this with ply before the rubber tiles, I was hoping this might be enough - I am on the first floor but the room is over the lounge of the flat below. I am working during the day and don't plan to be doing much in the evenings, it will be during the day weekends mainly

Clive's idea of a board is easy to try - my lathe is an 8 * 16 and weighs 100Kg so perhaps it won't generate so much vibration?

The alternative is of course to move!

Regards

Chris Parsons

This might work: to avoid fastening anything to the bench legs, you could try standing their feet in the cups which are sold go under the castors of furniture. Put something rubbery in the cups, like a few layers of offcuts from rubber matting.

Andy

Hi Chris Parsons

Try Googling "soundproofing a wooden floor"

I assume your floor is timber. If it is concrete much the better.

Many of the posts confirm my thoughts....

The best way is to lay a dense sound proofing layer; there are many available; Felt, Rubber, or other, then battens laid on (top) of that soft layer followed by a hard floor. By far the least expensive flooring is tongue and groove particle board, normally 18 or 22 mm thick I would get the thicker for its higher mass. then maybe another layer of soft tiles as mentioned in other posts to deaden foot or tool impacts. I guess this will mean the door will have to be trimmed to accommodate the extra height. If there is a little of the chipboard flooring left over I would be inclined to try placing a sheet under all benches and machines (On top of the upper layer of soft tiles) making a layer of: two soft and two hard materials under the machinery.

It is not uncommon to "float" a floor on top of a soft layer. Many of the new flooring systems do this. It will not feel spongy.

There are a number of companies that offer special boards some faced with lead or made from mastic like material for sound proofing but they are not inexpensive. They do work, often used in offices where privacy is an issue.

Cheers

John

Edited By John McNamara on 11/10/2012 15:02:47

Workshop mats are manufactured from pure and top quality rubber materials which makes them durable, providing a soft and comfortable underfoot grip. Rubber sheeting can be used commercially and domestically for enhancing the look of floors and for protecting against falls and slips. Rubber matting is the most commonly used.

I am currently reviewing the Mototile system which is interlocking 600*600 tiles available as virgin polypropylene or as end of the day mixed colours at a reduced price.

My current question is around the maximum load before distortion to identify whether I can place my 1000kg lathe and 500kg mill directly on the tiles or whether I go onto the new concrete floor and cut the tiles around.

The company can be found on the web by their name and I have no other link to them apart from being a very potential customer.

I have the Machine Mart soft interlock tiles already in my workshop and although they are quite good swarf tends to get embedded in the soft polymer.

Mike

Hi

I have my Elliott Omnimill standing on polypropylene interlocking tiles without any problems although I do have a sheet of 12 mm ply between the machine and floor.

That said it would definitely be preferable to stand the machines on the concrete, especislly the lathe which will require some levelling adjustment when being set up.

Nigel

+1 wheeltapper...have the same on my garage floor, machines on concrete floor & tiles around them.

George.