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Usually I have just had a few matts placed in the most common work areas.

But these days I seem to be tripping constantly on the edges. So I want to cover the vast majority of the shop with matts.

Is there any reason not to? Concrete basement floor, mostly wondering if it'll cause condensation/vapor problems or something...

It will not be the cause of condensation, but it will trap moisture from condensation between the mats and the floor if the concrete has not been sealed.

Maybe use 2' x 2' wood subfloor tiles (or whatever they're called) with the black raised vinyl honeycomb underside ... easy on the legs & dropped tools.

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Dave
Milton, ON

I've got the grey 2'x2' interlocked foam floor tiles on most of my shop floor. They are easier on the body than concrete, but dust gets through the joints easily, and the joints tend to separate. I'm planning on replacing them with foam 4'x8' flooring, glued down with construction adhesive.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

I'd do a moisture test to start. Tape an 18" square of clear visqueen to the concrete floor in a couple spots. If in 24hrs there's condensation on the underside of the poly you'll know better what direction to head.

I use 'Hog Heaven" Floor mats on my concrete floor. Spendy!! Worth it though!

Best, M

Ok, thanks!

Ed,

It has been a while since I posted here but happen to see your post and thought I would reply since I just finished doing my shop floor.

My shop is the lower part of a 2 1/2 stall (2 story) attached garage and is all concrete with poured walls and floor with pre-stressed concrete ceiling (floor of the upper garage).

First you really should do a moisture test before putting anything down. I did mine by taping a 24X24" piece of plastic to the floor and letting it sit for a week. When you pull the plastic up there should be no color difference. If there is moisture present the cement will be darker.

As for the floor...

I looked into a lot of different floorings but didn't want to spend an arm and a leg and also didn't want to loose much headroom since my cielings are only 8"2" and I still have to put in insulation on the ceilings. I didn't have any moisture issues but still laid down a 6 mill layer of black plastic. Then screwed down 1/2" chip board with 1/4" underlay ply stapled on top of that. I opted to just staple the 1/4" down to give me a smooth finished floor that I can easily pull up and replace if ever needed.

Before I could only spend about an hour or so in my shop because the cement floors were hard and cold. Now that I have the floor done I can spend all day long with no problems and don't have cold and sore feet.

Here is a shot of what it looks like. The 1/4" ply underlayment made the whole shop brighter and easy to keep clean.

Thanks!

Nice bandsaw!

Ed, it's easier to get a good pair of high cushion shoes for your shop. They go where ever you do

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I suppose so...