[PeetahPottahWannah]

I will be purchasing a new shed and using it as a clayground. What type of floor covering is recommended?

[perkolator]

since it's a shed, you're probably limited to a plywood sub-floor. what you put on top as a covering is up to you, but consider being able to clean it since it will definitely get dirty. carpet would probably be a bad idea unless it's a low-profile rug of some sort that can be removed and hosed down perhaps. if it were me, i'd just go for bare plywood or painted plywood with an anti-fatigue mat where you stand all the time - this way you can just hose it all down when you clean. ultimately, concrete is my preferred flooring because it's easily cleaned and absorbs moisture when you need to work on the ground. you may even consider hardi-backer or similar product on the floor.

[Christine]

PeetahPottahWannah, on 13 December 2012 - 05:02 PM, said:

I will be purchasing a new shed and using it as a clayground. What type of floor covering is recommended?

I too work from a big shed which has a raised wooden floor. About fifteen years ago (when it was new) I covered the wooden floor with the foil/foam stuff you use under laminate flooring and then covered that with cushion-floor linoleum .... this meant I could cover the whole floor area with no joins, although I did have a bit left over down the side. The advantages of this type of flooring are (a) it's comfortable to stand on for long periods of time (b ) it's warm and ( c) (which is probably the most important one) it's very easy to wash down and keep clean. I keep heavy glaze and slip buckets on wooden stands with casters on the bottom and these trundle nicely over the cushion-floor and it's served me very well and looks almost as good as it did the day I laid it
Hope this helps

Christine

[Diane Puckett]

I am also in a shed building, 16x10, and put down sheet vinyl so that I would have no seams. I happened to get flooring that was various shades of brown in a blotchy pattern. That was a very good choice. I wanted to put in heating panels under the vinyl but was concerned about cost of heating that way. We did add 2" dense foam insulation panels between the floor joists before installing the sub flooring. In spite of that, in the winter I wear two pairs of socks and boots with fleece lining but still have cold feet. That seems to be a common problem for those of us who work in sheds.

[Pres]

Diane Puckett, on 13 December 2012 - 05:12 PM, said:

I am also in a shed building, 16x10, and put down sheet vinyl so that I would have no seams. I happened to get flooring that was various shades of brown in a blotchy pattern. That was a very good choice. I wanted to put in heating panels under the vinyl but was concerned about cost of heating that way. We did add 2" dense foam insulation panels between the floor joists before installing the sub flooring. In spite of that, in the winter I wear two pairs of socks and boots with fleece lining but still have cold feet. That seems to be a common problem for those of us who work in sheds.

I bought a pair of fleece lined pants for winter work in the shop, these are really comfy for most work. Heavy hunting socks work well to keep feet warm, and in the end the small heater overnight helps to keep the brick from holding too much heat. PA winter so far is not too bad, but nights are in the 20's now so it takes a while to heat things up unless preheated.

[ayjay]

PeetahPottahWannah, on 13 December 2012 - 05:02 PM, said:

I will be purchasing a new shed and using it as a clayground.

Thanks for that, I love new words, (when they're appropriate). :)src="http://ceramicartsdaily.org/community/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif">

[Mark C.]

If the floor is plywood you can get special floor paint at the paint store-This product is very tough and water resitant. I have it on a 8x14 addition to my pot shop-its the throwing /green room and has held up super past 10 years of hard use. I sealed all the seams and any holes first with water putty.
Mark

[Pres]

ayjay, on 14 December 2012 - 10:31 AM, said:

PeetahPottahWannah, on 13 December 2012 - 05:02 PM, said:

I will be purchasing a new shed and using it as a clayground.

Thanks for that, I love new words, (when they're appropriate). :)src="http://ceramicartsdaily.org/community/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif">

Years ago, when Ceramics monthly came in a plane brown cover wrapper, people would ask me what I was carrying/reading. My answer was Clayboy magazine! Always got a chuckle from folks!

[alienor]

Slurrious, on 22 December 2012 - 12:18 PM, said:

we're using interlocking foam tiles on a cement work space. they work good for hours of standing *at sales* too.

http://www.softtiles.com/

ours come from the local box store

how do these soft tiles clean. i now have scrap vinyl flooring which cleans up very well, but i am interested in the soft tiles. can one brush them with a wet mop or vacuum them with a wet dry vac. hope to get some more info
thanks

[Kristin_Gail]

This is what I intend to do in my 12 x 16 shed - seal the seams/screw holes, then paint with floor paint. Possibly throwing some sand into it for anti-slip. I had hoped to do cushion vinyl, but it's just too expensive. I'm glad to see someone else has gone the paint route and is happy with it.

The floor is insulated (closed-cell foam between the joists), BTW. I'm hoping to avoid that cold-foot problem y'all are having!

Mark C., on 14 December 2012 - 12:16 PM, said:

If the floor is plywood you can get special floor paint at the paint store-This product is very tough and water resitant. I have it on a 8x14 addition to my pot shop-its the throwing /green room and has held up super past 10 years of hard use. I sealed all the seams and any holes first with water putty.
Mark

[Mark C.]

If you add sand it will be a tad harder to clean-Mine is not slippery at all. Just do all the steps the floor paint calls as to prep.It has not failed anywhere. It has worn down in high traffic area high points.Mine is light grey.
Mark

[Red Rocks]

There is a lot of good info on this thread. I am in the process of building a new studio which has a cement floor.

What have people out there used to coat a cement floor?

Seems that the paint Mark posted about should work for cement as well - thoughts?

Thanks

[Mark C.]

There are better finishes than paint for concrete-one simple way is a sealer which is easy to clean and seals the surface-The newer ones look like marble and are smooth with an etched copper green look-some high end gas stations have them around here.You should check out the new finishes.
Mark