Above 1200 Sq/FT 48x32 Shop

[Chilliwack Murray]

Siding done and nearly ready to pour the slab but the weather turned cold... Well, cold for here so will wait a couple weeks. Hopefully before Christmas. Then install the big door. Haven't quite decided whether to build some swing out barn doors or get a roll up for the small door.

 

[Pluribus]

Love the variety in window & door sizes/heights...great looking shop! Watched and liked your video too and found it interesting how things went together.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Your build is looking great.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Every time I'm ready to pour the slab it turns cold. THIS is why I started the permit process this time last year, so I could pour in the summer.

In the mean time, I'm sitting in the snow doing brakes.

 

[MagKarl]

Looks great to me. I just noticed you sig quote today, that's a gem for sure!

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Finally, it's beginning to look a lot like... A shop.

 

[Aquaticbob]

Looks great to me. I just noticed you sig quote today, that's a gem for sure!

I got a great laugh off the sig . Couldn't be more true. I think the upstairs part will be pretty nice to have for storage purposes, or as office (I think I missed the intention for it. I saw you said somewhere you were going to be moving things in and out of it).

 

[NES]

Wow what a cool layout for a garage. Having the loft on one side and a garage area on the other that can accommodate a 2 post lift. You can be in the loft and check out your work area really cool. You have a garage under the loft pretty impressive. You can have someone on the second floor and hear your car and see it going in and out of the garage.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Progress will be slowing but fortunately the big ticket items have been accomplished right about the point the money ran out.

From here on I can do it all myself and there are no more real big bills to come all at once.

I am looking forward to being able to stand upstairs look out at what's in the shop though all that is subject to change, it's just what popped into my mind as I was trying to plan.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Concrete is setting up nicely and while it's still clean it's time to apply some 'aftertreatment'...

I've been reading thread after thread and looking all over the internet and I think I am sold on a high end densifier to make the surface hard enough to withstand dragging heavy tractor parts around and keep out the worst of the stuff I spill... I don't want a finish that will get scraped and don't want a glossy surface - regular concrete would be fine, just hard to sweep without creating dust and I think the densifier will keep the finish I have now over time.

I've got a couple requests for info out right now and will post the relevant results. No, I didn't post a picture of an extension cord, it is for scale.

Products I am considering are the HD39 from Legacy Industrial, Lythic Densifier here: http://lythic.net/products and Lithosil here: http://innovativemfg.ca/images/uploads/3205L-LITHOSIL-NEW.pdf

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

That's going to be a nice place to work.

What is your heating plan for the 2 different zones?

 

[ejm1961Tbird]

I will be very interested to learn which densifier you choose and how it turns out. Good luck and enjoy. Thanks.

 

[the spyder]

I'm looking at the same product- when do you plan to apply it? Are you going to pregrind?

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Ordered the Lithosil from a local supplier and it will be here tomorrow. Hope to apply it this weekend depending on temperature. It cost a little more than the others but I got it wholesale so it works out the same and looks to be about on par with the HD39 which didn't look like it would get here all that fast. They are a local company so I can call them tomorrow and get some detailed application instructions regarding temperature. Not pregrinding and not planning any further finish after the densifier. Pretty happy with the surface I have now, just want to harden it up some.

Went in and spent some time walking around for the first time today, scraped a few loose bits off, opened up the drains and used my snap-on carbon scraper to give the edge around the drain a nice radius. Finally gave it all a good sweep. Feels like a shop now.

It doesn't get too cold around here so no major heating system planned. I will insulate it and install a large wood stove I have for the shop portion. When I get the wall up and the finished side done I will hang an electric industrial heater I had in my old shop which doesn't need to run much to keep it above freezing and the humidity down. If an when I finish the upstairs above that I will probably put in some manner of heat pump, I doubt I will run gas out to it.

Next step is to pick up plywood for the ceiling - inspector redlined the plan with a note to sheet the ceiling or install knee braces. Sheeting the ceiling has to happen at some point anyway. Now, how to paint 48 sheets of plywood before I put them up without getting paint on my new floor. I see the Behr premium plus paint at Home Depot can be applied down to 2 degrees C (about 35 for you southerners) and doesn't require primer so I'll likely be using that or an equivalent. At 15 1/2' in the air, I'm not overly concerned about the grain showing through as long as it is a light colour.

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

CM;

Thanks for the reply.
I currently live a few hours south of you near Olympia, WA. We don't get much snow and I think it's plenty cold here! LOL

I was reading through the Lithosil information and will be interested in your opinion on how slippery the floor becomes after the application.

Also does it color the floor, or do you know if it can be applied over a concrete stain?

Thanks
Keith

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

I'm not expert on the densifiers, just what I've read in the last couple weeks. Desifiers soak into the top 1/8 to 1/4" of the concrete and react with it to further harden and close up the spaces between the particles beyond what is normally accomplished with regular curing. As long as the stain doesn't prevent the densifier from soaking in it shouldn't have an effect I wouldn't think.

The densifier isn't a sealer and doesn't leave much of any coating on the top of the concrete so I don't expect it will change the colour or have much influence on how slippery it is... Just harden and preserve the finish I already have is what I expect of it. Since it does make the concrete surface denser, the concrete should be less prone to soaking up what is spilled on it but is not a sealer, that would have to be applied after - I haven't decided if I will seal it later when the weather is warmer.

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

Thanks CWM.
I'll check back after you use it and get your thoughts on it if you don't mind.

I'm trying to figure out what I want to do on the existing garage floor of the house I'm buying, and the new floor of the shop I'm going to build.

Have a Blessed day!
Keith

 

[GrandmaSideways]

Wow lots of locals in this thread. I'm on the north shore, so far by lower mainland standards, haha. The shop looks fantastic! Progress also seems to be coming along very nicely. And I agree, it's been too damn cold lately!

 

[bazzateer]

That's a cool garage you have there. Looking forward to updates.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Finally warm enough to put the densifier on. Unfortunately also extremely windy so a few leaves blew in but I don't think it should be an issue since it is not a coating, it soaks into the concrete.

Found an ALM9000 2 post lift in new condition out of a car dealer fairly close by that I am picking up tomorrow, with a recent inspection report. That will surely give me motivation to get the wiring done and power run!

1/2" MDO plywood for ceiling is all painted and ready to go on this weekend with the help of a material lift. Hard part is going to be the poly.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Well, after two weekends, surprisingly little blood, a lot of sweat and no tears - but some awfully sore shoulders and neck... There are 48 sheets of 1/2" MDO plywood on the ceiling of the shop. Many, many, many screws holding it all on. 12" OC intermediate and 8" OC on the edges.

Sure don't know how I would have got it done with out the material lift in the photo from the local rental joint - and a very good friend who was helping me.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Thanks CWM.
I'll check back after you use it and get your thoughts on it if you don't mind.

I'm trying to figure out what I want to do on the existing garage floor of the house I'm buying, and the new floor of the shop I'm going to build.

Have a Blessed day!
Keith

I don't have much to compare it to but I am pretty happy with the finish after the densifier. If I had water available I would have washed off the residual after a few days as it has white marks all over however all the excess is rapidly wearing off anyway. It seems to soften up (the residual) when wet so it shouldn't be a problem to wash it off when I get water running again. Every time I sweep it seems like a lot of the residual disappears.

As for hardness and stain resistance, it was 30 days (cool days) old when I started dragging metal objects around and they don't seem to leave any mark at all - not sure what the concrete would have been like without. I've spilled a little oil here and there (very little) and it wipes up without any mark at all which was not true of my previous shop floor or most shops I've worked in. It is not a sealer but it makes the concrete very dense so nothing soaks in immediately.

 

[GrandmaSideways]

Do you think that it's just that the densifier is so fresh, and thus more resistant to staining?

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

I'm sure it helps that there is a coating of residual but if you read up on what the densifier does it would stand to reason that spills wouldn't soak in nearly as fast or deeply as on untreated concrete. Basically it creates a gel that fills the voids at a microscopic level - not having edges, even at this scale is what makes the concrete stronger after treatment. I think having a smooth trowel finish also makes it easier to wipe up but that has nothing to do with densifier.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

FINALLY, I have an inside and an outside to my shop. Got the big door installed today. Decided I will build some swingout barn style doors for the other side as time permits, but for now it is closed up and lockable.

Next priority is soffits before the birds figure out what they have going here and some wiring along the way.

 

[MSD Shop]

Love the bat and board with the metal, did the same on my shop and house. You can never go wrong.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Colours are little off right now but it should look good when the wood weathers and turns grey. At least that was my plan. Low maintenance is what I was shooting for.

 

[vette-kid]

This is awesome, I love the layout! Thanks for sharing with us.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Two weekends in a row with snow is unusual for around here but meant it was time to work inside. Got 15 hanging T8 fixtures installed, plugged into 9 ceiling outlets on 4 circuits. This provides the bulk of the lighting and I can easily add or move lights around as I start working in the shop. I'll add some task lighting when I have some tasks to light.

First job inside today - brakes and lower ball joints on the old Aerostar. Can't beat it in the snow but it's getting old.






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[Chilliwack Murray]

What a difference a week makes. While it was snowing I got most of the lights done and a good start on outlets.

Haven't decided on the specifics of the outside lights but I have some ideas.


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[knotttty]

looking great Murray... and you should have some nice weather for a bit now.

 

[gordyy]

great shop congrats on the build
speaking of brakes that old 2 post sure will make it easier to do those jobs

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Some plugs and some lights.


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[BuickFarmer]

Lookin GOOD!!! like that yard art. and am curious, what is the stump from?

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Big one in the middle of the yard was a cedar.


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[1/2 Cup]

Your build is looking great, well done.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Been busy with work and lots of maintenance to catch up on on the daily drivers and house so progress has been a little slow lately.

All the interior wiring is done now, just the outdoor lighting to do and of course bring power to the shop - will pull a permit at that point and have it all inspected but not sure when that will happen. Everything you see is running off an extension cord - lights and a radio. Will be a 100 amp feed when I get to that point.

I will wire a welder plug, compressor and lift when I get that far but that's minor.

I had 3 fixtures that killed t8 tubes after only 6-8 hours and took them back to HD and informed that they should all come back as they are recalled by the manufacturer. So now I'm down 3 lights and need to find a substitute for all of them. These were the cheapie Canarm t8 fixture with the small reflector they sell for about 18 bucks. I had some similar lights in the past that worked great and never had a single failure but obviously not the same. Not sure what the issue is but of you have these, best to return them.


Plugs mounted 51" off the ground and roughly every 80" around the perimeter. Plugs on this wall are doubled up with each double gang box fed by two circuits and only two plugs per circuit. This is where I will have most of my power tools.


On the back wall there are 6 plugs alternating between two circuits. (Too much trouble to wire split plugs).


Front and far wall are not split or alternating and have 4 plugs per circuit.








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Edit: not all the right pictures but too hard to edit on the phone. Will fix it tomorrow.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

Finally got all the lights changed out, recalled units back to Home Depot and replaced with some $60 fixtures on sale for $30 from Canadian Tire. Noticeably brighter and haven't killed a tube since.

Also added a few lights and moved others slightly to optimize the light where I wanted it. That was the purpose of hanging the fixtures by chain and plugging them in rather that hard wired to boxes.

Time for some use, swapped a transmission and transfer case last week for a friend and time to replace the clutch and dual mass flywheel this week on the Dodge. Would have been handy to have the lift ready to go though since putting the truck up on stands and getting it back down. is a big part of the job.

Fixed the tach a few weeks ago after not working for a couple years which is the obvious cause of the clutch slipping. Didn't slip when the tach was broken.


By the way, it's not sitting on wood blocks, it's on stands. Wood is just insurance in case something fails.

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[Chilliwack Murray]

Picked up a few items for the shop... Some 3'x15' racking to take advantage of some indoor storage space, and a little more yard art.

Lumber ordered to frame in the finished area and get the Model A back in a heated garage before winter sets in.

 

[Chilliwack Murray]

What I have in mind for the finished area. Cantilevered area above the door takes in the upper floor window and gives a storefront look. Might need a post to support the outer corner though.