Advice on new shop?

[duval7]

Hey guys i am about to build a shop beside my house and want some input on what you would do differently if you built another shop. I am planning on it being 26'x32' with a 14' lean to to park my boat and trailer under. I will install a two post lift and some type of heating. Maybe a wood burning stove; i am in Tennessee so it's not super cold during the winter. What floor coating do you recommend and concrete PSI? Also lighting? I see a lot of good reviews on the Amazon LED lights that are really cheap. I am thinking about 1980's style wood paneling on the two side walls and white brick wall paper for the back wall. I am not a fan of sheet rock. Wood is much more homey and comfortable IMO. Thanks for any input.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Welcome to the site. I would recommend first spending some time just digging around here through the various forums - this sort of question comes up on a weekly basis, so there are plenty of recent discussions on the topic. Sometimes you don't know what you don't know but reading what others have already done can give you some ideas and direction for your build.

 

[matt_i]

I used 4000 psi concrete. I also used the Costco/Feit 42W LED tube-style fixtures to light the shop, in my opinion it works well for the price paid.

After watching my neighbor's shop burn down, I'm thinking more along the lines of fire protection...a wood stove and the wood walls have their downsides in that department. But I recognize the wood is a nice touch on the inside.

 

[NUTTSGT]

26'x32' won't be big enough, you'll find out soon.

 

[346ci]

26'x32' won't be big enough, you'll find out soon.

This is what I'm thinking, the width is going to be just enough for the lift, better center it and the over head door.

 

[930dreamer]

Go 30x40' or bigger, look a thread about insulating the slab.

 

[gearhead1]

Look at lift manufacturer’s websites - they state concrete specification requirements. I chose to go with 10” thick pads where the lift will go. A professional engineer told me make it 6” and you can use the 3000 psi concrete and you can put any load from a car lift on it. So I had 2 pads at 10” thick made into the slab when poured. I didn’t see the need for the increased strength concrete. Waste of money in my opinion. I’m not working on D9 bulldozers either.

 

[tomralph]

Double the size. I went 36x48... wish I had went larger. Wife doesn’t like the sound of an annex. :-D

 

[glentre]

I used Rust Bullet coating on the floor and regret it. I thought I was getting normal gray material but they shipped it with a huge amount of grit in it that was very difficult to apply evenly when it quickly settles to the bottom of the can or roller pan. Biggest problem is the grit is black in color so the sharp tops of the little grit get shaved off when you slide anything heavy over the floor and you end up with black smudges on the floor. I should have gone with epoxy.

Glen

 

[Homerr]

Sheetrock it and then put whatever finishes you want on top of that for the interior.

 

[Falcon67]

Most concrete is 3500 minimum here - check with your lift of choice for minimums. Personally I used a industrial floor coating that was part epoxy and cheaper that pure epoxy. It's meant to allow for scuffing and re-coating if desired. It's also designed to go over less than ideal surfaces. I put it down on a new floor, so that wasn't really a consideration. KM15 from Kelly Moore is what I used.

26' wide, you can position one post about 24" off one wall and have some room left on the other side. Depending on lift position, even another car. My lift as viewed through the 16' wide door. That portion of the shop is 28' wide.

As you can tell, I used OSB for walls and ceiling and no paint. Like it just as-is.

 

[larry_g]

Tell us what the purpose of this building is? What do you plan to do in it? What are your skill sets and how many hours a week do you spend in the building? With a wood stove and wall paper it sounds like more of a hang out place than a working shop. That is ok but we need to know because form follows function.

My one big regret on the shop below is having the OH door to close to the sidewall.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[bullnerd]

I used Rust Bullet coating on the floor and regret it. I thought I was getting normal gray material but they shipped it with a huge amount of grit in it that was very difficult to apply evenly when it quickly settles to the bottom of the can or roller pan. Biggest problem is the grit is black in color so the sharp tops of the little grit get shaved off when you slide anything heavy over the floor and you end up with black smudges on the floor. I should have gone with epoxy.

Glen

Would you mind elaborating (is that a word? lol!)on this in the flooring section?

Some other members might be interested in hearing your info.

 

[rrangus]

I used 5,000# concrete for the strength and it finishes a lot better than 3,000#.

Flame producing heating is a NO NO on the floor of a garage. Need to consult with inspections about the required distance from the floor.

 

[Blazinzuk]

I agree whats the purpose of the shop.

For instance my shop, no floor coating at all, never will. I do too much welding, plasma cutting etc. I have talked to several manufactures of floor coatings and all agreed I would be better off with just plain concrete.

I didn't know where my lift was going to go, so I poured the whole floor 6" thick. Well between 5 and 6 but 6" in most places.

Do more lights than you think you need.

I did quite a bit of research and I chose to go with conventional 4 ft fixtures with led bulbs ( not installed yet)

If I could change anything about my current shop it would be taller, a mezzanine would be so nice.

If you can afford it floor heat for sure. Insulating it will help with heating and cooling costs.

 

[Falcon67]

For instance my shop, no floor coating at all, never will. I do too much welding, plasma cutting etc. I have talked to several manufactures of floor coatings and all agreed I would be better off with just plain concrete.

FWIW - I weld, grind, etc, etc over my painted floor and don't care -it's way, way easier to clean than a bare floor. Oil spills/leaks and such wipe right up. Slide under a car, easy. I'm the opposite - I'll never again have a bare floor. This is a working floor, not a show floor so yea, it's not pretty in a lot of places. But it still works. That's why I picked the covering I did - I can go rent a buffer, scuff up the floor real good and roll another couple of gallons over it and it'll look like new. For a while. Not so easy to do with a pure epoxy type floor.