NickWheeler
Active member
Hi Folks 
I apologize if this has been covered and I'm just missing it because of weak search skills.
My work is quite a bit different than most of the folks around here. I'm a full-time, custom knife maker. My shop has everything from blacksmithing equipment, to machining equipment, to 3 micron polishing powders.
I've been working in a "2 car garage" for over 10 years now... the last 5 of which it has been way too "cozy." My fiance and I recently bought a house, with a large part of the purchase decision being based on the 36X48 shop on the property.
It was actually built as a mother-in-law apartment, which is mostly good and partly bad. The great part, is it's fully insulated, has completely finished out walls and ceiling, full bathroom, its own 200amp panel, hot water heater, etc.... The bad part, is it was carpeted. I ripped the carpet out and found concrete that looks like it never had any kind of sealant applied. Of course I got ahead of myself and ripped all the tack strips out which left me a thousand little divots all around the perimeter of the rooms as well. There's also a few spots with some sort of leveling compound (I'm ignorant to what exactly it is, but it looks almost like a cheap type of Bondo.
So the 20X36 section of the shop will be for the blacksmithing, welding, cutting stuff. And the remainder will be for the machining equipment and hand finishing work areas.
I'm really at a loss for what to do with the floor. The holes need to be filled, and I need to at least apply some type of quality sealant on the concrete... but I don't know what.
I have considered epoxy, tiles, etc... but I'm not sure which route is best. As much as I'd like the look of epoxy in the whole thing, I don't know that I'm financially secure enough to go that route, nor do I think it would hold up to not only the work I do, but the shuffling involved in getting my equipment in place (9' ceilings, so it will be rollers, skates, and pinch bars.... no forklifts other than maybe a reach/boom lift to shove stuff as far in as it will go).
Any thoughts or advice on my situation here would be greatly appreciated!!!
My stuff is all in the old shop right now, so this is the best time for me to do something with a big (to me) empty space.
Just for background, intro, s's&g's... here are some pics of the old shop and what I do it in.
THANKS!!!
I apologize if this has been covered and I'm just missing it because of weak search skills.
My work is quite a bit different than most of the folks around here. I'm a full-time, custom knife maker. My shop has everything from blacksmithing equipment, to machining equipment, to 3 micron polishing powders.
I've been working in a "2 car garage" for over 10 years now... the last 5 of which it has been way too "cozy." My fiance and I recently bought a house, with a large part of the purchase decision being based on the 36X48 shop on the property.
It was actually built as a mother-in-law apartment, which is mostly good and partly bad. The great part, is it's fully insulated, has completely finished out walls and ceiling, full bathroom, its own 200amp panel, hot water heater, etc.... The bad part, is it was carpeted. I ripped the carpet out and found concrete that looks like it never had any kind of sealant applied. Of course I got ahead of myself and ripped all the tack strips out which left me a thousand little divots all around the perimeter of the rooms as well. There's also a few spots with some sort of leveling compound (I'm ignorant to what exactly it is, but it looks almost like a cheap type of Bondo.
So the 20X36 section of the shop will be for the blacksmithing, welding, cutting stuff. And the remainder will be for the machining equipment and hand finishing work areas.
I'm really at a loss for what to do with the floor. The holes need to be filled, and I need to at least apply some type of quality sealant on the concrete... but I don't know what.
I have considered epoxy, tiles, etc... but I'm not sure which route is best. As much as I'd like the look of epoxy in the whole thing, I don't know that I'm financially secure enough to go that route, nor do I think it would hold up to not only the work I do, but the shuffling involved in getting my equipment in place (9' ceilings, so it will be rollers, skates, and pinch bars.... no forklifts other than maybe a reach/boom lift to shove stuff as far in as it will go).
Any thoughts or advice on my situation here would be greatly appreciated!!!
My stuff is all in the old shop right now, so this is the best time for me to do something with a big (to me) empty space.
Just for background, intro, s's&g's... here are some pics of the old shop and what I do it in.
THANKS!!!
) 
That OSF knife thing was quite awhile back... I had just stripped down the open rafter ceiling in those pics (true 2-1/2 X 12's cut at my Great-grandfathers saw mill).... and hadn't painted it yet. That's my old anvil. And I'm pretty sure I had more hair on my head, and less bodyfat then too 
