New Shop Flooring - Customer Area!

[HotRodKush]

We're getting more customer walk-in's now that we're not internet-only and we've opened our doors to the public, so I've been working to make our shop customer-friendly (read, not a huge mess). Today I spent a few hours laying down carpet tile in the entrance-way and waiting area to make it more welcoming for visitors.

Thanks to a suggestion from chris_h in this thread, I found some great, inexpensive carpet tile for the customer area in my shop. I thought I'd share my progress today. As usual I took way too many pictures, but enjoy nonetheless.

Here's what I started with. From the entrance looking in. My office is behind that movable wall, that's the next project:

From inside looking out:

Carpet tile has arrived:

Test-fit before glue just to see what it'll look like:

Time for glue:

Laying down glue for the first row of tile:

First two rows glued down!

A couple of rows laid down, plus some extra:

Final full-size row laid down, now comes trimming for the edges:

Irregularly shaped building = headache for novice carpet installer:

All finished! Well almost, I want to put some trim around the edges and trim a couple of spots:

The glue dried by the end of the day but I still didn't want to drag furniture on it. However, I do have a forklift:

Couches in place (hoping to get some nicer ones and a real coffee table soon):

That's it! Unfortunately from the pictures it still looks like a mess (ok, it looks like a mess in person too because everything had to be moved around - this weekend is clean-up-shop weekend) but it went surprisingly well, though I did get a few glue spots on the carpet that I need to figure out how to remove now. Other than that I think it turned out pretty well. Not perfect, but a helluva lot better than before.

I also have progress pictures of the vinyl flooring that I did in the shop's production area a few months ago - I'll try to post that too if anyone's interested. I have enough tile left over to do my office at the back of the hallway there too, so that'll be my next project after the shop is cleaned up.

 

[Jettback50]

Good choice. Looks like a nice start. If you can swing it I would get a slip cover for that loveseat.

 

[HotRodKush]

Thanks - I'm planning to get a couple of more modern matching couches and a nice coffee table, but damn those old couches are comfortable! Might have to steal one for my office when that happens...

 

[Grizz1963]

Great to see someone start small-ish Aaron.

Good luck with the evolution of the business.

I know what you mean about the old couches, had some of them before.... still think they outperformed the new.

 

[HotRodKush]

Thanks alot. I started very small - I started printing t-shirts about a year and a half ago in my mother's basement while I was in college. When I started doing bigger orders I rented out a 400 sq. ft. studio space on a second floor walk-up to work out of and added signs and banners to the list of services, and about 3 months ago moved into the current space which is a 1500 sq. ft. self-standing building and added more services like storefront and vehicle lettering, decals, graphic design, etc. It's been an adventure, that's for sure - I have the good fortune of a couple of great friends that help out part-time, and my first full-time employee (also a long-time friend) starts work on May 3 which I'm thrilled about. It's still a 24 hour job for me, I spend more time at work than at home but I love it.

 

[chris h]

That looks about a bazillion times better! Good work!