Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Tom's Neighborhood Workshop

[wreckdiver1321]

Minor update on the workshop:

I've taken down a few shelving brackets and started looking at filling a few nail/screw holes. I think I'll do filler next to clean it up, then there are a few panels that have shifted and aren't sitting flush with the rest of the wall, so I need to get those screwed down. That's something I can do today.

As for the floor: have you ever read the story of Sisyphus? He attempts to be clever and fails, and as punishment he is forced to endlessly roll a huge boulder up a hill. As the boulder nears the top, it rolls away from Sisyphus, and he has to start all over again.

In the next chapter of my Sisyphean odyssey, I discovered while hosing it down recently that the oil stains I thought were absorbing water... weren't. So I need to address that.

Yesterday I decided I was done screwing around, so I came home with a gallon of acetone and 47.5lbs of Portland cement. Based on an article from @Shea, I found that soaking oil stains in acetone will break the oil loose, then the cement will absorb it. So my floor got hit with the entire gallon of acetone and the entire bag of cement. What a mess!

The basic plan is to let that sit for several days or even a week, and the oil stains should come up. If not, I'll invest in some bioremediation product to cover the floor with, then wait the requisite two weeks while it eats all the oil. I hope that isn't necessary, but who the hell knows at this point?

I think I need to find another thing to work on while I wait for the cement and acetone to probably do less than I hope it will do. I think I'll get the rest of the wood I have available sanded and stained, then maybe think about paint and/or texture. At least that way maybe I'll find a chock for this boulder.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

A few fun updates over the weekend:

On Thursday, my brother-in-law requested we move my Land Cruiser out of his shop so he can wheel his scooter around in it (he's got a broken foot at the moment, and being stuck in the house is driving him insane), so we drove out to retrieve it. We promptly discovered that the battery was dead. Flat. Discharged. Inert. Wouldn't even take a jump-start. So we had to go buy a cheap Wal-Mart battery to get it going and over to our house.

I forgot how much I like driving that thing!

Anyway, we got it home and I parked it in the driveway for the night. After work the next day, I saw the rain come and decided we needed to move the truck inside, as there is still bare metal on the body. Unfortunately, the shop still isn't ready for visitors. So on Saturday, I cleaned out the attached garage to make a temporary home for Sandy. The side benefit is I got to throw away a few things and organize all of my shop stuff so I actually have access to all of it now. Plus my kids love the empty space.



Not exactly clean and not exactly organized, but it'll do for now.



Eagle-eyed readers will notice the Wen air filtration system hanging from the ceiling in here. This was left behind by the previous owners, who used this space for woodworking and didn't seem intent on taking a bunch of things with them. Oh well, my gain I suppose. This system will be relocated to the workshop once things are farther along there.



Doesn't Sandy look classy in this neighborhood? You almost wouldn't know she's got rust gremlins.



She even fits in the garage, although only just. Length and width are fine, she's got two feet on either side and a whopping eight feet in the front. However, she couldn't fit in the garage if she was even a millimeter taller. It was a tight squeeze. The good news is she's not at her full weight yet without bumpers or gear in the back, so she'll squat a bit in the future and fit in the garage/workshop with a lot less pucker.



Since it was out of my BIL's shop, I decided that I was going to take on the task of the body work. Even if I only did a little work on the easy sections or the stuff that wouldn't be visible, I'd be saving myself a lot of money and hopefully a little time. I'm decent with a welder and I can take my time, so if I have the truck at home I can chip away at it an hour at a time when I get the opportunity.

To that end, I gave Harbor Freight a solid chunk of my money on Saturday afternoon. I'm pretty sold on HF air tools, so I decided to pick up a few things necessary for body work.

The flange/punch tool will allow me to make lap joints where necessary and plug weld body panels together, which will be a big help. The narrow belt sander will allow me to more easily open up spot welds and clean out rust spots on the hatch and doors. The air hammer will help me separate the layers on the patch panels so I can weld each individually.



Then I picked up a body hammer and dolly set, since I didn't have any. Now I can do planishing and shaping with some proper equipment.



I also needed a hose reel for my workshop, so since I was there I picked up this 50 foot reel. I don't use air tools a ton, so I think this one should suit my needs just fine.



You'll also notice the welding magnets. I picked those up because I also ordered... A welder! Based on mountains of positive reviews and my relatively limited use case, I landed on the HF Titanium MIG 170 welder. It's very compact and apparently a really solid buy, so I'm confident I'll be able to dramatically expand my capabilities in the workshop. Unfortunately, it's a 3-week wait right now. Fortunately, the shop probably won't be ready until then anyway, so there you go. I also ordered and received an Eastwood Large-View welding helmet, again based on solid reviews and a good sale. I need to pick up some gloves, a gas cylinder, and wire, but that can wait until I actually get the welder.

Also on the way, and not from Harbor Freight: a drill press and bench vise! Getting my **** together to make this workshop a reality as soon as I can get it all moved in.

Final update: the workshop floor appears to be ready for stain! I let the acetone/cement sit for six days, then swept the cement up. I had to use a floor scraper to get all the cement up, then hosed off the floor twice, and the floor is clean now. Last night, I dropped some water on an oil stain and sure enough, the water soaked in. Huzzah!

Maybe, possibly, hopefully, I can get the stain down soon!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Alright gang, it's time to change tack.

I'll get a picture later, but I attempted to stain the floor last night and I am... displeased. As far as I can tell, the cement and acetone treatment didn't actually help the stain take any better. Also, the weird line from the dish soap showed up again, though its impact was minimal in the final outcome. I was dead-on in my color choice, but the effect was pretty bad.

The oil spots did not take the stain, and they're just as bad as the first time around. This time though, the stain behaved very strangely. The center of the floor took it pretty well except for the oil spots, but the outer edges look like they were barely even touched. Overall, not good. I'm not happy about it, and it's become apparent that staining is not an option with this slab. Ain't gonna happen.

To help with the oil, I have Eximo, a bioremediation product on the way. I'll leave it on the floor for like 2 weeks and see what happens. While I do that, I'll paint the walls.

So, time for plan B. B, as in "better."

Option 1: Legacy HellFire. It's essentially metal-impregnated polyurea, so it handles heat and impact very well. Should be an easy application, and it's really good value. Downside: it needs consistent 60% humidity to set properly, and it may not grip the floor as readily unless it's "perfectly clean."

• Subsection 1: plain HellFire. This has an old-school workshop feel that really appeals to me.
• Subsection 2: color flake. Easier to keep looking clean and hide scratches. May not go with the aesthetic I'm aiming for.

Option 2: Rust Bullet. More expensive than HellFire, but easier to install. Doesn't seem to mind differences in temperature or humidity when setting, and it doesn't require a pristine floor. Downside: it's more expensive, by a pretty large margin, and getting a finish that doesn't show roller marks is apparently rather tricky.

• Subsection 1: plain Rust Bullet. Again, appealing old-school aesthetic. The shade isn't quite as good as HellFire I think.
• Subsection 2: color flake. Easier to keep looking clean and hide scratches. May not go with the aesthetic I'm aiming for.

Thoughts?

 

[OutlawDrifter]

I don't think you'll be happy with either product at this point. You've put a lot of effort into the stain. I have used Rust Bullet on metal but not a floor. It seems very durable.

Wish I could be more help, I did a densifier and Ghost Shield on my slab. I knew a pretty floor would never last in my shop.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I don't think you'll be happy with either product at this point. You've put a lot of effort into the stain. I have used Rust Bullet on metal but not a floor. It seems very durable.

Wish I could be more help, I did a densifier and Ghost Shield on my slab. I knew a pretty floor would never last in my shop.

So, bit of a double-edged sword there.

Yep, I've done a ton of work to make staining a reality. I've cleaned the slab I don't know how many times, I've ground it, I've used all manner of scrubbing and chemicals and other stuff. It just isn't happening. Here's the result, after all that work:



I'm not pleased, and frankly I'm tired of trying to make the stain work. So, I'm happy to go to plan B in order to get something that's still clean and less finicky. It may not be my original vision, but my original vision involved using the shop by now. All things considered, I think this is a fair trade.

By the way, anyone interested in 4.25 gallons of AWF Polyurea + 1lb of anti-skid texture?

Besides, I think this type of coating has a very "vintage workshop" feel to it, and would lend itself to what I'm trying to accomplish.

HellFire:


Rust Bullet:


I think I just need to get the bioremediation product down, choose which coating I'd like to go with, and then have it ready in a couple weeks once the cleaner has had a chance to do it's thing. Since I'm no longer doing a sprayed-on floor application, I can paint the walls and start thinking about getting trim done. Maybe even cabinets too! I may even decide to texture the walls, but that sounds like a mess.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Well, I guess one thing to consider is they use Rust Bullet on ocean going battle ships...must be pretty tough stuff.

The HellFire stuff looks nice too.

 

[GreenIron]

Hi, Tom.
Congrats on the new-to-you place.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Well, I guess one thing to consider is they use Rust Bullet on ocean going battle ships...must be pretty tough stuff.

The HellFire stuff looks nice too.

I think aesthetically I prefer the HellFire, but it's more finicky to install. Rust Bullet seems the way to go for ease. Maybe it's the shade I don't like. I dunno. More research is needed.

Hi, Tom.
Congrats on the new-to-you place.

Thanks @GreenIron! It may be taking a lot longer than I'd like, but I'm excited to get the shop up and running. Hopefully not terribly long now...

 

[GreenIron]

Thanks @GreenIron! It may be taking a lot longer than I'd like, but I'm excited to get the shop up and running. Hopefully not terribly long now...

You're doing good, Tom. Keep it up.

I've been working on my shop(from the ground up) since last August and know how frustrating it can be. Rain delays on concrete work, then delays on the building materials.
Thank goodness for Cold Beer.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

You're doing good, Tom. Keep it up.

I've been working on my shop(from the ground up) since last August and know how frustrating it can be. Rain delays on concrete work, then delays on the building materials.
Thank goodness for Cold Beer.

Oh man, if I was waiting on actual construction work right now, I'd be a lot lower on Hamm's and Old Milwaukee.

Hopefully yours isn't kicking your *** too bad.

Pressure is off a bit now, since I was able to organize things and get my Land Cruiser into the attached garage. Now I actually have access to all my stuff and can work on things as needed. Both my Subarus need oil changes. Bad.

Problem is, my collection of tools and shop supplies is growing in anticipation of the new shop. And the attached garage ain't big enough for that to continue.

I just need to sort out this damn floor.....

 

[racer-john]

Get the floor surface done, by the time you get all your goodies in there you won't see the floor. Lol

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Get the floor surface done, by the time you get all your goodies in there you won't see the floor. Lol

Excellent point haha!

I just need to make the call on which product to use. Cost-wise, they actually break down about the same now that I've done the math. HellFire is cheaper but I'd need an $80 humidifier for it to cure properly. Rust Bullet is more expensive, but I wouldn't need the humidifier. Bearing that in mind, I'm looking at a $35 price difference. Just need to decide.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

So, I did a little more research on Rust Bullet and HellFire, and I discovered a few things.

Rust Bullet is the original version of this floor coating, and is really the basis for the others on the market. Garage Flooring, LLC sold Rust Bullet before developing their own version, TruAlloy, which is more or less the same product as far as I can work out. TruAlloy has a bit more information about what it is, which is a metal-impregnated moisture-cured urethane.

You know what HellFire is? A metal-impregnated moisture-cured urethane.

Based on what I'm reading, the products are so similar that there shouldn't really be much difference in application or curing, so Rust Bullet would theoretically need a similar approach to apply it. Legacy lists more stringent requirements for applying their coating, possibly to ensure better longevity.

Based on similar pricing, similar application, and similar durability, it's down to aesthetics. I like the way HellFire looks the most. Plus I can get a 4 gallon case at a discount, so the price is a little lower. So I suppose that's the ticket for me.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

PROGRESS!

Finally, some progress! Since I am doing a roll-on floor application now for color and sealer, I can move on and get the walls taken care of. As you know, I don't like the texture of the OSB walls, though I can certainly appreciate the utility. I've also got a few places where the wood has swollen and some of the outer pieces have delaminated. I aimed to fix this problem.

Step one was to allow the workshop to dry out, which I did over the last couple of days. On Saturday, I pulled all of the extra hardware and shelving off all but the east wall, which will be paneled anyway. Next, I peeled the delaminations off the wall and gave them a while to dry out any residual moisture.



I then taped off roughly where the the cabinetry was going to be, allowing for a 2" overlap everywhere. This way I can save the paint/primer for the walls. I will likely paint these areas as well, but only after the cabinets get put up.



I used a massive roll of butcher paper that my MIL had given us to mask off the floor along the walls I was painting. This made masking super easy, so that butcher paper has been completely co-opted as masking paper now. I'll have to find a way to wall-mount it so I can roll it out as needed.



Finally, I popped open a beer and got to work.



I laid down an entire gallon of Sherwin Williams oil-based primer, covering both the north and south walls as well as the short walls next to the garage door. The oil-based primer should seal off the OSB pretty well and prevent paint or moisture in the room from causing swelling or further delamination. Oil-based paint *****, by the way.

When that dried, I went out to see a very nicely prepped surface. The fresh, flat coat of primer did a lot to mask the texture of the OSB, and the thickness seems to have dulled the edges of each strand. Hopefully that means a few coats of paint will carry that trend even further.

Yesterday, I went out with a container of patching plaster and got to work on the delaminations and screw holes, as well as some of the more egregious sections of OSB texture. I filled a lot of the wall with plaster, and it actually went a long way towards further reducing the nasty texture. A few hours to let that dry and I came back and hit the walls with my palm sander and 150 grit, knocking down the excess plaster and smoothing out the transitions. I used my Ridgid shop vac to blow the plaster dust off the walls and floor, then closed up for the night.

It's not particularly exciting, but to me it's a big difference. After spending two months on freakin' flooring, starting a new phase of this project feels great. I'm hoping this week I can get a few layers of paint on the walls and see what that does for the texture. If necessary, I'll add spray-on wall texture to flatten it off, but I'm hoping it's not.

I also pulled out the tape and did some measuring.

Sandy barely fits in the door on the attached garage. Luckily, the door on the workshop is 2 1/2 inches taller, so headroom shouldn't be an issue. I also found out I'll have 64 inches between the front bumper and the wall, which concerned me until I realized I would have have a shade over eight feet on either side of the Land Cruiser. That means that my east wall bench will not even be directly in front of it, and I'll have plenty of room for my "lounge" area! Huzzah!

I'm also debating laying down floor tape to mark the parking spot for Sandy, possibly around the workbench areas as well. Perhaps this will give it more of a machine shop feel? I'm not sure if I'm sold on it yet, we'll see.

 

[tbecktold]

A belated welcome! I really enjoyed your thread on CF years ago and am really looking forward to seeing how your garages come along! You have basically my dream of an attached garage for wifey, a detached shed, AND a detached shop for working/shenanigans!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

A belated welcome! I really enjoyed your thread on CF years ago and am really looking forward to seeing how your garages come along! You have basically my dream of an attached garage for wifey, a detached shed, AND a detached shop for working/shenanigans!

Thanks! Glad to see a member here from the CF days. I was admittedly bad at updating that thread regularly, as a lot of what I did ended up on Expedition Portal instead. I still check into CF from time to time.

Thanks for following along!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Okay, little update:

I spent the weekend getting the walls of the workshop taken care of, and I think I'm pretty happy with the results. Saturday, I ended up going out and spreading a layer of patching plaster over every wall surface, other than the areas where cabinets were going. A six-inch joint knife made this a lot easier, but it was still a couple of hours of spreading the material on the wall.

With the plaster drying, I used paintable white silicone to close the gaps in the walls near the overhead door. Looks a lot less like a shack now.



Yesterday morning I went out and put my new-to-me RO sander to good use. A few sheets of 120 grit helped knock down the marks from applying the plaster and made the walls nice and smooth. It wasn't the most fun I've ever had, and I had to wear a respirator to ward off death. They looked like this, but felt smooth if you ran your hand across the surface. Perfect!



Then I took most of the stuff out of the shop and used my shop vac to blow the dust out. Respirator still required. With most of the dust taken care of, I started painting. I used Valspar "ceiling paint", which appears to be a standard paint/primer mix, but it's very thick compared to other paints I've used. Good thing, because it helped fill the gaps a bit. It's satin, which I suppose isn't ideal for cleaning but it really helps hide the texture. After two coats, here I am:



Huge difference! You can stand three feet from the wall and not see OSB texture poking through. If you get up close, you can see a bit of it:



Naturally, there's some imperfections and inconsistencies, but overall it's a massive improvement. I'm happy enough to get some more paint on the wall and call it done. There will be some decor on the walls and a couple more coats of paint, so I'm sure it will hardly be noticeable.

The Valspar paint is advertised as white, but rolled out a very light gray. I may end up rolling on a couple coats of pure white to get that color, though I don't dislike this look. Since the flooring will be solid gray, I don't want to have a big gray blob of a room. Either way, I'm chuffed with how good it looks. Now I'm looking at casing the south window and starting the paneling on the east wall.

I'm hoping to have the painting finished this week, so maybe next weekend I can have the flooring down. I have five gallons of Legacy HellFire on the way.

In other news, my sons and I made the trek to the "hammer store" yesterday to pick up some paint rollers and my new toy:





Since I will be doing a lot of the body work on Sandy and I have a few metal work projects that I want to do, I figured it was finally time for me to get a welder. Based on the overwhelmingly positive reviews of the Harbor Freight Titanium series, I landed on their MIG 170 welder, which strikes a nice balance of size, power, and price. Reviews state it can handle, albeit barely, up to 1/2" plate. I don't see myself needing that much capacity, but I can definitely use the ability to weld up to 1/4" material and sheet metal. Can't wait to get it going, it feels like a really nice piece of equipment for the price.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Walls look great!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Walls look great!

Thanks Marc! It was a lot of work, but I'm really happy with them. I'm glad I didn't end up texturing, though I get the sense that would have been a lot easier. Hopefully it holds up well. Can't wait to see it with trim and everything.

 

[bdbecker]

...The Valspar paint is advertised as white, but rolled out a very light gray. I may end up rolling on a couple coats of pure white to get that color, though I don't dislike this look. Since the flooring will be solid gray, I don't want to have a big gray blob of a room...

With a gray floor, the walls may end up looking more white by comparison. Either way, nice work!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

With a gray floor, the walls may end up looking more white by comparison. Either way, nice work!

That's a great point. I'm considering leaving it alone too, not sure which way I'll go. We shall see!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Okay, some good workshop updates this weekend.

I opted to buy another gallon of white paint from my local hardware store. I figured a gallon of wall paint would solve my problem to some extent, so I bought a cheap white paint and rolled on two coats. Turns out it's very slightly whiter than the previous paint. Oh well, I'm done messing with it now. I think @bdbecker is right, the gray floor will wash out the "not white".



While I waited for the first coat of paint to dry, I loaded up the kids and went over to Home Depot to pick up lumber for a small project. See, @Pbindesign and @Jack Olsen both have little wall-hanging boxes for tool storage above their benches, and I really liked the aesthetic of that. Jack's is an actual box that hinges closed, while Paul's mimics that look without actually being able to close. I slightly cloned Paul and decided to make a wall box with three equally-sized sections. Not only will this look nice and add storage, it will also eat up 13.6 square feet of wall, meaning I have less paneling to do.

Turns out, I can fit all the materials for this in the back of my Subaru, along with my kids and a freshly powder-coated wheel.



I got the kids settled down and headed out to the workshop to get cracking on the tool wall-box-thingy.

First up, I trimmed all of the main boards to size. The 1x6 lumber got cut into 61 and 30 inch lengths for the top, bottom, and side walls. Then I used my Kreg jig to make pocket holes to mount the structure to the wall, and built it in place.







The boards had a little warp in them, so I spent a lot of time with a level and a right-angle clamp to get everything lined up properly. As you can see, I didn't miter the joints since I planned on painting this. I drilled pilot holes and countersunk the crews going from the horizontal walls to the vertical walls, but didn't install the pocket screws on the upper just yet.



I cut down two more 30-inch uprights, lined them up, and screwed them in place. With the uprights determining the overall height, I checked the box with a level. Seeing that was right, I drove in the pocket screws and secured the upper to the wall.



I then cut down some 1x2s to fit inside the center and right frames, as I will be using those for pegboard. I did end up deciding the vertical sections didn't need to be full-length and cut them down with my oscillating tool. I didn't want to lose the ability to use the outermost peg holes.

After fitting those, I cut down the shelves and lined them up. It's a tight fit, but they lined up really well. I started by lining up the front edges to where I wanted them with my 90 degree clamp, then drilled and countersunk a pilot hole on the side, near the front of the shelf. Then I used my deadblow hammer and a speed square to make sure the shelves were 90* to the wall before screwing down the back of the shelves. They're rock solid and dead flat now.





To finish off the job, I applied DAP Plastic Wood to all of the pocket holes and pilot holes, as well as a few rough areas that I wanted to smooth out. Since I had to let that dry, I laid down the final coat of paint. I'm super happy with the end result. If you look really hard, you can still tell it's OSB, but you have to be within a foot of the wall and really paying attention. With art hanging and all of my stuff in there, you'll likely never notice.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

While the paint was not quite dry, I peeled off the masking tape. Looking good now!





I let the paint dry a bit more while I went inside and had a tasty dinner with my kids. When they were squared away, I went back out and used my cheap track saw for the first time to cut down the pegboard inserts. I have to say, it's terrific! I threw in a finer Diablo blade and that made it cut nice and cleanly. It glides nicely on the rail without any wobble. It's rather loud, but otherwise works pretty darn well for $150.



After that, I pulled up the masking along the walls to find no paint bled through onto the raw concrete, which is awesome. I cleaned up for the night and went to hang out with my kids. We had fun and wrestled for a while before mom came home. It was a solid day.

Sunday was very little shop work. We woke up, made breakfast, and hung out while mom got ready for church. We took they kids and they had a lot of fun at the nursery, playing with all the toys. When the service ended, we gathered them up and headed for the door. My oldest then decided it would be a good time to pull the fire alarm. It was like watching it happen in slow motion. As the sirens blared, I took my youngest to the car while my wife took the oldest to apologize and explain about the alarm. Meanwhile, everyone flooded out of the church. I assure you, I will not forget to tell this story later in life.

Afterwards, we went to see Santa at Cabela's and took some mediocre family photos. It's not their fault, they did a great job, but my kids were being goobers at this point. A quick run to Lowe's for some paint, and we were on our way home. While my wife prepared dinner, I went out and sanded the wall box. I did a little work with the oscillating tool to clean up the edges and accidentally overdid it on one corner, so I glued the pieces back on with some Titebond and worked on sanding the rest of the box. Once I was satisfied, I painted the inside of the first section in the final color so it wouldn't show through the pegboard, then popped the pegboard in place. I'd like to mention that in real life, the blue is darker and a little more muted.





Getting close now! To finish off, I applied some Plastic Wood over the corner I scrunched and roughly shaped it, then called it good for the night as dinner was ready.

Hopefully today I can get the remainder of the box sanded and the pegboard in place, then paint. I do have some 1/8" hardboard that I am planning to cover the back of each shelf section with as well. The OSB is ugly and has that seam running right up the middle, so I want to cover it. If I can finish that off, I can get everything pulled out of the shop, vacuum, and lay down the final treatment of Eximo to try and pull the remaining oil out of the slab. Then on Friday I can do the final clean of the floor before laying down the HellFire on Saturday.

I feel like the pace is picking up! With the floor done, I can concentrate on getting the east wall paneled. I need to sand and stain some more pallet slats to make that happen, but with the wall box up, I need a little less. Then I can get the benches built and installed. Soon after it should be semi-functional!

 

[Quarter Life Crisis]

Just checking back in here. Sorry about your frustration and disappointment with that floor, Concrete is a sponge and old, abused slabs are extremely difficult to get clean. I know you'll get the results you're happy with, though. Just stick it out and the payoff will be worthwhile. All other progress you're making is awesome! Looking forward to seeing more.

 

[loganb]

Progress is looking great and you're on track to get to "move in" condition so to speak with the walls and floor done prior to winter really showing up! Might also serve as a bit of an escape over the holidays if you need to take one of the kids out there to "give mom a break"....not that I'd ever do that....the sacrifices we make for our children!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Just checking back in here. Sorry about your frustration and disappointment with that floor, Concrete is a sponge and old, abused slabs are extremely difficult to get clean. I know you'll get the results you're happy with, though. Just stick it out and the payoff will be worthwhile. All other progress you're making is awesome! Looking forward to seeing more.

Yeah, the floor has been my nemesis since this whole thing started. I'm really hopeful that I can get the coating down this weekend though, so fingers crossed. I'd really like to get going on my workbenches.

Thanks! I'm happy with the way the walls turned out. And my tool cabinet.

Progress is looking great and you're on track to get to "move in" condition so to speak with the walls and floor done prior to winter really showing up! Might also serve as a bit of an escape over the holidays if you need to take one of the kids out there to "give mom a break"....not that I'd ever do that....the sacrifices we make for our children!

Hopefully! I'd like to get the floor finished soon, but we'll see how it goes. I've left the Eximo down for a couple weeks and I'm hoping that puts me on track. I'll feel like it's actually usable once the floor goes down though, so I'm hopeful. I'm starting to see the vision come together a bit.

Ha! Yeah, my goal is to have the workshop be a place I can hang out in as well as work in. I'll have a few chairs, a TV, and a mini-fridge. Plus things for my kids to do. I think they'll really like helping out and bopping around the shop while I'm working on stuff. Such sacrifices!

Thanks for stopping in Logan!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

The last couple of nights have allowed me some success on various things. Number one was getting close to finishing my wall cabinet.

Monday I was able to get the final sanding done. I finished reshaping the corner that I honked up so that it felt smooth and seamless. Then I removed some of the wall lumps left by hardware behind the shelves. My oscillating tool worked great for this.



I painted the inside of the second frame and fit the pegboard into place. It was a tight fit, and took some persuasion, but I got it to sit flat. A couple of screws snugged it down, then a little scuffing with sandpaper so it would take paint, and it's starting to look like something!



Afterward, I got the first complete coat of paint down. It took a little experimentation to find the right technique to paint the pegboard without clogging it, but eventually I figured it out. A lot of brushing with a very small amount of paint loaded on the brush works pretty well, it's just somewhat time-consuming.



I had to go in for the night afterward, but was able to get back out again last night. I used the track saw to cut down the backing board for the shelves. I'm liking this thing more and more the more I use it honestly. I picked up 1/8" hardboard for this because it was cheap, thin, and frankly it was sitting right next to the pegboard at Home Depot, so it was convenient.



I scuffed each panel up before slotting it into place, then popped a few brad nails in to hold them.



I used the shop vac to clean up the dust on the cabinet, and gave it a good coat of blue.



It needs another coat to finish off the pegboard and smooth out the tones a bit, but overall I'm incredibly pleased with how this project has turned out. Seriously, I'm like overly excited about such a simple cabinet. I'm not sure if it's just the progress occurring on the workshop or the pride of completing a project, but I'm really loving this development. Can't wait to hang tools on it. The project has also really reinforced my color choice. All of my cabinets will be this color, and I really think it looks good. I think it will work well with the stained pallet wood that will go on the wall too.

Tonight, I need to get the second application of Eximo cleaned up and lay down the third, then finish the paint on the cabinet. Maybe by Friday some tools will finally be living out in the workshop! Holy ****!

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Cabinet looks good!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Cabinet looks good!

Thanks Marc, I'm really pleased with it. Can't wait to get some tools hung up.

 

[gearhead1960]

Tom,
Good luck getting the finish you're happy with on the floor. You've certainly been through the ringer trying to achieve the effect you want.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Tom,
Good luck getting the finish you're happy with on the floor. You've certainly been through the ringer trying to achieve the effect you want.

Thanks Mark!

I'm hopeful. Let's call it cautiously optimistic.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Last night I was able to finish painting the cabinet. I also picked up some pegboard hooks, so I'll be working on getting tools hung up tonight. I'm so pleased with how it turned out.

Tomorrow I'll get the floor cleaned up and prepped, then on Sunday I'll try to get it coated. I'll also work on caulking the gaps in the walls to prevent air movement and keep the temperature more stable. Not that it's something that needs to be done, but since the workshop is heated and I'd like to add A/C at some point, it makes sense to be diligent.

Next I'll turn my attention to the paneling. Which brings a question:

Should I trim out around the man door? I'd do that, then run the pallet wood paneling up to it, so the trim would be slightly proud of the paneling. I'd match the trim to the stain of the pallet wood.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

So this weekend took an unexpected turn.

I had a lot of things come together over the past few days. I got the floor completely cleaned off in the workshop, and was preparing to get the floor coated. I did discover a little issue though, one that I'll have to address to keep my workshop climate under control:





This cut is at the end of the north/south expansion joint on the slab. Turns out, it's not exactly weatherproof. I'll cure this issue with some expanding foam in the near future. I also need to caulk the wall gaps as well, that will be on my list.

Once the floor was cleaned, I finished my wall cabinet! Huzzah!



I'm a little surprised this held everything I was hoping it would. There are a few tweaks I had to make as I stared at it, but overall it fit everything I wanted it to. It looks fantastic in my opinion, and I'm so pleased to have some tools out in the workshop finally!

As you can see, the first panel holds my measuring equipment and pliers. Some of the pliers will be replaced, as I have Klein linesman and slip-joint pliers on the way, as well as some Engineer needle-nose. My small Knipex is on the wall for when I need to clip wires, and the large one is for when I need a bit more grrr. I'll be completely honest, I bought this Milwaukee square because it goes well with the blue. Previously, I had a bright orange one and I hated the way it looked so much I bought a new square.

Vanity. It's a strange trait, isn't it?



Next panel includes my display of Harbor Freight hammers. I have a big hammer drawer and wanted to slim it down a bit. These are also the three most commonly used, so putting them on the wall made a lot of sense. I've also got my two most commonly used Craftsman pry bars, because I hate digging in a drawer and end up using a flat head screwdriver. That kind of defeats the purpose of owning pry bars, as it turns out. Also hanging is a crescent wrench for when I need an imprecise turning tool. At the bottom we have my Milwaukee picks and my Vessel screwdriver set. I couldn't fit the stubby Vessel drivers on the wall, but I rarely use those anyway.



The final panel is the shelves. I stocked this with some supplies that I routinely use, mostly solvents, lubricants, and cleaners. The bottom shelf perfectly holds a box of HF gloves with a little friction, which is awesome. It's nice to have quick access to all this stuff. I'm not partial to the Blaster brake cleaner, but it was available for really cheap, so I picked up a few cans.



So there you go. What could be more fascinating than a man describing his pegboard tool cabinet? I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat.

Overall, I'm really happy with the end result of the cabinet. It looks really clean and classy, while being very functional and utilitarian. There's a few things I'd go back and change if given the opportunity, but overall it came together really well and I'm very pleased with it. It's going to look great with some gooseneck light fixtures above it and a workbench below it.

I was preparing to do the floor on Sunday. I had a plan in place and everything. Then, Mr. Stomach Bug did a roundhouse kick to my intestines and laid my wife and I out for the entire day. As we were talking about it between groans, Beret and I decided that maybe the floor should wait for a bit. We're in the coldest, driest time of the year in Montana, and we just got some snow. Keeping the floor clean, and keeping the shop at the right temperature and humidity might be a difficult proposition. Plus, the slab temperature could be a lot lower than the shop temp, so there's some uncontrolled variables there. As such, we're going to wait on the floor for now, but I still need to get cracking on the body work for the Land Cruiser. I'd like to have it available for use by the beginning of June at the absolute latest, so my hard deadline to take it to a body shop is April 4th. With that on the horizon, I came up with a plan.

To keep the floor from getting stained or overly messed up prior to the new coating going down, I'm picking up the largest tarp HF sells and laying it out in my work area, then covering that with a welding blanket where necessary to keep the tarp from being melted. I'll pick up a service cart as a temporary tool cart/workbench in order to keep everything contained, and I'll get working on the sheet metal. There's a few spots that will need a couple days' worth of work, and multiple spots that only need a couple hours' worth of work, so my plan is to start with the most complicated jobs and work my way down. I'll set up an appointment with a local body shop for April, and then chip away at it until it's time to bring it in. Whatever state it's in, I'll let them finish it off. With any luck, all they'll need to do is a little finish sanding and painting.

Once the Cruiser is out of the shop, I'll focus on getting the floor done, the wall paneled, and the benches and cabinets built. With any luck, I should have enough time to finish most of the work on the truck, which is a lot more pressing, and then some breathing room to focus on getting the shop up to par.

That's the working theory anyway. We'll see how well that fruit ends up growing.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Wall cabinet turned out great, nice work!

 

[jbrentd]

Although this is a little late, congratulations on the new house and workshop! Not sure how I missed your thread, but I am glad I found it. There are many similarities in our ideas and plans.

Love the LC and the work you have done to it. I have a '97 4Runner myself and it needs some TLC. I really want to hang on to it for the long haul. Since it's my daily, some of the work it needs will have to wait until I get my project back on the road.

Keep plugging away at the flooring, it'll be worth it. I love the look of the polished floors too that you see in the big box stores. I'm torn between the ghostshield 4500/8510 (which would not give the look, but would be well sealed and durable) and a clear polyurea like Nohr-S. Fortunately, I have a new slab to work with.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Right. Things are happening.

I paid Harbor Freight a visit after work yesterday. I think the night cashier is starting to recognize me. I picked up a welding blanket, a tarp, and some other odds and ends necessary to get things moving on the Land Cruiser. I also ordered a three-tier service cart, which I wasn't planning on buying yet, but I definitely need it to keep from kicking tools and parts around on the floor.

After picking the kids up from daycare and getting them settled, I prepped the shop by laying out the tarp and welding blankets, then moving some tools and supplies over. I tried to start Sandy and discovered a completely dead battery. Nuts! I must have some kind of parasitic drain occurring somewhere that I'll need to sort out. It likely has to do with the aftermarket stereo, so I'll look at that. I swapped the battery out of Gladys, my Subaru, and got the Cruiser going. I tried to back it out and discovered something.



It would appear that the awning is too tall to fit out of the garage. I think when I pulled in, it got pushed down a bit by the opening, then popped back up like an oversized ratcheting mechanism, trapping me in the garage. To remedy this situation, I piled some scuba tanks onto the tailgate, adding up to probably 200lbs. Hilariously, that wasn't quite enough. I sat down on the tailgate to figure it out and noticed the awning dropped just enough to clear the door, so I waited for Beret to come home and roped her into this whole production. I sat on the tailgate and she backed the truck out. Problem solved!

I drove around to the shop and backed in, centering over the tarp and welding blanket. She fits perfectly!



Ceiling clearance is a little low, but the truck isn't at her full weight yet. There's no bumpers or rock protection or storage installed, and the springs are still new, so she's riding a bit high at the moment. I'm guessing it will settle about an inch or so.



Allowing enough room for the front bumper, I still have six feet between the truck and the east wall. That will shrink a bit once the rear bumper is installed, but I'll still have enough to move around and do work, so I'm happy enough with it.

The welding blanket and tarp appear to be just about the perfect size too. Great news, because I'm going to be leaving them in this position for a month or two probably.



Tonight, I'll start work on the cutting. The driver's side quarter panel is my primary focus, and I think I'll start from the back and work my way forward. I'll chop out any rusty spots and get them treated with rust converter, then rebuild the rear section. Luckily, most of this area resides behind a piece of trim and behind the rear bumper, so ultimate precision and perfection is not needed.

The small area behind the rear door is my biggest concern, being three layers of metal and having a lot of complexity. I do have donor parts, so that will make it a lot easier. I just have to separate the layers from the donor and weld them onto the truck individually. As long as they fit up properly, it should work out. Then I'll clean up the pinch weld and the small corrosion spots on the bottom of each door.

The passenger's side needs similar attention, though to a lesser extent. My hope is to be able to have the metal work done by the end of January so I can get into filler, sanding, and priming. We'll see how it goes!

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Although this is a little late, congratulations on the new house and workshop! Not sure how I missed your thread, but I am glad I found it. There are many similarities in our ideas and plans.

Love the LC and the work you have done to it. I have a '97 4Runner myself and it needs some TLC. I really want to hang on to it for the long haul. Since it's my daily, some of the work it needs will have to wait until I get my project back on the road.

Keep plugging away at the flooring, it'll be worth it. I love the look of the polished floors too that you see in the big box stores. I'm torn between the ghostshield 4500/8510 (which would not give the look, but would be well sealed and durable) and a clear polyurea like Nohr-S. Fortunately, I have a new slab to work with.

Thanks for stopping in!

Yeah, the Toyota 4x4s can be really cool toys. I fell in love with the utility and durability of the Land Cruiser platform a while back. I've always liked the look of them, but now I really appreciate the engineering and longevity. The 4Runner was designed to be like a baby Land Cruiser, and it's not hard to see why they became so popular. Should be a fun truck to have around and tinker with.

 

[bdbecker]

I know you want to protect your floors, but please be careful grinding/welding with that tarp on the ground. Weld spatter gets everywhere and nylon tarps are flammable.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I know you want to protect your floors, but please be careful grinding/welding with that tarp on the ground. Weld spatter gets everywhere and nylon tarps are flammable.

Yeah, that's a good point! I do have the welding blanket down for that reason, though I may relocate it. I've also got some non-flammable (non-welding) blankets standing by to increase the coverage area where I'm working, and I am getting a fire extinguisher very soon.

Good tip!

 

[MrPink]

Looks awesome sir.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

This weekend allowed me to really get some things done for once. I got cracking on Sandy by jacking her up in the air, putting her on jackstands, and pulling the rear tires off for better access. I took a look at the areas of damage, mapped out what needed to happen, and then got cutting. My HF composite die grinder makes pretty easy work of carving through the metal, though I think I need a bigger compressor and better safety glasses. I got hit with some zingers one too many times.









I was able to get all the nastiness cut out before taking an abrasive brush to the surface rust. The only spot around the rear tires left to work on is just behind the passenger-side rear door, and that looks pretty minor compared to the other side.

I'm happy to report the damage isn't as bad as I feared, and since this truck will not live in a salty state for as long as I own it, I'm not concerned about the corrosion coming back. I do have a plan to toughen up the coating on the underside to prevent any further problems, but I don't foresee that being a big issue.

Next, I hit all the surface rust areas with an abrasive brush before coating them with this:



Some forum members on iH8mud have had good results with this stuff, so I'm giving it a try as well. I painted a good 1/8" layer on all the areas with surface corrosion, then covered them up with plastic to prevent it drying, per the instructions. I'm going to leave it until next weekend and see where I'm at, but I feel pretty confident that I'll be moving on to the "rebuild" stage a lot faster than I anticipated. The final area to clean up shouldn't take too long, I just need to get the motivation up to make it happen.





This coming weekend, I'm going to start peeling apart my patch panels to see what I'm working with. One has a rust hole in exactly the same spot as my truck, so a little metal fab will be needed. Luckily, It's in a an area that isn't very visible and fairly flat, so shaping and patching shouldn't be too bad.

I actually think the biggest challenge will be the area behind the driver's side rear tire. The good news is everything below that sharp inward bend is covered by the rear bumper. The bad news is I need to replace a section of that bend and have it look at least close to original. It's going to be completely covered by trim, but I want to do my best to make it look clean.

A mix of apprehension and excitement is churning my brain. I know I can do it, but I've never done body work before. Should be a fun challenge.