Welding mats

[Jononon]

'How do I avoid burning my epoxy/paint/racedeck/... floor with welding and grinding sparks' is something of a recurring theme. Various solutions have been presented, from bare concrete to (worryingly) Masonite, but I haven't found any mention so far of a very simple one - heat and spark resilient anti-fatigue mats .

The professional 'shop I occasionally work in has these in the welding bay. They've seen hard wear, and are starting to thin out a bit at the edges, but that's after 3 years daily use. The only visible damage from welding is a gouge where a hot O/A torch was put direct onto a mat, sparks don't seem to make any impact, and the underlying floor is fine.

If you were already considering anti-fatigue mats, or another temporary covering, they might be worth a look.

Wilson also make a similar product.

 

[PAToyota]

I'd say the first problem is the price - $186 for a 3'x5' mat?

Next problem is moving it around when you're welding, grinding, whatever - unless you have a fairly dedicated space just for that.

I have suggested welding blankets - welding blankets - a much cheaper alternative. But again the problem becomes remembering to drag them out and use them. Definitely something that would work if your garage doesn't see regular "working" use, but becomes an increasing pain if you're always out there cutting and grinding and welding away.

 

[Jononon]

Point taken on the cost, they're certainly not cheap

Anything portable poses problems, the ideal would be to have a floor you can work on and not worry about, but plain concrete isn't always the best choice in other respects. My only concern with welding blankets is the possibility of trip hazard

 

[mikeyr]

I use a welding blanket when I can't move my toy out to the driveway to weld on it. Works great, not as much of a pain as I thought it would.