Studio Design

[ThruTraffic]

I'm finishing off the renovation of a small building on my property to use as a studio WITH HEAT AND AC, YAYYYYYYYY!!!! :-)

I've attached a first draft layout while I get the drywall painted (satin white) and a new steel roof installed.

I'd appreciate any feedback you folks would like to provide about the draft and any ideas/thoughts/etc. I've missed.

 

Pot's by Sticker

[Bam2015]

Ooh, I have studio envy.

Will your bathroom sink also be your clay sink? Personally, I think I would like more shelving and would be willing to give up some counter space for it. 

Betty

[ThruTraffic]

Agreed. Never enough shelving. Similar to ne’er enough outlets and never down low. I didn’t note all the areas counter top and shelves can go so  anywhere I can maximize shelves I will.

Bathroom sink will likely be a deep commercial with a right hand sideboard. HWater Hester underneath.

It may be this is a temporary studio so I wired it to where I can quickly convert it to a small apt with stove, fridge, stacked w/dry, etc. or maybe a pottery showroom/store.

What I really want is a two story addition on the back of the shop and a roofed patio outside for gas/wood/Raku kilns. But that project is a ways out.

[Hulk]

You might consider:

  full gloss on the walls, as satin may stain, should clay/glaze/underglaze splash on't;

  high cfm overhead vent for the kilns, with make up air coming from the opposite side, so the work area is swept by the air flow;

  space enough on one or both sides of the wheel for the mobile table(s) to pull in within easy reach.

Looks like fun, and full hvac? Wow, that's great!

[Mark C.]

Yes on gloss  paint for sure

now for the circle -Clay comes in to space which should be by the door kit is delivered to (its heavy)  and then it flows in a circle to the exit finished work door after being fired.

In your drawing I do not see this  work flow clearly ?

 

[ThruTraffic]

6 hours ago, Hulk said:

You might consider:

  full gloss on the walls, as satin may stain, should clay/glaze/underglaze splash on't;

  high cfm overhead vent for the kilns, with make up air coming from the opposite side, so the work area is swept by the air flow;

  space enough on one or both sides of the wheel for the mobile table(s) to pull in within easy reach.

Does gloss resist stains better than semi or flat? I wasn't aware of that. I really want all the light I can get even though some have told me I should do an off white or an eggshell. I want as much light as I can get but think gloss is a bit of overkill. Tell me about it's resistance feature.

I did put in an exhaust fan over the kilns but did so more for a kitchen feature so it's not a high cfh, just a standard bathroom fan. If it proves to not be useful I can pull it, cut a bigger hole and add a bigger one.

Amen on shelves or something around the wheel! The drawing isn't to scale so the wheel looks too big for it's location.

[ThruTraffic]

5 hours ago, Mark C. said:

Yes on gloss  paint for sure

now for the circle -Clay comes in to space which should be by the door kit is delivered to (its heavy)  and then it flows in a circle to the exit finished work door after being fired.

In your drawing I do not see this  work flow clearly ?

 

Well it flows in the door and out the same door. :-) I don't think flow is that important in such a small place and also I do zero production work. Main clay stock will probably stay in the shop next door and I'll bring in a half box of a particular body I'll work with till I run out and step next door and get more if I need it. I also left a 4' section of the longest counter wall void of any wiring or any utilities. Someday I might cut a door there and one in the wall of the shop for easy access between the two. The two buildings are about 2 feet apart.

[Mark C.]

Gloss paint reflects the light and bounces it well. It also is the easiest to clean and will not hold dust.

[ThruTraffic]

25 minutes ago, Mark C. said:

Gloss paint reflects the light and bounces it well. It also is the easiest to clean and will not hold dust.

think im' going to have to order some sunglasses. :-)

[Hulk]

Typical sheens, low to high: flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, full/high gloss

Where the stain resistance and cleanability goes up with the sheen; a brown, red, and even a buff clay splash will likely stain a flat, even an eggshell, perhaps a satin as well, however, semi-gloss and (more so) a full gloss wipes off well, over and over.
Compare fully vitrified (light colored) clay against glazed clay - the unglazed clay will take a stain, where the glazed clay wipes clean; it's somewhat like that. There's stuff in the paint that floats up to the surface and makes that shine (and durable).

On the other hand (and I feel bad about not pointing this out), the higher the gloss, the more difficult it is to apply it well and have an even look. It's necessary to start each "square" at one end and progress to the other end with expedience, maintaining a "wet edge" so there aren't swaths of differing sheens.
Another drawback, higher sheens boost the visibility of imperfections quite a lot, as in a whole lot.
Hence, semi-gloss is often a good compromise, where it is still quite durable and cleanable, not as difficult to apply as full gloss, and it's a bit more forgiving as well.
If your new walls are textured at all, anything less glossy than semi-gloss may be difficult to clean...

Folks' studios - many, not all - acquire a "patina" as the years flow by.
I like being able to wipe up and have a clean look, however, I'm more concerned about keeping dust under control...

Paint sheen - Wikipedia

 

[Bill Kielb]

Maybe a finish compromise

The compromise might be gloss to chair rail or higher height with something flatter above it to reduce the visibility of drywall seams, imperfections. Still common for very dirty areas is  an Frp wainscot (White pebbled plastic) fairly easy to install in select ares, looks pretty good and cleans up well.

Light color for reflectance, super high gloss glare is not the greatest for comfort and even illumination. Pick a light color, you will be fine.

Cant tell from your plan but natural light is awful nice to have if you can do it. In large commercial spaces we try and do this with translucent skylights when practical.

Also from the drawing careful on spacing, 3’-0” isle or bigger and no idea wher the bathroom door will swing. I suggest try and get all that stuff in there, to scale.

Also the use of metal bakers racks may provide flexibility and less area for dust.

[ThruTraffic]

5 hours ago, Bill Kielb said:

Maybe a finish compromise

The compromise might be gloss to chair rail or higher height with something flatter above it to reduce the visibility of drywall seams, imperfections. Still common for very dirty areas is  an Frp wainscot (White pebbled plastic) fairly easy to install in select ares, looks pretty good and cleans up well.

Light color for reflectance, super high gloss glare is not the greatest for comfort and even illumination. Pick a light color, you will be fine.

Cant tell from your plan but natural light is awful nice to have if you can do it. In large commercial spaces we try and do this with translucent skylights when practical.

Also from the drawing careful on spacing, 3’-0” isle or bigger and no idea wher the bathroom door will swing. I suggest try and get all that stuff in there, to scale.

Also the use of metal bakers racks may provide flexibility and less area for dust.

All good things ton consider. Skylights will have to wait, new steel roof goes on today. I'll keep skylights in mind for the big addition to the shop. That plan provides for a lot of windows, sliding doors, an exposed walkway and more. There are three 3'x3' windows in the main area and the door has a ~40"x40" window not shown in the drawing. 

Bath door swings out and the front door swings in.

The two mobile workstations are prob ably fantasy and will be only one.

 

Thanks.

[Bill Kielb]

some things to consider/ plan

If you have lots of windows then I would show on drawing as this may affect counter heights / placement of things, electrical receptacle placement.

I would definitely suggest a slop sink which usually is incorporated into the bath room plumbing which often affects the layout around the bathroom area. Btw - floor drains? Bathroom likely yes, slop sink area, maybe, rest of the place? 

Just using rules of thumb here,  I would also plan on 400 - 600 cfm  exhaust per kiln if you want to remove most all the kiln heat in the summer which means makeup air for same. 400 - 450 cfm of air is about one ton of AC so if you plan on making up all the air through your HVAC economizer this is a considerable load.

If you are mixing glazes / chems  good time to plan on exhaust for it, simplest I have seen is fume / dust collector flexible pickup and good practice mixing, likely 600 cfm to get a decent face velocity.

If you spray then maybe a spray booth, typical design is 100 ft per minute velocity at the entrance to keep the over spray and fumes from migrating into the room. All require makeup air from somewhere so if heated or cooled probably should be thought about. The roof is probably the most ideal spot to exhaust with least chance of affecting folks directly so probably a good time to plan the penetrations into the metal deck / roof.

If this is a flat roof then insulation value, else if uninsulated then condensation and loss issues.

I would plan on downdrafts for the kilns, hood for removal of heat. I would draw in all the electrical and will there be a separate electrical panel? Provide clearance around it in the drawing.

I would at least sketch in the ductwork or if 4 way concentric have a sense of where it can go, ceiling heights etc….Depending on drainage and location of HVAC will this have  a column or columns and roof drains? If yes, this will affect your layout.

Just some things you may or may not have considered.

[ThruTraffic]

44 minutes ago, Bill Kielb said:

some things to consider/ plan

If you have lots of windows then I would show on drawing as this may affect counter heights / placement of things, electrical receptacle placement.

I would definitely suggest a slop sink which usually is incorporated into the bath room plumbing which often affects the layout around the bathroom area. Btw - floor drains? Bathroom likely yes, slop sink area, maybe, rest of the place? 

Just using rules of thumb here,  I would also plan on 400 - 600 cfm  exhaust per kiln if you want to remove most all the kiln heat in the summer which means makeup air for same. 400 - 450 cfm of air is about one ton of AC so if you plan on making up all the air through your HVAC economizer this is a considerable load.

If you are mixing glazes / chems  good time to plan on exhaust for it, simplest I have seen is fume / dust collector flexible pickup and good practice mixing, likely 600 cfm to get a decent face velocity.

If you spray then maybe a spray booth, typical design is 100 ft per minute velocity at the entrance to keep the over spray and fumes from migrating into the room. All require makeup air from somewhere so if heated or cooled probably should be thought about. The roof is probably the most ideal spot to exhaust with least chance of affecting folks directly so probably a good time to plan the penetrations into the metal deck / roof.

If this is a flat roof then insulation value, else if uninsulated then condensation and loss issues.

I would plan on downdrafts for the kilns, hood for removal of heat. I would draw in all the electrical and will there be a separate electrical panel? Provide clearance around it in the drawing.

I would at least sketch in the ductwork or if 4 way concentric have a sense of where it can go, ceiling heights etc….Depending on drainage and location of HVAC will this have  a column or columns and roof drains? If yes, this will affect your layout.

Just some things you may or may not have considered.

Can add windows to plan but counters might be under some but obviously no shelves in that location.

Never heard the term slop sink but Google thinks it's pretty much the same as a deep stainless steel (except for what's thrown in them) which is what i'm hoping to get. If not I'll get one of those deep legged things from Lowe's.

Exhaust fans are in. They probably won't be big enough fro what I'm hearing advised here. I can install something else later if required.

Ceiling is R32. More could be blown in I guess but R32 is pretty good.

Kiln power will be supplied by a 4 space subpanel using the installed range cable that's there for possible apartment usage some day. Building main panel is 125A subbed off a 200A panel about 10 feet away in the shop.  I'm not 100% sure the kilns are going in here. There's a good chance they'll stay in the shop where they are now; obviously the gas and Raku kilns will.

Concrete slab so no floor drainage. Floor is 12" ceramic tile.

Thanks for the thoughts and ideas.

[Bill Kielb]

1 hour ago, ThruTraffic said:

Concrete slab so no floor drainage. Floor is 12" ceramic tile.

Hmm, no floor drain in the bathroom?

[Piedmont Pottery]

13 hours ago, Hulk said:

On the other hand (and I feel bad about not pointing this out), the higher the gloss, the more difficult it is to apply it well and have an even look. It's necessary to start each "square" at one end and progress to the other end with expedience, maintaining a "wet edge" so there aren't swaths of differing sheens.
Another drawback, higher sheens boost the visibility of imperfections quite a lot, as in a whole lot.
Hence, semi-gloss is often a good compromise, where it is still quite durable and cleanable, not as difficult to apply as full gloss, and it's a bit more forgiving as well.
If your new walls are textured at all, anything less glossy than semi-gloss may be difficult to clean...

When we designed our production/teaching studio  about four years ago we did a fair amount or research on various paint finishes and settled on Sherwin Williams Emerald satin finish.  The paint is expensive, but it went on smoothly and has performed remarkably well.  Clay splatters on the walls have always creaned up very easily with no damage to the paint.  Some of the lower grades of paint, e.g.,  Sherwin Williams ProMar contractor grade paint, while relatively inexpensive, will rub off the wall with relatively gentle pressure.  I'm sure there are probably other brands that would perform well, Sherwin Williams is simply the one I have experience with.

[ThruTraffic]

1 hour ago, Bill Kielb said:

Hmm, no floor drain in the bathroom?

Does the bathroom in your house have a floor drain?

I have an existing concrete slab with stub ups for grey and black. I'm not jackhammering and sub boring for a floor drain.

[Pres]

Will you be mixing your glazes in the bathroom sink? Will you use something like Gleco trap for the sink? Wiring set up with GFCI's ? Get rid of one of the mobile work stations and add in a mobile ware rack. Wheels to the wheel area, acts as a clay off/ware on table, moves ware to drying cabinets, and to the kiln area.

All IMHO, 

 

best,

Pres

[Callie Beller Diesel]

If it was me, I’d want more shelves than countertops. Right now you’ve got an impressive 25 linear feet of counter space, plus tables, plus wedging area. If it was my studio, I’d switch out that countertop/shelf combo on that left hand wall for your wedging station, clay storage and more vertical shelving for drying, especially because it’s right next to the kilns.  The current wedging area plus another 3 feet I’d convert to more shelving, placement tbd by where the windows are. You will not be sad about it, I promise.

I’d also suggest a small, sturdy cart or kiln furniture holder between the door and that first kiln.

 You might find that only 2’ of space between those tables and the counters is a bit tight. To give a familiar reference, for kitchens, they usually recommend 42-48” in a work area. 2’ clearance is for seating. If the mobile tables haven’t been built yet, I’d play around a little with sizes and orientation in the space before committing. 

[elaine clapper]

I would really want a seperate deep utility room type sink  with a clay trap  near the wheel. Using the bathroom sink would be not be ideal. I am spoiled, my sink is two  feet from my wheel.  It is deep enough I can easily put a 5 gallon in the sink. It seems I am always washing something. I can put the wheel guards in the sink to wash, buckets, bats, tools....  Also having a table/counter beside the sink is essential.  And yes more shelves please.

[Pres]

@elaine clapper, I think you are really spoiled, as my shop has no sink! However, I would agree that some form of water/sink close to the wheel would be nice. I would think that a sink close to the wheel is too easy to get clay in the system. As far as slop, I have a bucket by the wheel lined with a plastic bag, and trimmings and throwing slop goes in that. I drain off water before emptying throwing bucket after clay has settled. Then that bag of slop sits with bag wrapped around until trimming that dries up the slop. Re-wedge after the bag is tied shut for a month or two, and ready to go again.

 

best,

Pres

[ThruTraffic]

3 hours ago, Pres said:

Will you be mixing your glazes in the bathroom sink? Will you use something like Gleco trap for the sink? Wiring set up with GFCI's ? Get rid of one of the mobile work stations and add in a mobile ware rack. Wheels to the wheel area, acts as a clay off/ware on table, moves ware to drying cabinets, and to the kiln area.

All IMHO, 

 

best,

Pres

Two mobiles was a fantasy.  No dedicated area for glaze mixing; convenience and need will guide. No Gleco trap; no clay/glazes (in any significant quantities) going down that drain to my septic system. I have a couple of ware carts I can move in and out. Most likely kilns will stay in shop next door.

Wish I could afford a Gleco sink system though. :-)

[ThruTraffic]

25 minutes ago, elaine clapper said:

I would really want a seperate deep utility room type sink  with a clay trap  near the wheel. Using the bathroom sink would be not be ideal. I am spoiled, my sink is two  feet from my wheel.  It is deep enough I can easily put a 5 gallon in the sink. It seems I am always washing something. I can put the wheel guards in the sink to wash, buckets, bats, tools....  Also having a table/counter beside the sink is essential.  And yes more shelves please.

NOw I get to be jealous of you. :-)

[ThruTraffic]

2 hours ago, Callie Beller Diesel said:

If it was me, I’d want more shelves than countertops. Right now you’ve got an impressive 25 linear feet of counter space, plus tables, plus wedging area. If it was my studio, I’d switch out that countertop/shelf combo on that left hand wall for your wedging station, clay storage and more vertical shelving for drying, especially because it’s right next to the kilns.  The current wedging area plus another 3 feet I’d convert to more shelving, placement tbd by where the windows are. You will not be sad about it, I promise.

I’d also suggest a small, sturdy cart or kiln furniture holder between the door and that first kiln.

 You might find that only 2’ of space between those tables and the counters is a bit tight. To give a familiar reference, for kitchens, they usually recommend 42-48” in a work area. 2’ clearance is for seating. If the mobile tables haven’t been built yet, I’d play around a little with sizes and orientation in the space before committing. 

Excellent thoughts!

[ThruTraffic]

The studio is the little building. Steel roof is going on tomorrow. One would think the metal building would be the better bet but with a 26' motorhome and welding/woodworking equipment it very much isn't. No heat or A/C in there either; yet. The studio building had cracked blue vinyl siding, a leaky roof and termite invested walls. The bones and roof structure were worth saving though.