pottery area next to kids play area in basement - advice needed!

[philm]

hi all,

we don't have a huge house...but have space for a small studio next to the kids in an open concept basement. my partner has a wheel and tools, no kiln or glazes yet.

1) should the studio be enclosed with walls?

2) she will clean with wet sponges and not sweep - is this safe enough?

3) should I have a good ventilation system?

 

thanks for any tips!

[Babs]

Walls and good venting system imo.

[JohnnyK]

Welcome to the forum, philm...How many square feet is the basement (dimensions)? What size (dimensions) would the studio be after you put up the walls? Finally...What's more important, the kids or the studio?

[Piedmont Pottery]

Knowing the ages of the kids is also important.  Generally risks decrease with age, but eack child is different.  Agree that walls and ventilation are important, to which I would also add a lockable door, especially once you have glazes on site.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

If the studio is open to a shared use space at all, I’d suggest walls. The biggest source of dust in a studio is from stuff that falls on the ground, which is then walked through and tracked all over.  If you define the space, you can also easily set up a studio shoes zone for yourself and anyone else who goes in and out. This is where you have a pair of shoes that is worn within the space at all times, but don’t cross the threshold, even for a bathroom break. I have done this in my own home, and it effectively prevents dust from getting into the rest of the house, even the rest of the basement. I am draconian in enforcing this, to the point where visitors who enter with their socks have to remove their socks afterwards. If there will be kid visitors, the first time they come over I show them the space to demystify it, and tell them if they want to make things I will happily assist, but they need to stay out of that room for safety. Never once had a problem. 

I do not have a lockable door, but I do ensure that my hazardous glaze materials (frits, colourants, any metallic auxiliary fluxes)  are either high up,  in the closet out of sight of toddlers, or in stacked buckets small kids with no impulse control can’t get into. My son had absolutely no brakes when he was a toddler, and was fast and low to the ground! We did not have any incidents with him. I also didn’t let the kids into my studio when they were small. If they wanted to work with clay, we did it at the kitchen table. This served to really establish that my studio was an adult space that they needed to have permission to be in, but still let them have fun. Now that they’re older, I’m getting my son’s help with some small studio tasks for money. He’s pretty handy with a test sieve. I weigh dry chem out the day before, because I don’t have a respirator for him. The daughter likes to come and sculpt small animals while I’m at the wheel. They both still make sure they ask or are invited into the space.

 

Edited to add: I don’t have special ventilation, but I do mix glazes outdoors in the summer and I mop after messy jobs like trimming, reclaim or glaze day. I keep surfaces wiped down and remediate dust in most other ways. My sense is that if you’ve got a fan going for ventilation, that stirs up dust more and circulates it in the air. My kiln is in an outdoor shed, because I felt that was safer than having it indoors, even with a vent system. But I had the patio space to do it in. 

[Callie Beller Diesel]

2 hours ago, JohnnyK said:

What's more important, the kids or the studio?

It’s both. Not either or. Whether your studio is your sanity or your livelihood, both are important. 

[philm]

thanks for all your replies! I really appreciate it!

the kids are currently 4 and 6...the kids area is probably about 20ft x 20ft, and the pottery space would next to it, and could maybe be like 12-15 ft square...or say 10x20. the entire basement is one long continuous space, about 20-25 ft wide and 120ft long. so building walls would mean we would have to frame it out, which would make the access to the kids area a bit less easy. would it be better just to wait a bit and build an outdoor space/she shed in the spring? although I suspect the cost of framing walls and building an indoor space would be much less than an outdoor studio, and certainly more convenient?

[Callie Beller Diesel]

Indoors is definitely much more convenient. It’s also got the benefit of being heated. Squamish is warmer than Calgary,  but there’s still freeze/thaw to consider. An unheated outdoor shed can only be used in the warmer months. Wet clay that freezes will disintegrate when it thaws.