Ceramic Studio Flooring.

[Paula Woo]

I can choose any flooring for my new 20 x 10 ceramic studio and was wondering if anyone had a good idea. The room will start with a cement sub floor. I wondered if I should leave it alone, do polished concrete, have sheet vinyl installed, or just what. I'm also wondering if I should have the floor lower in one corner so I could hose it down periodically into the backyard. You opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Paula Woo

[Username]

I'm gonna do this to my "garagio" soon :

 

http://ucoatit.com/pgs/main.htm

 

I have a three foot wide squeegee I bought at the home store. I just hose the floor and squeegee it clean. After I epoxy it, it will be even better.

I'm sure that is the wrong way to do it, but that's what I do.

[Seasoned Warrior]

I can choose any flooring for my new 20 x 10 ceramic studio and was wondering if anyone had a good idea. The room will start with a cement sub floor. I wondered if I should leave it alone, do polished concrete, have sheet vinyl installed, or just what. I'm also wondering if I should have the floor lower in one corner so I could hose it down periodically into the backyard. You opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Paula Woo

 

 

I've basically done the smae as Username. My studio is an old daily bottling area on my property and it has a concrete floor. A good waterproof coating and and i can wash it dosn and squeegie the water out the door. With concrete you don't have to worry about it warping or lifting, or getting damaged. Concrete is the best, epoxy is great.

 

Regrds,

Charles

[clay lover]

In my stable turned studio, I have 2 different floor situations. One is a rough swept concrete floor in what is my glaze room. The other is a plywood sheet floor in the add on I did. I wish I had either sanded the wood floor or put more coats of floor paint on it before I moved in. Too impatient to start work in there. It needs to be better to mop.

The concrete was soooo rough I could not mop up spills. I was lucky to be given a huge sheet of the right color linoluem that I simply laid out on the 12x12 room. The shelves and tables hold it at the edges and it has made a big difference over the concrete. I have noticed the room is less damp feeling in rainy weather. and I think the room will be easier to heat, last winter I could get the room warm, but my feet would still be cold, I think this winter will be better.

Sometimes I envy those with studios that they planned and built from scratch, but I started with what I had and went forward from there.

[Seedy Potter]

I can choose any flooring for my new 20 x 10 ceramic studio and was wondering if anyone had a good idea. The room will start with a cement sub floor. I wondered if I should leave it alone, do polished concrete, have sheet vinyl installed, or just what. I'm also wondering if I should have the floor lower in one corner so I could hose it down periodically into the backyard. You opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Paula Woo

 

 

20X10! how wonderful! and a way to simply sweep or hose off the floor! Two great qualities in my estimation. I commend you for thinking about the flooring early in the process. At one of the studios where I worked there wasn't much forethought about that as a problem. It was a garage concrete floor and in the winter when the heat is on and the doors are closed, dust is a real issue.

 

My present studio is in our basement. So ambient dust could be a problem for our home. It is 14'X12' and a very small space for wheel and slabroller, sheving, and workspace! But when I was doing the planning to put in the studio, I decided that a lineolum (pardon my spelling) was an imperative. Clay dust will fill every single pore in a concrete floor and work it's way back into the air when given a chance as you walk and work in the space . I know a lot of people seal their concrete - but it's still concrete. You'll find that dust in these pores simply cannot be mopped up and hosing makes dust into mud, as we know, which settles and fills pores and cracks even better (Sealing it might be important and a good idea too.) Because I can't possibly hose down the area, I simply "tacked" a large sheet of lineolum onto the floor - wall to wall. (You might be able to do a more permanent and seamless installation in your area. If you're planning on hosing, I'd advise you to make a seal at the wall so that water and mud don't collect there.) When I'm ready to clean, I simply move my worktable (which is on wheels), vacuum (I have a shopvac mounted on the studio wall), mop, and then put things back. I do a deep cleaning when I transistion from construction to working with bisque to glazing. Keeping my work in "modules" of tasks not only makes cleaning timely, in my small space it is difficult to have many tasks going on at once.

 

I'm sure your situation is unique and different from mine, but I hope my opinion and experiences help.

[Denice]

I can choose any flooring for my new 20 x 10 ceramic studio and was wondering if anyone had a good idea. The room will start with a cement sub floor. I wondered if I should leave it alone, do polished concrete, have sheet vinyl installed, or just what. I'm also wondering if I should have the floor lower in one corner so I could hose it down periodically into the backyard. You opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Paula Woo

 

 

I had my studio built 5 years ago as part of a new house, I wanted to put a floor drain that led out to the yard but the city ordinances wouldn't allow it. So you had better check that out in your area, if I put any flooring on it they were going to consider it living space not garage and would raise my taxes considerably' another thing to check into. The only thing I did was run the rubbery tiles that they use on garage floors or exercise rooms, I have bad feet and the tiles allow me to stand all day If I need to. They go together like a jigsaw puzzle, easy to lay and I pick them up and hose them off outside. There are 2" and 1' tiles available and most of them have edging with them, I used them in my old studio without edging and it's harder to clean around them. Most stores carry them and the prices can vary, I bought the same brand so that one package to the next would fit nice and tight. Hope this helps you. Denice ( Wichita, KS)

[Idaho Potter]

My studio has a concrete floor, and was painted with epoxy paint plus a sand additive to give the floor some grip so it wouldn't be slippery. Not perfect, but using drywall contractor's bags in the Shop-Vac holds the dust down pretty well--haven't had any blow back as yet. Wish I, too, had a drain, but had the same problem with the city that Denice had--not allowed. I also use the jig-saw floor mats around my worktable and in front of the wedging table. Makes it a lot easier on your feet and legs.

 

Had I had more money and time, I would have put in a wood floor over the concrete (more give and less cold). Would have finshed it the same way I have my concrete because vinyl flooring, dust, and water makes for slippery floors.

[Seasoned Warrior]

My studio has a concrete floor, and was painted with epoxy paint plus a sand additive to give the floor some grip so it wouldn't be slippery. Not perfect, but using drywall contractor's bags in the Shop-Vac holds the dust down pretty well--haven't had any blow back as yet. Wish I, too, had a drain, but had the same problem with the city that Denice had--not allowed. I also use the jig-saw floor mats around my worktable and in front of the wedging table. Makes it a lot easier on your feet and legs.

 

Had I had more money and time, I would have put in a wood floor over the concrete (more give and less cold). Would have finshed it the same way I have my concrete because vinyl flooring, dust, and water makes for slippery floors.

 

 

My favorite epoxy coatings come from Carboline. Carboline makes industrial coatings and it may be hard to find a supplier that will sell to you but they are bombproof. I first ran into Carboline high-build two-part epoxy coatings in the construction of radiation waste storage buildings. The coating is decontaminable, meanng yhou can wash the radiation off of the coating, The coatings are high impact and very hard. When I built my home we used Carboline in colors to coat the rec room floor, that was 22 years ago and the floor looks like the day it was coated. I can't recommend Carboline more. You can check them out at; www.carboline.com

 

For non-skid my preference is crushed walnut hulls, available from most commercial paint stores like Dunn-Edwards. Walnut hulls are extremely durable and seem to hold better in coatings than sand, they have been used on decks of sea-going vessels for decades.

 

Regards,

Charles

[Deb Evans]

Please use mop or wet vac on studio floors - no vac even w/ hepa filter - just not worth the risk ( blowing silica into the air).

Mopping is always the finale to my studio day and I have always had my students do it too. If you are in group situation do not depend on a janitor, they don't know how to clean up safely, clay people ahould know how.

[Christine]

I can choose any flooring for my new 20 x 10 ceramic studio and was wondering if anyone had a good idea. The room will start with a cement sub floor. I wondered if I should leave it alone, do polished concrete, have sheet vinyl installed, or just what. I'm also wondering if I should have the floor lower in one corner so I could hose it down periodically into the backyard. You opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Paula Woo

 

I have an underlay of polyeurethane-coated foil (the sort you put under laminated flooring) and on top I have vinyl cushion-flooring. This is very hardwearing (it's been down for over ten years), I mop it down after every session so it's clean and practical AND it's comfortable and warm .... and it looks good too! I have most of my buckets/heavy stuff on castors and my floor's stood up to ten years of trundling them about so I can recommend its durability.