Replies

1. 
   dude | Jan 06, 2010 07:21am | #1

   I have carpet on my shop floor & find it easier on my feet . as for cleaning up i have to use the shop dust collector , which is no big deal

   i got mine from a job site that wanted it torn out

   I have a oriental rug in one of the shop rooms for looks

   carpet installers are always ripping out good rug & hauling to the land fill

2. 
   Don01 | Jan 06, 2010 09:30am | #2

   Larry,

   Some obvious concerns depending on where you live.

   - bugs

   - mold

   A bigger concern will be sealing the area completely so fine dust does not contaminate your primary living area. There are enough studies out there to suggest that we never really capture all of the really bad dust. After the sander, I think my bandsaw generates some of the worst fine dust.

   Also, keep your workshop clothing separate from you house clothes. Change in the shop area, put your house clothes in a plastic bag.

   Overkill? Maybe. I quit smoking for a reason, I don't need to replace it with another toxic material.

   Don

1. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Jan 06, 2010 09:58am | #3

   My main concern in your case would be build-up of fine dust between the carpet fibers. I would think that a normal vacuuming would not get it all and forget just running a large push broom across it.

3. 
   stantheman | Jan 07, 2010 04:38pm | #4

   Sounds good from a comfort standpoint but have you ever spilled a container of BLO on the shop floor? If you did, you'd have to cut out that part of the carpet, quickly.

4. 
   apldoc | Jan 09, 2010 10:26pm | #5

   Thank-you for the advice, I am new to this site, the carpet is already in the room, I will continue to think about it and in the mean time I will vacuum it on a daily basis, any other comments are appreciated! Larry

1. 
   Tinkerer3 | Jan 10, 2010 12:16am | #6

   If you take the carpet out now, it is ruined. If you use it as your shop floor for a few years it is ruined. Why not give it a try. If you decide it doesn't work, move the machines out of the way and tear it out. Not a whole lot lost but you might just decide you like it there.

5. 
   seeemore | Jan 12, 2010 12:50am | #7

   Have had carpet in my shop for 6 years, because it was there at the outset. I use a shopvac for the big stuff, then an old Kirby upright. It's filthy and getting worn and wrinkled, but the upside is that it's easy on the feet, it absorbs noise, It's warmer and when you drop a chisel or a workpiece, it's not a big problem. On the other side of my shop, I have vinyl flooring over a concrete slab, but wouldn't want to stand on that all day. That is supplemented by rubber mats, and a wooden platform for use of the lathe.

6. 
   zolton | Jan 12, 2010 08:27am | #8

   Larry,

   I put carpet scraps down in my shop, mostly "runners" on the pathways between machines and benches. Under the carpet is a cold concrete floor, so the carpet (and pad, too) helps to provide a thermal break, and it's easier on my legs than the hard concrete.

   I'm not sure about placing a heavy tablesaw on a carpet - whether there would still be enough "give" that the saw could rock a little back and forth. That's why I've got my machinery sitting on the concrete and the carpet is laid around those stationary objects...

   Zolton