Building material experts: I need a flooring surface that can be put on top of carpeting

[JDMnAR1]

Cover the carpet with your cheapo panelling, and then slap a layer of vinyl/linoleum on top of that to seal any gaps and keep your sheets of panelling from travelling.

 

[bctbct]

Just put down two layers of 1/4" masonite. Slick side down, offset the joints and duct tape them.

 

[Greenman]

Throw down 1/2" plywood and tape the seams, it will work just fine, but 11x12 isn't near big enough for a wood shop, unless you're building doll houses.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Greenman
Throw down 1/2" plywood and tape the seams, it will work just fine, but 11x12 isn't near big enough for a wood shop, unless you're building doll houses.

I don't have anything especially large, nor do I plan to be working on any really large projects. The lathe is the centerpiece of the shop, and it can turn things up to 6" in diameter, and maybe 1.5-2 feet long.

Either way, I only plan to be here for around two more years, maybe less, I'm really not sure. With some course juggling, my advisor has me on track to graduate a semester early, so by this time a year from now, I should have a bachelor's degree.

Originally posted by: bctbct
Just put down two layers of 1/4" masonite. Slick side down, offset the joints and duct tape them.

I'll head down to the hardware store sometime and see what all they've got, and figure some prices. This masonite stuff sounds like it's just thick paneling.

Originally posted by: JohnOfSheffield

Originally posted by: Kelemvor
Use what they use at open houses for new models. It's like a think plastic wrap that sticks to the floor so carpet doesn't get dirty from people walking around.

Yeah and with baby oil on that, you could have a fucking circus, literally. 😀

I'll invite some local college girls over, and there could be other woodworking going on. Admittance by special invitation only. A lease wouldn't be the only thing getting violated. :Q

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Invite some local college girls over, and there could be other woodworking going on. Admittance by special invitation only. A lease wouldn't be the only thing getting violated. :Q

Hence wood(y) shop? :laugh:

Lathe = meatspin? :shocked:

Hey watch out your tailstock just went up my...

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Rubycon

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Invite some local college girls over, and there could be other woodworking going on. Admittance by special invitation only. A lease wouldn't be the only thing getting violated. :Q

Hence wood(y) shop? :laugh:

Lathe = meatspin? :shocked:

Hey watch out your tailstock just went up my...

No words, just...
:laugh:

You are now invited to the party.



On topic, (though the off topic stuff is more amusing), I can cover the entire carpet using just 4 sheets of paneling (4 x 8 ft each). I've got 119.4 square feet to cover.
Based on my super-sophisticated PowerPoint diagram though, 4 panels won't cover it. Math disagrees.
119.4/32 = 3.73125
So, you'd think that 3.73 panels would be enough to cover the entire floor.
That diagram there shows lots of empty space. Maybe Powerpoint lacks the proper accuracy for this? I'll try a sketch tomorrow on graph paper and see what's going on.
If I've got extra space left over, it'll get covered with plastic.

I'm favoring the paneling/masonite route, because pulling up the carpet will be a pain, as it's got tackstrips around the perimeter, as well as staples in several other places. Then there's the crappy foam sheet beneath it, which is stapled all over the place. Beneath that may lie floorboard, there may be a full covering of linoleum, there may be papyrus, I'm really not sure. Then I'll have to worry about reinstalling it properly when it comes time to move out.
4 panels is a reasonable expense, and they aren't difficult to work with. Going with bctbct's suggestion then, taping the joints will provide an adequate seal. I could even use some sort of molding or fastener to augment the tape.
The inertia of the entire conglomeration of panels, the fact that they'll be custom-cut to fit perfectly in place, and the weight of the tables and equipment sitting on them, will all serve to keep them from moving around.

This is by no means going to be a professional or long-term solution, I just needed something that is functional and durable enough to survive about two years of light foot traffic.


Edit: My Powerpoint skills were undone by my mad leet math skills. 48*2 != 84. That's why the green squares didn't fill in all the whitespace. That's also why I tend to do worse than I should on any math-oriented tests - really simple, really stupid math errors, stuff like 2^3 = 9, or 3^2 = 6, or x^2 = x.

Updated diagram, now with 30% more accuracy, and 40% more dolomite. It's dolomite, baby!
And the dimensions for Panel 1. Ahh, it's been far too long since I fired up Pro/Engineer.