New house, new workshop!

[tigger449]

Finally moved to our dream house - with a workshop!
The workshop is on the site of a former blacksmith's and was last used by a motorbike enthusiast. It's fairly well built with power and even central heating but the floor is old, uneven concrete that slopes significantly. I'm weighing up the difference between laying a suspended wooden floor on top or having it levelled and a concrete screed put down. I'm mainly going to be using the shop for joinery and some furniture restoration.
What are people's experiences / thoughts on cost / best option?
Thanks!

 

[MikeG.]

Detail is everything! What are the walls (at ground level) made from?

 

[HappyHacker]

Does your existing concrete floor have a damp proof membrane under it? If not you will need one but that can cause problems as the floor will be letting moisture escape and that may want to escape somewhere else.

I have a concrete floor and find it cold, it does not do tools any good when they get dropped and is hard on the feet if standing for a long time.

I have a friend who has laid a wooden floor on top of his concrete and he is happy with it. Given the choice I would probably do the same and put insulation in the gaps between joists.

Instead I use rubber mats in work areas.

 

[tigger449]

The back wall of the workshop is the original brick and flint wall, whilst the the other three are concrete blocks at the base with a timber frame on top of that.
I very much doubt that there's any kind of damp proofing under the floor...

I like the idea of a wooden floor as it would be better for standing on for long periods and would make insulation possible.

 

[MikeG.]

Doing a suspended floor isn't straightforward. You will need to support it on something, for a start, and because the sub-base is not level, that is going to mean looking at the walls to see if you can hang it from there, or putting posts/ props down onto the sub-base, but accepting that they are vulnerable because of the dampness. More importantly, you will need ventilation. Lots of ventilation under the floor. Airbricks through the external walls. So, with a 6 inch ventilation gap and say a 6 inch depth of floor, you are going to have a much higher floor level than now, with commensurate issues at door thresholds, and possible head-room problems too. Are any windows going to be at a useful level if the floor is raised a foot or more?

Personally, I'd be looking to break out the existing floor, assuming it isn't a slab on which the walls have been built. You could then insert a damp membrane and lay insulation and concrete, or put in a suspended floor at lower level. However, this may be more work than you are planning. In which case, I'd lay concrete, and if you wanted something more compliant to walk on, put a floating floor on top of that.

 

[Mcdemon]

How far does it slope?
There are numerous self levelling compounds available now that allow it to be applied in thicker quantities. Up to 15 mm in one application so you could use layers.
Failing that a sand and cement floor screed could be an option?