Cold garage to cozy workshop - How ?

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Mdotflorida

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I have an empty (apart from my new machines) double garage to set up a new workshop in. The garage is basically single block construct with an open raftered roofspace. There are 2 glass fibre doors with a large (5-10mm) gap around the sides and bottom an no insulation or heating. The floor is concrete.

My new machines are cast iron and I am keen for them not to become expensive rust over the winter due to condensation problems.

Has anybody had experience of doing this. I would like to keep the roof space as open as possible as it provides useful storage but install some form of insulation up under the rafters. Also I want to block up (internal stud wall not permanently) 1 of the garage doors.

Any advice would be much appreciated.
 
generally I would go for stud-lining the walls, fibreglass insulation bats then clad over with some form of timber - I used flooring grade T&G chipboard which is a bit moisture resistance and beefy enough to then hang things on. Same in front of the door(s) - might also be worth putting a (lighter) hinged panel on front of the door you want to leave open to give more insulation. By all accounts on previous posts fibreglass insulation absorbs more noise than polystyrene bats

insulating the rafters will help but a lot of heat will still go up into the space rather than staying down where you are working

i would also consider putting down a stud floor - insulate under it if you wish - as it will give you somewhere to run cables to machines where you won't trip over them, and also timber is softer and more forgiving than concrete when you drop expensive sharp bits of cast iron and carbon steel on it. Again, I've used the heavyweight T&G flooring chipboard and given it a couple of coats of proper floor paint to make it non-slip and protect from wet footprints. Might be worth thinking about a vapour barrier as well.

there's been a lot of past threads about use of dehumidifiers - I guess they would also help on the cast iron rust probelm as well as helping to dry timber

m
 
MDF,

Stick "insulation" in the search and you should get plenty of info to chew over. If you do nothing else, make sure your floor is level and I agree with MP - concrete ain't forgiving stuff. Never mind dropped tools etc, it's a killer on the legs and back. :( Wish someone had told me that before I filled up my w'shop... :cry:

Cheers, Alf
 
I've recently covered my concrete floor with 'anti-fatigue' mats from Axminster, made a great difference, easy to clean and a pleasure to stand on compared to a cold concrete floor :cry: :)
 
Another very good reason for the tips in the other posts on having wood flooring, is concrete is also very cold and a main contributor to condensation forming at the floor level due to varying temp differences between the floor and the air. and the very cold cast iron will make the effects of this worse. so at least have an insulated wood floor. You'll be suprised at what a difference this makes to the condensation and also the improved heat value. Hope this helps.
Regards
John
 
Alf":gcnv7e31 said:
MDF,

Stick "insulation" in the search and you should get plenty of info to chew over. If you do nothing else, make sure your floor is level and I agree with MP - concrete ain't forgiving stuff. Never mind dropped tools etc, it's a killer on the legs and back. :( Wish someone had told me that before I filled up my w'shop... :cry:

Cheers, Alf

Come on ALF, thats the sort of thin bank holidays were invented for.... empty the workshop, drop in the stud floor - fill it back up. Free beer and BBQ for all the helpers......?

Adam
 
asleitch":b09wr43d said:
Come on ALF, thats the sort of thin bank holidays were invented for.... empty the workshop, drop in the stud floor - fill it back up. Free beer and BBQ for all the helpers......?
Judging by the weather forcast, that's exactly what this Bank Holiday wasn't invernted for. :( Anyway "drop in the stud floor"? Hah! And watch it subside 3-4" at one end... :roll:

Cheers, Alf

With the adjustable height workbench - just depends which end you're standing at... :lol:
 
OK, well maybe not this bank holiday but next? And these cheap gazebo's from B&Q/Asda/ everyone else are only £20 - good for weather protection and your next BBQ - and besides, ripping an angle onto some beams to balance it up sounds like the perfect job for your Maxi and it's "special" fence!

Actually I had the same problem to overcome when adding some free standing shelves at my sisters place, and after drawing a pencil line on some 2.4 m lengths, at the correct angle, I simply cut them by eye on the table saw - it worked really well.

Adam
 
Ah ha, you have experience. Right, you'd better pop down and become one of said helpers. :p

Hmm, just one problem though - do I have enough room to store all the beer that'd be needed...? :wink:

Cheers, Alf
 
As you can see from my current avatar, not only do you need enough but only the finest belgian will do. :lol: :wink:

A

The darker of the two in my hand is Judas (very tasty!) and I can't remember the name of the lighter coloured. The momery tends to go AWOL after a few. Can't imagine why :shock: :shock: :shock: :D
 
Just checked out some prices for sheeting to cover the walls whilst I was in B&Q.

MDF £8.68
Ply £16.88
OSB £16.97
Chipboard (standard) £4.98
Plasterboard (foil backed) £10.66

All prices are for 8*4 (in old money) sheets.

Anybody give me a good reason why I should not go for chipboard considering the price savings. The garage will be dry so I'm thinking standard as opposed to water resistant stuff should be ok for the walls at least.

I thought I'd read somewhere in this forum that OSB was cheap.

Jeff
 
Chipboard doesn't hold a screw as well as something like MDF, unless you get the special chipboard screws. So, you run the risk of sticking up a cupboard, filling it with stuff and having it fall on your toes, bringing large lumps of the chipboard with it!
 
I used chipboard without any problems. I gave it a lick of paint to keep the inside of the workshop bright. I just make sure anything heavy gets screwed in where there is a stud behind.

Adam
 
Signal":13la87vk said:
Adam,

looks like duval to me (Hic)

Signal

Brugs.

Although I can remember having some Duval. Went nicely with the Moule en Frites. :D

A
 
Thanks for all the advice.

Raised and insulated floor with insulated and ply walls it is. Made a start today with the new floor. Wickes got a deal on insulation, buy 2 rolls get a third free.

Got to love those builders though, doing the floor today makes me wondor if they know what 90 deg is, let alone how to use a level.
 

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