Need studio floor ideas

[lisabk]

HI everyone...newbie here who is just getting started with her studio...aka...the extra bedroom...for now. We are going to be tearing down our house and rebuilding within 2 years so this is my not my "dream studio"..just my "for now" studio. With that said...since this will all be bulldozed in the future I am trying to create something with things I can reuse and not invest $$ in things that will be discarded.
With that said...
Currently we have carpet in the room ~ while I am not opposed to tearing it out and replacing with inexpensive stick down tile I would like to examine some other options. Our house is pretty old and very cold...this little bit of carpet does help...and we really hate projects like that because we are not good at them!

Has anyone come across any floor covering...via a fireproof rug, mat (what about those kinds used under desks in offices...plastic tho )or something that they have used that one could put over a rug and still be able to use a chair with wheels? I am fine with it covering half of the room which is about 10 x 10 ish....
Thanks everyone....photos & links would be great if you got em!
Lisa

[Charli!]

You can get welders blankets that are heat resistant, might work under chair wheels. Maybe put plastic sheet (like the ones used in offices) down under the chair, then the welders blanket, might make it snag less.

[dpglassworks]

Mine is really nice sheet metal there are lots of colors out there now, mine is sandstone... I love it!.... 12x16 cost me less than $200 and is fire safe and I can move it if I change my studio situation

[lisabk]

Thanks....where did you go for your sheet metal? Lowes or someplace similar or a sheet metal shop?
Bet it looks cool too

[Janetlee]

You can use what is called Wonder Board, from Lowes. It can be used as tabletop too. Fireproof floor and countertops.
Janet

[fannydotson]

Where did you get your sheet metal?

Originally Posted by dpglassworks

Mine is really nice sheet metal there are lots of colors out there now, mine is sandstone... I love it!.... 12x16 cost me less than $200 and is fire safe and I can move it if I change my studio situation

[gmkcpa]

Concrete floor - painted grey 30 years ago. Absolutely no worries about damaging it.

[Starrr]

I have 2, 8'x4' sheets of Masonite over my hardwood floors, they cost about 10.00 each at Home Depot, and they look nice. I've had these over 8 yrs and no burns. I just vacuum and wet Swiffer to pick up the little slivers of glass. By the time a piece of hot glass sails across the room it's pretty much cooled anyway.

[lizajayne]

Originally Posted by Charli!

You can get welders blankets that are heat resistant, might work under chair wheels. Maybe put plastic sheet (like the ones used in offices) down under the chair, then the welders blanket, might make it snag less.

I have 2 of these. A medium one on the floor to protect the carpet, and a large one hanging on the wall behind my torching table and the open shelving that holds my kiln. They already came with riveted holes all around the perimeter, so they were easy to hang. I can easily take them out of the room and shake them out in the yard if I need to.

My only complaint is that they are an army green color, not very pretty

They were fairly inexpensive, I think for my largest (6'x8') I paid 20$.

[beadaholic]

I had carpet in one area where I did beads, it never caught on fire, even with marbles hitting the floor and rolling around, and finally settling in one spot....it just turned brown and smelled horrible. So you could test a spot and since it is going to get bulldozed in the future and if you don't care about it and if it just smokes, then I wouldn't worry to much about it, but I would pick up anything that hits it that is HOT. hehe But don't do this without testing first, Carpets are made of different types of fibers, and mine might have been "Special" hehe. It is just an idea, but it is ultimately your house....and your choice. You can always put something flame retardant on it as well....there are many materials. metal is always best, but masonboard is good too. welders blanket too! There are loads of options. Good Luck

[getdul981]

You've probably already done whatever you're gonna do, but if not...... You said you were going to tear down your house in a couple of years and rebuild. If that is the case, you will be needing some cement backer board for the showers and bathtubs when you rebuild. Why not go ahead and get some now and put down on the floor You could put some metal tape on the seams to keep stuff from getting between and keep them from sliding. In a couple of years when you rebuild, you can recycle and use in the bathrooms.

Greg

[Heart Fire]

Hi Lisa, my studio is in a carpeted area. This is what I did:

bought two sheets of heavy 'cement board' the thick kind that you use under ceramic or stone tile.

then I bought two pieces of heavy (i think 1 inch thick) plywood that I had Lowes cut exactly to the same dimension as the cement boards.

place the plywood sheets on the floor then put the cement board on top of that. If you don't have plywood on the bottom you will crush the cement board. THen put your desk chair and all on top of the cement board. Duct tape the two pieces of board together if you want.

works great and I don't have to worry about any holes in the carpet
Lois

[oldschooltofu]

i would rip the carpet out...anyone working over carpet is just asking for fire hazard to happen.

the plywood over your sub floor is your least expensive option but not great fire protection
ceramic tile would be the best but most expensive and long term, but at 99C a foot, not too bad, but more permanant
metal over the subfloor will work too.

the hardy backer board (cement board) over your subfloor and tape the seams with metal tape, not duct tape is a good option. sheet metal over that would be better

the only problem with cement board vs tile is the cement board can be dusty, something i try to avoid esp when cutting, only cut it outside with dust protection. that fine cement dust is just as bad as glass dust. you may even send it airborn everytime you roll your chair. personally i dont like the stuff

[Heart Fire]

Originally Posted by oldschooltofu

i would rip the carpet out...anyone working over carpet is just asking for fire hazard to happen.

the plywood over your sub floor is your least expensive option but not great fire protection
ceramic tile would be the best but most expensive and long term, but at 99C a foot, not too bad, but more permanant
metal over the subfloor will work too.

the hardy backer board (cement board) over your subfloor and tape the seams with metal tape, not duct tape is a good option. sheet metal over that would be better

the only problem with cement board vs tile is the cement board can be dusty, something i try to avoid esp when cutting, only cut it outside with dust protection. that fine cement dust is just as bad as glass dust. you may even send it airborn everytime you roll your chair. personally i dont like the stuff

the cement board is a much heavier board than the stuff used when putting walls up, it has a woven top that eliminates dust. The plywood should be cut to fit the cement board instead of the other way around. The tape is only on the cement boards then covered in sheet metal. That way there is no wood exposed that would catch a spark. It's not wallboard that flakes when you touch it. I roll my chair around on it and I am a large person.

works really well and is easy to move around on without causing any dust.

But if you can tear the floor down to the cement thats a good idea.

[Marjo]

You can use the cement board and paint it black with Rustoleum Heat Resistant Paint. Comes in spray and brush on and is available in most hardware stores.
• Resists up to 1000 deg. F.
• Use on grills, wood stoves, fireplaces & radiators

[mary1_$]

You could use a whole sheet of sheet metal and reuse it when you build your new studio. That way you wont waist it. LOvies Mary

I have put down red porcelain slate floors in my house and I love it.

[lisabk]

While I have not gotten that far, I have solved this issue (ventilation is next...ugh).
My plan is to leave the carpet in the room, but in the area surrounding the torch area I will be using a large piece of roofing sheet metal that I can get from a local metal roofing company.
This will cover the whole area under the work table and about 2-3 feet behind me. The ends will be sharp so I will cover the edges with tape. (metal or duct we shall see)
The carpet in this room is light in color and my one dog (who is now gone )
slept in here so in order to keep the carpet clean, I purchased an inexpensive
indoor outdoor carpet in the same color that I placed over the good rug for him to lay on. It is 8 x 8.
I can roll this rug up and totally out of the way while torching and roll it back over the sheet metal when I am not. This way if my other dog wanders in
(he won't be in the room when I am working) to stretch out, he won't get cut or have to lay on the metal.
While not perfect, this is a good solution until we rebuild.

[lisabk]

...hit send too fast...thanks everyone

[Torch&Marver]

I'm waiting for the carpet in my studio to turn itself into linoleum. Every new burn mark helps it along its way.

Luckily, no fires though. At least, not yet (crosses fingers).