Hello forum,
We have a house built in 1960 that has been completely renovated in recent years. There are still a few small things to finish here and there, but now we’re focusing on a room in the basement that is going to be turned into a workshop.
Currently, the floor is just bare concrete (slab - should be about 10cm (4 inches) thick, no detailed information available - with a drain in the middle).
To make it a bit warmer and more comfortable to walk on, we are considering installing a vinyl floor.
My concerns / questions:
- How high is the risk of condensation forming under the vinyl? (the room itself is dry)
- The drain in the middle will remain open. It’s only used in exceptional cases – this shouldn’t be a problem with vinyl, right?
- Does it make sense to install some kind of underlay for impact sound insulation (in this case more for warmth), like 2mm (0.08 inch) cork?
There is no heating in the room (maybe a portable heater if needed).
Any further suggestions or ideas are welcome!
Thank you,
Micha
We have a house built in 1960 that has been completely renovated in recent years. There are still a few small things to finish here and there, but now we’re focusing on a room in the basement that is going to be turned into a workshop.
Currently, the floor is just bare concrete (slab - should be about 10cm (4 inches) thick, no detailed information available - with a drain in the middle).
To make it a bit warmer and more comfortable to walk on, we are considering installing a vinyl floor.
My concerns / questions:
- How high is the risk of condensation forming under the vinyl? (the room itself is dry)
- The drain in the middle will remain open. It’s only used in exceptional cases – this shouldn’t be a problem with vinyl, right?
- Does it make sense to install some kind of underlay for impact sound insulation (in this case more for warmth), like 2mm (0.08 inch) cork?
There is no heating in the room (maybe a portable heater if needed).
Any further suggestions or ideas are welcome!
Thank you,
Micha
For a workshop, I think vinyl flooring (100% waterproof solid vinyl) is a suitable option. It’s easy to clean and affordable. Installing impact sound insulation to provide more “floor warmth” seems unnecessary to me. Hopefully, you’ll wear more than just “grip socks” in the workshop? We have Dutch wooden clogs at the entrance of a community workshop ;-) Heavy equipment and machines would compress any insulation anyway. Dropped workpieces or tools will damage the floor more. Epoxy primer probably costs significantly more, but is otherwise also a good choice. I would level the floor beforehand regardless. After setting up the workshop, it’s almost impossible to do this, and an unlevel floor always feels a bit unpleasant.
@Babbaaa:
We can completely rule out the topic of "floor heating," as there is no possibility for it under a ground-contacting concrete slab without appropriate thermal insulation layers beneath a floating screed!
For smaller rooms, an elastic floor covering laid loosely might be used for visual room design purposes. However, this is not a recommendation from me!
Anything else being considered here is unlikely to succeed.
At the time of planning, the basement floor was designated for a secondary use.
It is not possible to repurpose it with a reasonable effort for a "new use with higher standards."
For a workshop floor, a simple coating with concrete paint should suffice, although this will only improve the appearance.
--------------------
Regards, KlaRa
We can completely rule out the topic of "floor heating," as there is no possibility for it under a ground-contacting concrete slab without appropriate thermal insulation layers beneath a floating screed!
For smaller rooms, an elastic floor covering laid loosely might be used for visual room design purposes. However, this is not a recommendation from me!
Anything else being considered here is unlikely to succeed.
At the time of planning, the basement floor was designated for a secondary use.
It is not possible to repurpose it with a reasonable effort for a "new use with higher standards."
For a workshop floor, a simple coating with concrete paint should suffice, although this will only improve the appearance.
--------------------
Regards, KlaRa
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