workshop floor advice

[bbrown]

Hello folks.

Any opinions about using white pine for a shop floor? I can get 800 SF of ship-lapped random-wide white pine (12 to 6 "widths) for $1000.
The price for Yellow Pine for the same amount (but not as wide) would be $5,400. I split my time between VA and coastal Maine

(and I work in NC half of the month!)​

. My shop in Maine is being expanded where I plan on starting classes in the Spring.

Needless to say, I'd like to save $4,500. The chief concern, of course, is the softness of white pine for a shop floor - it's used often in homes everywhere in New England and wears nicely and looks beautiful. But my concern would be the weight of machines and possible denting or wearing grooves in white pine.
Has anyone used it?

BTW, even though I don't live in NC,. this is my favourite place for WW info and advice.....

Thanks,

--Bill

 

[Mike Davis]

I share your concern over the soft pine. Have you thought of using plywood or even the soft pine and covering that with hard rubber or even linoleum?

 

[Oka]

THere is a Treated MDF type product used for flooring. Basically, it is a infused with epoxy type resin. We use it on elevators and other raised floor surfaces It does last about 20-25 years. It is strong ..... might see what that cost per sheet is, it has to be screwed down as it is pretty hard to shoot a nail through.

 

[bbrown]

I'm pretty much a purist here: Gotta have a wood floor. There are other options: Hemlock for 50 cents a BF, but I hear it splinters like crazy. SY Pine is really the best option I think. Might just have to bite the bullet, but it hurts.

 

[Henry W]

I share your concern over the soft pine. ....

Likewise. I have not seen such installed white pine floors, but I would not consider using the white pine I have laid hands on for flooring - waaaaay too soft for my liking.

 

[Jeff]

My shop in Maine is being expanded where I plan on starting classes in the Spring.

+1 to the SYP flooring recommendations (SYP is almost 2x harder than EWP).

No wonder you were considering the much cheaper EWP in Maine and Hancock Lumber is one of the largest producers of EWP lumber from the forests of Maine.

 

[Oka]

I Never use pine on a floor...... but you could go this route ...use the white pine as a subfloor and sheet with Birch plywood.

Baltic Birch Plywood in 5' x 5' and 4' x 8' at Toledo Plywood Co. Inc.


That would be about 1/3 the cost, the floor will be stronger, less reaction to point loading, and deflection would be much less. The finishing would be way easier and the floor would be way flatter

You would need about 35-37 sheets dependiong on how you lay it out. Total would be in the range of 2000.00

 

[tijmt]

How uniform is the pine? I have utility grade hickory in my shop that I got cheap. It is, of course, harder than pine but the few times I have dropped things on it are well hidden by the knots and color variation in the wood.

I figure if I ever sell the place and my shop gets turned into a yoga studio, someone will just use some self leveling poly to fill any dents...

 

[bbrown]

Thanks to all for the input and ideas. White pine is out - too soft. I'm looking into other woods still: SYP being still in the running. It's just so darn expensive in Maine!

 

[Bas]

Thanks to all for the input and ideas. White pine is out - too soft. I'm looking into other woods still: SYP being still in the running. It's just so darn expensive in Maine!

You may want to call a local Lumber Liquidators store and see if they have utility oak in stock (https://www.lumberliquidators.com/ll/srch/utility oak). It should be plenty hard, easy to work with, but not so nice you'll cry when you drop a chisel on the floor and gouge it.

If you go with plywood, I've seen people route a thin v-groove into it to give it the illusion of planks. Final result looks really nice.

 

[Jeff]

Thanks to all for the input and ideas. White pine is out - too soft. I'm looking into other woods still: SYP being still in the running. It's just so darn expensive in Maine!

SYP pine is primarily found in the southeast and it doesn't grow near Maine which may explain the higher cost in Maine. What are your other woods that you're looking into. Are they cheaper in Maine or Mass?

 

[bbrown]

You may want to call a local Lumber Liquidators store and see if they have utility oak in stock (https://www.lumberliquidators.com/ll/srch/utility oak). It should be plenty hard, easy to work with, but not so nice you'll cry when you drop a chisel on the floor and gouge it.

If you go with plywood, I've seen people route a thin v-groove into it to give it the illusion of planks. Final result looks really nice.

Cool ideas Bas. Thanks!

 

[bbrown]

SYP pine is primarily found in the southeast and it doesn't grow near Maine which may explain the higher cost in Maine. What are your other woods that you're looking into. Are they cheaper in Maine or Mass?

Good points Jeff. I'm going to see what else is out there - was pretty set on Pine b/c it's so traditional (my mind is stuck in the 18th century

 

[gritz]

Read this to see if anything herein may work for you...
Harden soft pine

 

[Billm0066]

I bought 10" wide tongue and groove pine a few months ago when I built my shop. It was #2 grade so lots of knots. Some of the tongues and grooves didnt line up great. Very happy with the decision. It feels very solid underfoot compared to just subfloor and looks great. It dents and scratches very easily. I plan to tear it up pretty good and then put something over it to seal it. Maybe.. My shed was 12x20 and I paid like $212 for the material from a place in Wendell.