Shop Remodel 2007 - Update: We Have Power!

Vaughn McMillan

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ABQ NM
Well, if the title to this tread is any indication, I hope to have this project wrapped up before the end of the year. (I always did work better under a deadline.)

To celebrate the advent of new power to my shop (coming soon), I decided it was time to empty the place and start all over. First and foremost, I needed to clear the wall where the new electrical subpanel will go. I also decided (at LOML's urging) to remove the carpet that the previous owner had placed in the garage. (He used it as an office/shop for his data cable company. Nice, clean work with no sawdust.) The carpet was not conducive to woodworking, however, since it trapped a lot of dust and made rolling my "mobile" tools virtually impossible. Great on the feet, but bad on all other counts. We decided on a speckled epoxy painted floor to match the adjacent laundry room.

I am taking Monday and Tuesday off from work to try to get as much knocked out as possible. I started Friday night, and worked all day and night (until about 2:00 AM) Saturday. Here's a relatively quick tour, showing where I started from Friday night.

The shop is a bit messier than usual, but this is an indication of how much stuff I'm trying to fit in there. This is the view as you walk into the shop from the laundry room, standing at the SW corner of the room. Built-in cabinets galore, and the lathe on the right. (Like my high-tech chip shield to keep the shelves on the lathe stand clean?)

Shop Remodel 2007 - 01 800.jpg

Here's the view from the NW corner. You can see the lathe in the foreground, with the dust collector in the middle of the room (easier hose runs) and some old surplus drawer cabinets in the background, along the only "open" wall in the shop. This is the wall where the new electrical subpanel will be going, but I don't yet know exactly where.

Shop Remodel 2007 - 02 800.jpg

Now standing in the NE corner, you can see the 6" Grizzly jointer in tucked under the overhang of the Incra rig on the tablesaw. It's not real visible in the pic, but there's a metal stand between the back of the tablesaw and the back of the lathe. (It's a stout square tube steel lathe stand that was given to me with a cheap lathe that I threw away.) It serves as an outfeed table (unless I'm ripping something long, then I have to move things around). It's a parking place for the Big Gulp dust hood for the lathe. Sometimes I clamp the dust hood to the headstock of the lathe. That's what the plywood "wing" on one side of the scoop is for.

Shop Remodel 2007 - 03 800.jpg

Here's another shot from the same corner, looking a bit more to the east. You can see part of my "bench" in the foreground on the left, the stack of surplus drawer cabinets, and my lumber and clamp storage pile. Somewhere in the process of re-doing the shop, I intend to address the clamp and lumber storage situation.

Shop Remodel 2007 - 06 800.jpg

And here's the closest thing to a bench that I have. It's an old, heavy oak table that LOML's departed dad used to own. It's too low to be real useful as a workbench, but I've used it for assembly, glue-ups, and, right now, storage. You can also see my little Wilton mini lathe, set up for use as a second buffer. (I also have a three-wheel system for the bigger Sears lathe.) Buried underneath the stack of boxes towards the back of the scene is a Black & Decker Workmate, sitting on a failed attempt at mounting a Ridgid Herc-U-Lift mobile base to the Workmate. It may work better once I get rid of the carpet.

Shop Remodel 2007 - 04 800.jpg

To be continued... :wave:
 
Day 1 Complete

Well, it was slow going with my wimpy back, but here's how the shop looks at the end of work Saturday:

Retracing the shots in the previous post, here's the view from the NW corner, just as you walk in the door. As you can see, I concentrated on the floor, not the built-in countertops. One mess at a time, please.

Shop Remodel 2007 - 13 800.jpg

And a shot from the NE corner. The stuff hanging on the wall is going to stay in place until the floor is done, then I'll completely re-think the storage along that wall. French cleats, perhaps? Probably something a bit more quick and direct, but I'll decide when I get there.

Shop Remodel 2007 - 09 800.jpg

And from the SE corner...

Shop Remodel 2007 - 11 800.jpg

And one more from the same corner, pointed a little more to the east.

Shop Remodel 2007 - 10 800.jpg

Right now, everything is either sitting in the driveway, stashed temporarily on the back patio, or in the storage shed out back. The driveway is full o' junk. (The big mobile power tools were moved back in for the night.) I got all the carpet and padding out (the padding was glued) and sitting on the curb for pickup by the city. The day also included some repairs to a couple of the drawer cabinets, and a supplies trip to Harbor Freight (for furniture dollies so I could move the bench) and the local hardware store for fix-it parts.

My back is yelling at me, but I made good progress today. Tomorrow will start with removing the carpet nailer strip around the perimeter of the shop, then deciding if I'm going to patch the nail holes from it or not. Then, I need to scrub and acid-wash the floor in preparation for the paint.

I'm bushed...off to the showers. :wave:
 
That's a huge undertaking. For a moment I forgot that it doesn't get cold there, I though "why doesn't he wait till summer?".
By California standards, it's been pretty cold here. It's about 54º outside right now (almost noon) and about 51º in the shop. Supposed to be back up into the 70s tomorrow, which is good, because the epoxy paint needs the slab to be 55º or higher.

Compared to your part of the country, it's absolutely balmy. ;)
 
I am jealous of all that cabinet and drawer space Vaughn. :eek:

I thought I was the only guy (Person) in the world who had remote controls in the shop?
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

DT
 
:lurk::lurk: Keep 'e coming! I love picture shows!

One note - a "if I had it to do over"- I used epoxy on my floor and I love it because it's easy to clean and nothing bothers it - like solvents and such. I hate it because it's slippery, especially with a little saw dust on it. What I would have done differently is to add some type of traction additive.

Now - On with the show! :lurk::lurk:
 
By California standards, it's been pretty cold here. It's about 54º outside right now (almost noon) and about 51º in the shop. Supposed to be back up into the 70s tomorrow, which is good, because the epoxy paint needs the slab to be 55º or higher.

Compared to your part of the country, it's absolutely balmy. ;)

hi vaughn ... ok so what would you do with our temps 27 currently ........ and mid twenties for the highs this week coming and teens and single digits at night :doh:

i think i will move somewhere warmer :rofl:
 
Keep 'e coming! I love picture shows!

One note - a "if I had it to do over"- I used epoxy on my floor and I love it because it's easy to clean and nothing bothers it - like solvents and such. I hate it because it's slippery, especially with a little saw dust on it. What I would have done differently is to add some type of traction additive...
Rennie, did you use the little paint chip sprinkles, or go with plain paint? I'm planning to use the sprinkles, but I can add extra traction grit to the paint, too.
...Is that a Hoover DC?
The only one in the tri-state area, baby!
hi vaughn ... ok so what would you do with our temps 27 currently ........ and mid twenties for the highs this week coming and teens and single digits at night :doh:

i think i will move somewhere warmer :rofl:
It's not uncommon out here to be hanging Christmas lights in shorts and a t-shirt. I've lived here for over 16 years, but that still seems all messed up. :rolleyes:
 
Day 2 Update

Well, I beat on the shop floor for 12+ hours today (including two trips to the local hardware store and one to the orange Borg), the only visible difference is the carpet tack strip and the garage door threshold are no longer there, so I didn't take any pics. It still looks like an empty garage at this point.

Removing the tack strip was not too bad, although the Stanley Wonder Bar (a bent pry bar) made things a lot easier. The threshold, on the other hand, was a bear. It was attached with not only Hilti nails (with 1" washers), but what seemed like about a gallon of Liquid Nails. I used an angle grinder to remove the heads from the nails, then a big pry bar to break out threshold. Did you know that an angle grinder will remove glued-on wood and Liquid Nails from concrete? Smells pretty bad, but it seemed to work.

After a dinner break, I began cleaning the slab. I scrubbed it completely about four times with a stiff brush and degreaser, then followed that up with two separate acid washes and thorough rinses. As I mentioned last night, the carpet pad was glued to the slab, so I spent a lot of my time scraping up glue residue, too. Finally called it quits a little before 2:00 AM.

Next up for tomorrow will be patching all the craters from the tack strip and the threshold. I'm going to use a 2-part Bondo-like repair putty, so it won't require a long time to cure before painting.

The instructions with the paint say the air temperature must be 65º or higher, and the slab has to be 55º or higher. The temp in the shop never got above 55º all day, so I've got a couple space heaters running full blast in there tonight trying to warm things up. Tomorrow's supposed to be in the 70s, and Tuesday is supposed to get up into the 80s, so hopefully things will be warm enough tomorrow to paint. If not, I'll probably bite the bullet and postpone the painting for another time of year. I'd hate to waste nearly $200 worth of paint due to impatience.

The last two and a half days has taken a serious toll on my body. I've done a lot of bending, lifting, pushing, pulling, and kneeling (thank goodness for knee pads)...none of which are good for my messed-up back. My back, hip, and knees are talking to me tonight, and even my hands are sore from gripping hammers, brooms, and scrub brushes all day and night. I think I'm beyond what Advil will help. Tonight, it's time to break out the prescription meds. I save the strong stuff for special occasions, but I think tonight is one of them ;)

More tomorrow - :wave:
 
You may not have much visible progress for you hard work, but you HAVE made progress, getting the floor done right, the first time IS worth all the effort, which you know.

That shop will REALLY look different come 2008..........maybe we should start calling it a "Studio" :D :thumb:

Pick out a spot of for the espresso machine!!
 
You may not have much visible progress for you hard work, but you HAVE made progress, getting the floor done right, the first time IS worth all the effort, which you know.

That shop will REALLY look different come 2008..........maybe we should start calling it a "Studio" :D :thumb:

Pick out a spot of for the espresso machine!!

Some of us learn that the hard way.... sigh.......:(

Vaughn you will be able to look back on all the work next year and smile with pleasure at what you have.

Hey? Maybe you could cut that carpet into one inch squares and sell it on the bay? :rofl:

DT
 
Rennie, did you use the little paint chip sprinkles, or go with plain paint? I'm planning to use the sprinkles, but I can add extra traction grit to the paint, too.
I went with the plain paint - had I only known....:(
I'm not familiar with the sprinkles, but if they give a grip-able texture to the surface then I think you're good to go. Hope you picked a light color!
 
Well, I beat on the shop floor for 12+ hours today (including two trips to the local hardware store and one to the orange Borg), the only visible difference is the carpet tack strip and the garage door threshold are no longer there, so I didn't take any pics. It still looks like an empty garage at this point.

Removing the tack strip was not too bad, although the Stanley Wonder Bar (a bent pry bar) made things a lot easier. The threshold, on the other hand, was a bear. It was attached with not only Hilti nails (with 1" washers), but what seemed like about a gallon of Liquid Nails. I used an angle grinder to remove the heads from the nails, then a big pry bar to break out threshold. Did you know that an angle grinder will remove glued-on wood and Liquid Nails from concrete? Smells pretty bad, but it seemed to work.

After a dinner break, I began cleaning the slab. I scrubbed it completely about four times with a stiff brush and degreaser, then followed that up with two separate acid washes and thorough rinses. As I mentioned last night, the carpet pad was glued to the slab, so I spent a lot of my time scraping up glue residue, too. Finally called it quits a little before 2:00 AM.

Next up for tomorrow will be patching all the craters from the tack strip and the threshold. I'm going to use a 2-part Bondo-like repair putty, so it won't require a long time to cure before painting.

The instructions with the paint say the air temperature must be 65º or higher, and the slab has to be 55º or higher. The temp in the shop never got above 55º all day, so I've got a couple space heaters running full blast in there tonight trying to warm things up. Tomorrow's supposed to be in the 70s, and Tuesday is supposed to get up into the 80s, so hopefully things will be warm enough tomorrow to paint. If not, I'll probably bite the bullet and postpone the painting for another time of year. I'd hate to waste nearly $200 worth of paint due to impatience.

The last two and a half days has taken a serious toll on my body. I've done a lot of bending, lifting, pushing, pulling, and kneeling (thank goodness for knee pads)...none of which are good for my messed-up back. My back, hip, and knees are talking to me tonight, and even my hands are sore from gripping hammers, brooms, and scrub brushes all day and night. I think I'm beyond what Advil will help. Tonight, it's time to break out the prescription meds. I save the strong stuff for special occasions, but I think tonight is one of them ;)

More tomorrow - :wave:

Hi Vaughn,
I was just thumbing through threads, and found this one. You picture of your back looks just like mine. Mine was from staph that got into the bone. Not much fun. Jack
 
Day 3 Update - The Floor is Done

After another day of crawling on my knees patching divots with Bondo and sanding the patches, I finally got the paint down on the floor. :D

I used the Rustoleum epoxy garage floor paint, and two gallons was easily enough to paint my 2-car garage. The paint comes with a bag of epoxy paint chips to sprinkle on the floor. You paint a 4' x 4' square (or thereabouts), then sprinkle the magic pixie dust on the wet paint. When it's all dry, you vacuum up the loose stuff. It adds some traction, and also hides imperfections and dirt.

Here's how it looks up close:

Shop Remodel 2007 - 17 800.jpg

And a couple of room shots:

Shop Remodel 2007 - 16 800.jpg Shop Remodel 2007 - 15 800.jpg

Glad to have this part past me. It needs 12 to 16 hours of curing time before it can get light foot traffic, and 24 to 48 before being subjected to heavy loads, so it'll be a couple of days before I can start moving stuff back in. Tomorrow, I'll take the day off from the shop and get the Christmas lights hung on the outside of the house for LOML.

Thanks for following along so far. Knowing that I had buddies from all over watching over my shoulder helped keep me motivated through all the hard stuff. It's all gravy from here on out.

Stay tuned... :wave:
 
Hi Vaughn,
I was just thumbing through threads, and found this one. You picture of your back looks just like mine. Mine was from staph that got into the bone. Not much fun. Jack
I'm sure you can relate, Jack. There are several other folks here with similar (or worse) modifications. Modern medicine is pretty amazing. 75 years ago they would have just taken up out back behind the barn and shot us.

Mine was from the sudden stop at the end of a 30 foot fall. My L3 became L3.1, 3.2, ... 3.9 and so on. They kept the biggest piece and built a new vertebra around it. It's a pain sometimes, but it beats going behind the barn and getting shot. :D And I count my blessings every day that I can walk.
 
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