# Has anyone used carpet tiles for their workshop?



## marcuscraft (Nov 14, 2012)

Working on a basement workshop and would love a bit of cushion under foot and not just hard cement. I was looking at carpet tiles like these:

http://rockies.craigslist.org/mat/4666188136.html

Does anyone have any experience with these in a workshop? Obviously would make it hard to sweep, but i dont mind vacuuming. Im worried how these will hold up with a 500 lb jointer rolling on it. Any thoughts?


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

Looks like something that would get so filled with sawdust rather fast. I would never consider any form of carpet in my shop. A better choice would be rubber mats. I have a cement floor shop and the majority is covered with heavy rubber mats that are 36" square. Easy to pick up and move when necessary


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

I'm sitting at work and we have carpet tiles just like that. I don't think rolling anything over them would be a problem. Also nice is that, if you had extra, if one get ruined, you could easily replace it.

I think you'd need to make sure you looked into what, if any, vapor barrier or underlayment you would need. The ad states that these are great for concrete floors because of the rubber backing. Not sure if you can just glue them down, or if you'll run into moisture issues during temp/humidity swings.


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## marcuscraft (Nov 14, 2012)

Hey BinghamtonEd, I'm rolling my office chair across similar carpet tiles at work as well. 250 lbs of me rolls nicely, I just worry about double or tripling that! More than damaging the carpet, I worry about the ease of rolling. I guess for $10 I can make a test square and roll some stuff around and see what happens. I have a few concerns about moisture as well and looked into a bit. There is a recommended moisture level for installing them, and if you dont meet that, supposedly you can just put a sealer on the concrete. Luckily I live in Denver where humidity is nearly non existent, im guessing i'll be good.

As for filling with dust Greg, I'm not sure. I put a lot of work into dust collection in hopes of keeping as much as possible out of the shop and into the dust bin. They'll obviously be some dust that requires cleaning, but I am thinking I'll vacuum as often as I would sweep. In the old workshop I was just on concrete and used an old dyson to clean up the shop…I can't say the wife was too impressed but it worked like a charm!


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## fuigb (Apr 21, 2010)

If there is any doubt about your ability to capture dust and shavings then don't do it because cleanliness will be an issue. These are designed to shed dirt in the typical office environment but they're unsuited to shop debris. Rubber mats are more practical.

I have access to free carpet tile and so I use them for many things, but cover for the shop floor isn't one of them.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I haven't used carpet tile. I had the same problem w/ cold concrete floors. I bought these anti-fatigue mats at Harbor Freight and have all of the spaces between machines and work benches covered in them. It has made a huge difference. They aren't glued down but the interlocking pieces keeps them from shifting and they can be easily rearranged if need be. Each package covers 16 sq ft., and if you use the perpetual 20% off coupon you can get them for $8 a pack. Fifty cents a sq ft is hard to beat.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

Office chairs typically have wider, smaller casters on them and are going to be harder to roll than a mobile base that has larger, narrower wheels.

I agree with the cleaning concerns. I think it'd be easy to vacuum the big stuff out, but the smaller stuff is going to get embedded or tangled in the carpet fibers and be more of a pain to get out. I've found that hand plane shavings make an awesome padded area around the workbench.


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## marcuscraft (Nov 14, 2012)

Heh, I like the idea of maybe just saving up a good 2" layer of dust and plane shavings…the perfect comfortable shop flooring. I think I might feel like a hamster running around though.


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## ChrisK (Dec 18, 2009)

I had a few carpet remnants I was using, collect dust and chips like nobodies business. The anti-fatigue mats are a better choice.

The chips and shavings will mat done nicely, it should help soften some of the shop noise to.


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## marcuscraft (Nov 14, 2012)

My concern w/ the anti fatigue mats is that I have a pretty small space and a pretty mobile shop. Everything is on mobile stands because of the small space. I am looking for something that the equipment can roll on but also provide a bit of a softness to it (softer than concrete at least).


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

I haven't personally tried it, but I've heard that the rubber horse stall mats from Tractor Supply work well. A 4'x6' section sells for 39.99. I've also seen them at my local Agway, but I am not sure of the price.


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## tomclark (Feb 16, 2010)

Some may think I am crazy, but I have had a 12×17 carpet remnant in my shop for 18 years. I bought a used remnant one day when my feet and legs were bothering me, and I was tired of working on a bare floor.

None of my heavy machines are on carpet, just a large work/assembly area. What a difference in comfort. I figured when the carpet was messed up it was cheap enough to junk and buy another. Like the energizer bunny it keeps on going.

I do have 1/2 rubber pads in front of workbenches and machines. A shop vac makes it easy to clean up now and then.


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## muleskinner (Sep 24, 2011)

I don't think you're crazy, Tom. I've got a 12×20 piece of industrial felt down on the main area of the shop. Then a couple of old area rugs on top of that in front of the work benches and the table saw. Works fine for me. Every once in a while I get in a mood and actually use the shop vac as a shop vac. Otherwise, the majority of shop debris sweeps up nicely with a medium bristle broom.

The only down side to those commercial carpet tiles is I think they'd have to be glued down.


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## Bill7255 (Feb 23, 2012)

I had that style carpet in my previous shop for a while. It wasn't bad regarding dust and moving equipment, however I did not think it provided much cushion, finally got rid of it. My advice is you would be better off investing in anti-fatigue mats.


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

> I haven t personally tried it, but I ve heard that the rubber horse stall mats from Tractor Supply work well. A 4×6 section sells for 39.99. I ve also seen them at my local Agway, but I am not sure of the price.
> 
> - BinghamtonEd


Ed: The mats are not very popular with woodworkers. They are actually rather hard, made of ground tires if my memory serves me correct. They are made to withstand the hooves of a 1200 lb. horse. Like a rock to a 225 lb. human.


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## Picklehead (Feb 12, 2013)

Holy Crap, Tom. Nice shop!


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## TomInIndy (Dec 22, 2011)

> My concern w/ the anti fatigue mats is that I have a pretty small space and a pretty mobile shop. Everything is on mobile stands because of the small space. I am looking for something that the equipment can roll on but also provide a bit of a softness to it (softer than concrete at least).
> 
> - Marcus


Marcus,
I bought 2 or 3 packs of the anti-fatigue mats from HF. Just click them together like runners or area rugs in the house. You can pick them up real easy then flop them back down after you have moved the equipment.
just my $0.02


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