Hobby area flooring ideas?

[crazyjim]

I'd like to cover the present vinyl tile in my hobby area with something but I don't know what.  I'd like something that doesn't need to be waxed and won't show all the dirt.

[Kit Basher]

Anything but carpet! How 'bout Pergo? No waxing required and very durable.

[astroracer]

Vinyl is about as good as it gets, bud. Anything needs to be maintained and vacuumed... All you need to do is run a broom in there when it needs it. I would just leave it and build models.

 There is short nap carpet in my hobby room and it has quite a few "lost" model parts in it.

Mark

[Greg Wann]

I would say a cheap vinyl.  Take some time to consider a color or pattern.  If you drop a part you will want to find it easily.  I have dropped PE parts on a wood grain work table right in front of me and they are very hard to find.

 

MARK  Put some panty hose over the end of a vacuum hose and start working that carpet. 

[Tom Geiger]

I have a hard wood floor in my model room, just because it was a bedroom and the floor was there.  I have a problem that my rolling chair's wheels have worn the poly finish, so I don't recommend it.   You don't want carpet,  a hard surface without pattern is probably best.   I know when I lose parts on my hard wood, I sweep the area with the edge of cardboard and usually am able to find photo etch etc.  Sometimes I find parts before I miss them!

[louie]

I've been in the flooring trade for over 30 years and their is a million different types of flooring out there. If you plan on doing it yourself you should look into the Flouting Floor system. Really easy to do yourself. The wood Floor itself comes in various colors and shades from dark to light colors and will hide the dirt but show up all those little model parts pretty good. Also, any flouting floor that I have put down always had a really good warranty from the factory and all had a (no care )Finnish on them meaning no waxing, no nothing. To start, lay down the padding, start the first row making sure that it is straight then the pieces of the flooring just snap together, cutting the ends to fit and your done. Hope this helps you out.          Jeff 

[crazyjim]

I've been researching the interlocking plastic type type of floors with a diamond plate or button finish.

[oldcarfan]

How about some nice plush shag carpeting? It works well to hold parts! Lol

[Ford Customline]

As said before.  Cheap neutral colored vinyl - easy to clean and find parts.

[DeeCee]

I have a thick vinyl floating floor in my kitchen, a lot like the wood ones, only more durable,  and very soon

i will be putting it on the floor of my hobby room, very easy to care fore, ( vacuum only ), and easy to find dropped parts.

[BigTallDad]

If you're going to install snap-connect flooring, make sure the joints don't line up. I've seen floors where great care was taken to line up the joints...after a few months I almost got seasick looking at the waves where the joints had buckled.

[gatorincebu]

 

    In my house here in the Philippines. We have ceramic tile. Easy to care for and easy to find dropped parts.Most people here have the tile or wood.

Carpet is too hard to maintain here , and tile is also cooler ! And my chair rolls well on it.

 

 

       Be Well

          Gator

[Harry Joy]

I model over a hardwood laminate. My office chair is on a small rug. The beauty of it is that lost parts either careen to the wall, or to the carpet (as it has that magnetic draw for plastic parts). Easy to find dropped parts.

[PeeBee]

I'd stick with the vinyl or go with a laminate like Pergo.  My floor is concrete and very low maintenance but damage does occur when I drop a body, or hood, etc.

[bubbaman]

i went to tractor supply  and  bought  those  1/2 thick  rubber flooring mats  for my garage and workout area  - works  GREAT

[Art Anderson]

Living in an apartment that is mostly carpeted, I hit on the idea of using surplus carpet remnants to cover the floor in the spare bedroom where I do my building.  I find those remnants in office supply and other stores here every August & September as university students are arriving back on campus here, setting up their residence hall rooms and apartments.  They are fairly large (6' X 8' seems to be the most common size, are fully bound around their edges, and are close-weave, closed knap carpet).  These protect the floor underneath from any minor spills, and as long as I keep my work area reasonably clean and straight, any dropped part can usually be found very quickly. I paid no more than $10-$12 for each of the 6 I put down in there, so it was an inexpensive solution.

Art

 

[Aaronw]

I've modeled over a variety of surfaces, and other than extremes (shag carpet, featureless mono color hard surface) I don't think it much matters as far as models go. Hard surfaces like linoleum or wood result in a large bounce factor so while it is in theory easier to see a dropped part, it could be anywhere. Carpet on the other hand will conceal parts, but they are typically found in a fairly small circle from the impact point.

I currently have a very low nap carpet (cheap industrial carpet) which isn't bad, as only the smallest parts can actually hide in the carpet, and the bounce factor is much lower than linoleum. 

 

I take it you are looking at something like these tiles?

 https://armorpoxy.com/commercial-floors-and-hangars/supratile-interlocking-tiles/

[crazyjim]

Yes - something like that.  I have a couple of samples coming.

[Pete J.]

Two words- polished concrete!  It is durable, stain resistant, rolling chairs love it, parts are easy to find, easy to clean. 

[Jantrix]

My only issue with materials like tile or laminates is that parts tend to bounce well. So the part may not even be close to the area where you dropped it. The best surface I had for building was a very dense low nap carpet.

[1930fordpickup]

I have hard wood with a throw (low nap) rubber backed carpet on top for the chair. Most parts hit my big belly and bounce to the hard wood under the desk. So that I have to get on my hands and knees to find it.  Next to the wall in the floor is a cold air return. The previous owner of the house put window screen under the vents. What a brilliant idea that turned out to be.  

[DrKerry]

Black and white checker board!!!!!!!!!

[B-Ram]

Sealed concrete works great for me.

Bill

[crazyjim]

The concrete has already been covered with tile so sealed concrete is out.  I get overspray and dust everywhere so I want something that can be easily replaced from time to time.  That's why I'm thinking of those interlocking plastic tiles.

[The70judgeman]

I'm thinking about using a garage floor epoxy covering since I have a bare concrete floor right now. I work at a place where I can get a deep employee discount(factory direct). I might even tint it too. And yes, I'd check about the fumes and curing with the use indoors.