Shop Floor FIRE PROOFING....?????

[mudpatrol1]

speaking as someone with 15 plus years in the fire service,i agree that it is not a smart idea to weld using torches,or cut with a plasma cutter in a building with a wood floor. my garage is wood framed with a cement floor,even still i try to do my welding(mig) on my workbench which has a aluminum top made from old highway signs. not sure what kind of welding your going to do but you can buy welding blankets from hf and string them up like a shower curtain to protect the area your welding in as well as laying one down on the floor.also most importantly is a escape route god forbid something did go wrong.another thing is NEVER use incandescent drop lights around gasoline,my old boss burned the shop down and had 3rd degree burns on 70% of his body. lesson learned the hard way.Roger

[Berwil]

Originally Posted by Oak

I don't know if it is a good idea either but you could put some heavy plywood down, hardibacker and then tile it.

For some reason this post came into my head the other day. I agree with Todd and his idea. The other idea I had was to use concrete a/c compressor pads. They are reinforced concrete, flame resistant, come in multiple sizes, and relatively inexpensive. I think if you laid them out on the floor like tile, then pour mortar mix (dry) in all the joints and tapped them with a rubber mallet to work the power into the cracks, then spray water with a garden sprayer to set the mortar. Leave it dry a few days and it will be sealed off. It wouldn't be a bad idea to put 1 course along the bottom of the wall over the fire resistant drywall to catch anything that bounces off the floor. I bought my a/c pad cheap at a local masonry supply, this is just for reference. compressor pad

Bill

[ol'George]

Moot point now, but why didn't you put it on a slab with a ratwall?
Where I live, if you don't, woodchucks, rats, coons & other critters love to get under buildings like that.

[yeeter]

I have old fashioned 12" vinyl tiles on mine. Relatively cheap, and ok to use over wood. (I put mine over concrete). I think they are fire rated (thought they were full of asbestos at one time, not sure if so any longer).

By no means is this a fire proof floor, but maybe fire 'resistant'? (fire resistant is about as good as you can hope for in a wood structure) Concrete and metal if you are doing a lot of welding.... $.02

[Rescue11]

Originally Posted by CADplans

My feeling about welding in THAT building????????

You might as well spray gasoline before you start, it will go up in flames eventually.

The issue is not the floor, it is the entire structure.

A spark goes somewhere, smoldering starts, in the middle of the night, you hear the fire trucks driving up,,,,.

Those welding/cutting sparks go 10 feet,,, land in some dust and/or cob webs, and the smoldering starts.

You could do a water washdown after welding EVERY time.

Lol, I have been giving him heck about that since day one! Told him its a good excuse to pack up and play with water!

Actually bad excuse, worked a house fire yesterday that was called in at three am from a passerby. Family was on vaca luckily, but the house was fully involved by the time dispatch had been notified. We had it controlled within 15 min of arrival, but it was a total loss. Young family with two little ones, very sad to see. We have always been able to save a structure and the majority of its contents, unfortunatly the house was 5 miles outside of town and did not get noticed right away.

I really am nervous about him putting all his toys in there and the same thing happening.

Remember to check your smoke detectors and extinguishers often!