The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Workshops and Garages Floor Heating?

I'd like to do something to warm up the shop floor. The whole floor would be too ambitious, but maybe something in front of the workbench. When I'm moving around it doesn't seem to be a problem. But standing at the workbench for a while is a different story. Just curious of how others may handle this. Oh, and not interested with a small forced air heater.

Dennis

Have you thought about radiant heating. We added some to our maintenance shops above the work benches and tool boxes, they heat the area very well.

It would be expensive on a complete floor that's already in place, but in-floor hydronic heating is the cat's meow. I've got a few buddies with shops with heated floors and it's a luxurious thing when you're working under a truck.
Gas fired radiant heaters like Craig suggested would work as well. Or Electric radiant.
For a much less expensive option, how about a thick rubber pad in front of your workbench? That would at least insulate your feet from the cold floor. I don't know if anyone makes a heated pad, but that would be even nicer.

We have NuHeat pads in our bathrooms under the tile. It works well but it's slow to heat up. You would have to anticipate when you were going to be in the shop and have the timer set to turn the heat on before you start work.

https://www.nuheat.com/

Too late for you, but for others considering building a shop, radiant floor heating can not be beat. I have a 24 X32 foot shop and a small boiler heats the floor and gives me on demand hot water at the tap. Even if a fellow wasn't sure when he was building, have the tubing installed at the time you are pouring the floor. It's not that expensive. If your feet are warm, you will feel warm!

I didn't mention, but I do have an electric heater for the whole garage. Don't really have a place above for radiant heat and only looking for warm feet anyway . If I were building, I would do the heating in the concrete, no doubt. That NuHeat looks interesting but then I'd have to mud it in. Maybe someone makes an electric heated mat that could lay on the concrete?

Dennis

Denis, if you need to warm your feet how about heated socks. https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/actionheat-aa-battery-heated-wool-socks
Just use rechargeable batteries.

There are heated floor mats ads on Amazon, but the reviews are mixed.

Putting a heating mat directly on the cold concrete floor doesn't sound very energy efficient.

Also, one of the down sides to in-floor radiant is you need to leave it on all winter as it takes a long time to heat the concrete before it heats you. My garage has propane fired Inferred heat hanging from the ceiling that's very energy efficient and takes the chill off in about 15-20 minutes.

Mike B

That's true, but I am out there almost every day. It doesn't need to be cranked way up, and my boiler is rated at 96.1% energy efficient. The bonus is I live in the lower mainland of BC and we do not have what I would call a harsh winter. I am thinking of retro-fitting my house heating from a forced air gas furnace to radiant floor.

Well, I may just use a 4x8 oriented strand board to get some insulation and let it go with that. Thanks for all the comments. Getting warmer anyway

Dennis

Go to your local Farm Store and purchase a rubber stall mat. Provides a bit of insulation from the cold and cushions your feet.

Hmm, maybe I 'll do just that. Thanks Martin

Dennis