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["Lynda" <lurine AT softcom.net>]

DH has a cement floor in his.  Things that need to be bolted down are bolted 
into the cement.  He then took my old horse mats (thick black rubberish 
stuff made from old tires).  They're about 1" thick and he says they are 
much better to stand on than wood (he has two herniated discs and a 
fractured C-spine).  Plus, like you said about hosing the place down, he can 
pull them out and hose the whole works down.  He made the slab with a slight 
grade to it.  He has levelers on all the "stuff" and for the stuff he made 
(long workbench, etc.), he built them to compensate for the grade.

In my gardening shed I have the old mats from our butcher shop.  I don't 
know exactly how to describe them.  They are a bunch of little hard rubber 
doodads that are hinged together and they roll up.  Very nice for standing 
long periods of time.  Easy clean up because you roll them up, toss them 
outside and then either blow out the space or turn the hose on it.

Oh, and you can hose down either of the type mats.

Lynda
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gene GeRue" <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
> Yes, the slight springiness of wood is easier on my hips. A wood shop
> floor also allows jigs and braces screwed to the floor as well as full-
> size layout drawings. The biggest negative for me is I prefer to hose
> out a floor from time to time. Blowing out dust and sawdust is lots
> more problematical and vacuuming is more difficult under benches.
>
> When I built a basement under part of this old house I found termite
> damage in a big oak beam, so I know they are here. But perhaps the ACQ
> stuff will resist them? Or as you suggest, chemically treat the soil
> before laying the joists. I have created drainage away from the
> building and the dry, rocky soil should be inhospitable to termites.
> > Use your backhoe to dig out a suitable crawlspace, seal the earth
> > using an
> > epdm barrier or the like, ventilate the space and frame your floor.
>
> Way more work and expense than I want. Ventilation would be nigh
> impossible.
>
> Another item: I am thinking to pour a concrete ribbon around the
> perimeter before any other floor work, both as a screed edge and to
> stabilize the posts in case the ACQ does not do what we all hope it
> will do and underground post rot occurs. I had thought to run rebar
> through the five by five treated posts but then realized that all
> fasteners into ACQ needs to be coated or stainless. The rebar would
> deteriorate. So then I thought about running the rebar through
> galvanized pipe through the posts. Which seems like excessive work and
> expense. Don suggests lag bolts on three post faces. What say you guys?
>
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