Lab Flooring - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Chet T16
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2013, 09:04:05 pm
content: My office/lab got flooded (again) and this time i had to pull up the carpet as it was ruined.Whats ok as a floor covering for a lab? I would've assumed the carpet was a disaster when it comes to ESD? It was horrible to find dropped components on and impossible to keep clean anyway.First preference would be a laminate wood floor, maybe some lino (not sure if thats an international word). Whatever i pick will need to be cheap! Any comments on what to avoid?

author: lemmegraphdat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2013, 10:19:48 pm
content: Quote from: Chet T16 on April 07, 2013, 09:04:05 pmIf you are on concrete I would stick with that and save the money.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 07, 2013, 10:23:42 pm
content: Since it's an office come lab, would think a wood floor or indeed Lino/Vinyl surface... ESD is a consideration if the carpet is chosen with synthetic fibres; overall I would keep away from any carpet covering.Otherwise you if do carpet, might think about just providing a slightly raised wood or vinyl area, around the work bench, so much easer to find those parts that fall onto the floor.In my days of service engineering, now way way back; we had just concrete floors and had what was calledduck-boardsto stand on below and around our bench; mainly because we were working at 240 and 24 KV... however, if you raised the whole floor area, if it's not that big, then any repeat of flooding might mitigate a high cost of replacing any new covering ?or

author: cwalex
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2013, 01:47:16 am
content: How about slate or tiles? another flood resistant option+ long wearing.Lino has come a long way since the lino I knew as a kid. It is not cheap but good lino is very nice looking and hard wearing. One of the major retailers in my area (The Good Guys) just recently redid the floor in their entire shop (huge warehouse kind of place). It wasn't cheap but it looks just like wood and I thought it was a new wood floor until I commented to them how I like their new wood floor and was corrected that it is lino. They said they can slide fridges and other heavy white goods on it without marking the floor!

author: peterthenovice
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2013, 02:19:17 am
content: Quote from: vlf3 on April 07, 2013, 10:23:42 pmgood idea for esd and parts finding

author: george graves
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2013, 02:31:46 am
content: I'm going to go with something like this - it's called "coin flooring" or something like that:

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2013, 04:35:49 am
content: Home depot armstrong synthetic tiles. glue them down , wax them with a coat of staticide and you never need to touch it again.

author: peter.mitchell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2013, 05:27:28 am
content: Polished concrete or high traffic commercial vinyl sheet flooring.

author: Chet T16
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2013, 12:49:42 pm
content: It's concrete at the minute and it seems in pretty good condition so i might just stick some heavy duty floor paint down.The water came from a leak upstairs, i had thought I fixed it the last time but when the waste pipe got clogged again it backed up and flooded downstairs.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2013, 06:55:22 pm
content: If concrete just sand it down, clean and wash it and then either coat with an epoxy coating or a clear sealer.

author: ddavidebor
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2013, 08:40:58 pm
content: also, on the market there are epoxy esd safe coating,

author: JoeyP
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2013, 10:05:16 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on April 08, 2013, 04:35:49 amNot necessarily true. We did exactly that, and have regretted it. The staticide has a very finite lifespan - according to the manufacture, and our experience. It also doesn't adhere very well to the tiles, so tends to flake off as a fine powder. That may be why its life is so limited. It has to be reapplied periodically.There are ESD safe synthetic tiles, but very expensive (something like 5x the cost of normal tiles).

author: ddavidebor
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2013, 10:15:54 pm
content: That are only normal epoxy with super fine carbon inside.I think is called animal carbon.