Natalie,
Thanks for the information. The interlocking rubber tiles are probably the
same thing the weight rooms use... they might be a great solution so long as
I can still roll my machines around and the tiles aren't too much of a
thermal insulator since I plan to have in-floor heating. The wood floor is
not only nice to stand on and not so disasterous to dropped parts, but it
allows insulating with pink-board, laying down the heating tubes, running
electricity and dust collection, and it's something I can do without
emptying the shop and breaking out the existing floor. I may end up using
something called Warm Board for the sub-floor - it already has grooves
routed into it for the heating tubes and an aluminum conduction layer
laminated on top for fast temperature response.
You can get polycarbonate at most home centers in the cut shop... one brand
name is Lucite-Tuf (funny, the sheet says it's acrylic - same stuff?). When
used for interior storm windows, it is sometimes fitted with magnetic strip
and the window frame with steel L channel (painted to blend in). At my
parent's house, I was always amazed at the noise reduction when the storms
were put up for the winter. A more expensive form of polycarb is molded with
internal air channels and is used for greenhouses.
Take care,
..Geoff
