Hey guys, I am moving to a new house that has a huge attic. Approximately 50x25 w/9 ft ceilings. I dont have a garage and the basement is finished as a living area so this is my only option.

My question is, would I be able to weld up there with proper ventilation & fire safety????

It is unfinished currently but I was hoping that I could split the attic into 2 rooms with one being 10x25 for welding and the rest being 40x25 where I will put my office, pool table, air hockey table, couch and plasma to watch TV. Sort of my space to go w/ my friends to get away from my wife and the kids. My wife gave me the go ahead to do what I want up there so I'm hoping this will work. I have not purchased any building materials yet in the hopes that some of you guys will be able to point me in the right direction.

The welding room would house my TIG, MIG, Plasma Cutter and other basic tools. In a corner of the room, I want to enclose my Compressor w/ Sound deadening materials and run the drain from it into my plumbing.

Electricity is all set as my cousin is a certified electrician.

I will post a drawing up shortly when I am finished.

What do you recommend for floor/wall/ceiling surfaces & ventilation?

I maintain the welding & fabrication page here http://weldingfabricationtools...t.com/

I am getting tired of looking at everyone else's fab work and want to add my own work to the gallery!

Any and all opinions/comments accepted & appreciated.

thanks,
Josh L

 

As long as you have adiquite energy supplied & the floors/walls are fire proof for the welding room, I don't see why not ... rock it!

 

As long as it has a stripper pole and the proper walls/floors/ceiling to resist heat/fire I wouldn't see a problem.

 

what materials do you guys recommend for the floor, walls and ceilings???

Stripper Pole in the Attic?? I already have one in the basement so not sure if I need another one in the attic lol

 

I'd insulate and make sure there's fire-proof drywall on the ceiling and walls. I'd think about a fire-proof floor too. If you can afford it, I'd think about a small sprinkler system up there.

Another thing to defeinitely not skimp on: Ventilation. Grinding and MIG/ARC welding are going to create a lot of particulates/smoke/fumes, and you don't want to be enclosed with those. Additionally, Argon is heavier than air, and if you are welding for a long time with no ventilation, you may cause a deadly environment in the rooms below you as the Argon sinks through the floor. Anything less than 19% Oxygen, and you'll pass out and die within a few minutes. A couple of fans on each side that you turn on when welding would be a good idea. It'll also be nice in the summer, when its hot up there. Not so nice in the winter, but you have to consider the safety of those below you as well.

 

I was thinking of using an Industrial Exhaust Fan that will constantly be on. They are not that expensive.

I think that will do a great job.

Ventilation and Fire Safety are my main concern.

What type of fire proof flooring would you recommend?

thanks a lot guys, I knew Honda-Tech would be able to help!

Josh L

 

There are a lot of flame retardant solutions that can be sprayed on regular wood, which make it virtually fire proof. One sure way is to tile the room

 

Here is a link for some fireproof paint: http://www.contegointernational.com/

Very impressive video of their product being used.

 

Fire proofing and ventalation would be my concerns. I would invest in a air cleaner for the space like a smog hog but for welding. You might want to invest in a dust collector like a torit. I use a 1hp torit dust collector and it will move about 600cfm a minute

 

how on earth will you get a TIG welder inside an attic?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Howitt &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Fire proofing and ventalation would be my concerns. I would invest in a air cleaner for the space like a smog hog but for welding. You might want to invest in a dust collector like a torit. I use a 1hp torit dust collector and it will move about 600cfm a minute</TD></TR></TABLE>
You could also go the cheaper/DIY route. Buy a pair of heavy duty fans, build a box to enclose them.
Have one blowing in, one sucking out of the box. Install furnace filters in the box. Pretty simple, and the filters are $5 apiece.

I'd think about a layer of the anti-fire paint, thenn 18g sheetmetal layer on the floor, then lay thin ceramic tiles over that. Just be prepared to replace tiles whenever you drop something. You could lay down some anti-fatigue mats over the tiles in breakage-prone areas too, but make sure that complies with the fire code.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by E-Rok &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">how on earth will you get a TIG welder inside an attic?</TD></TR></TABLE>
The door?

 

definitely going to limit the size of your fabs and the times you can work, dont want to wake the family. other than that i cant see why this wouldnt work with some simple fans. also i dont think ceramic tile is the solution. too brittle and chips easily. i would go with pergo or some kind of laminate flooring. basically fire proof and wont chip like tile. food for thought

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by david@didrace.com &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">As long as it has a stripper pole and the proper walls/floors/ceiling to resist heat/fire I wouldn't see a problem. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Does the stripper pole need to be grounded ?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 90blackcrx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Does the stripper pole need to be grounded ?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Depends if the strippers have light-up nipple tassles.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by E-Rok &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">how on earth will you get a TIG welder inside an attic?</TD></TR></TABLE>

carry it


you need to look at it like this......

most garages are also made from wood...

they have concrete floors...

decent ventalation to start with...

and they are usually sheetrocked.

just use fireproof drywall aka concrete board for walls and ceiling and some ferry-pretty tile for the floor and you will basically have a garage that you cant park cars in!!? you might also want to think about putting a slight angle to the floor that goes into a pvc drain out the house or into the plumbing, that way you could literaly hoe's (hehe) off the floor to clean it maby even plumb a spicket in there somewhere also use good ventalation

and most importantly please post pics of the progress sounds like a sweet project i hope to do the same with my basement this summer

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nateg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

carry it


</TD></TR></TABLE>

well all attics around here have the pull down hatch with ladder in the ceiling, I guess his setup is far different.

any my dads TIG is like 300lbs thats why I asked.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by E-Rok &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

well all attics around here have the pull down hatch with ladder in the ceiling, I guess his setup is far different.

any my dads TIG is like 300lbs thats why I asked.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Maybe an inverter ~ 20ish lbs.

 

One thing you might want to consider is your homeowners insurance. If you were to have a fire it is likely that they will not cover a claim since you were welding in an attic. Even if the fire started away from the attic I could see it causing a problem with the claim since the gear is up there..

John

 

The attic does not have a pull down ladder. It has regular steps like a normal house would and can easily get a 300lb. TIG up there!! The attic was supposed to be another apartment for my brother in law to rent out but when we moved into the 2nd floor apartment, he said that if I wanted the attic also w/ no rent increase, all I had to do was pay for what I put up there. We plan on buying the house from him in a year or so when our credit is back to normal so I am not really worried about what I spend.

As far as insurance goes, my brother in law doesnt seem to care as he races oval track cars and cant wait for me to get it finished so we can make him some headers and a few other custom pieces he wants to fabricate. I can fit just about anything that will fit through a doorway up there. Big fridge fit up there no problem.

I will be sure to post pics when I get going.

 

Maybe look into Armstrong VCT tiles for the flooring, they may not be fire resistennt enough for you though. Or perhaps an epoxy flooring? Not the easiest to apply in an attic, but it would be really nice and easy to keep clean.

 

A friend of mine used to do Industrial Epoxy flooring and told me he has enough to do 2,500 sq. ft. I can have. Its a light grey color and he said to make it non slip, when he lays it down, he will add sand to it.

I am also thinking about adding a drain into the floor but not sure if I will really need it. I dont really plan to use anything wet and the Industrial Shop Vac I have should do if I spill anything. I am going to have a drain underneath where my compressor goes for when I bleed it.

Not sure though. We are going to run water up there anyways so really dont know yet.

I dont want to go crazy and spend a fortune because in a year or two when we buy the house, I may build a garage because there is room. I was thinking about making the garage 2 floors. The lower level for cars and the upstairs for fab work. Im not sure yet though!!!!

So many ideas but so little $$$$$$$$

thanks,
Josh L