New "used" flooring

I just bought some recycled white oak flooring for my workshop.  It is solid 3/4″ x 2 1/2″ from our local Habitat for Humanity store here in Raleigh.  I paid $1.50 / square foot,  this is very straight grain premium grade flooring on the cheap.  Best of all, no additional trees were cut to give me a comfortable and beautiful floor.  I plan on sanding the old finish off, putting a light stain and then applying a single coat of poly to raise the grain to make the floor a bit less slippery.  This treatment is like the one Chris Schwarz mentions in his ATC book regarding his shop floor.

You’ll also notice the carriage lantern in the picture.  This has great patina and will give my Olde Tool Workshop a more vintage feel. My only concern with this fixture is the amount of light that it will give off because it will limit its usefulness after I loose my natural light.  As a remedy, I can always add supplemental lighting later if needed.

So far I am on track for getting this shop finished.   I will be laying the sub-floor tomorrow and letting the oak flooring acclimate to the space all next week.

– Aaron Henderson