Yes, lucky me. It's a room 11 x 30' on the back of a garage on the property I just moved into a month ago. Lighting is good with several large (and soon to be insulated) windows facing south and west. I'm wondering what experience any of  you have regarding paint choices--choose from color preference or something that sets the yarns off best? Also flooring.....what would you choose, and why, those of you who have remodelled a studio, or studio space, what would/did you choose, and why. what are the likes and dislikes. I won't put down laminate-artificial wood. Used it in my previous home and it's noisy, cold, spots easily and difficult for spots, even just plain water, to remove the spots. My brother today helped me lay plywood sheathing as subfloor over 2x4s and pink solid foam insulation....so I am ready for the top layer...would like to paint first and just thought I'd get some experienced weavers ideas, suggestions and comments

Thanks in advance.

Elaine Almquist formerly So Oregon Coast, now west central Wisconsin where it still feels like the Oregon coast with cool weather today and rain almost daily!

Comments

Sun, 06/30/2013 - 14:40

Sara von Tresckow

Bare floor is much easier to maintain in a fiber studio than any type of carpet (that retains lint). There is engineered wood flooring that is laid much the same as the laminate and has all the good properties of wood, if you're in Wisconsin, Kettle Moraine Hardwood in Slinger does custom wood flooring as well as cusstom mantelpieces and carrying REALLY nice wood for the things we make. Also, sheet vinyl(the no-wax kind) is reasonably tough, easy to wipe clean and has a bit of softness to it. It comes in 12' widths so it could be laid down in a single piece.

This isn't quite Oregon, but fluctuating humidity levels will require that you put in allowances for expansion and contraction. My studio floor is the old Bruce oak flooring, and right now, if I step on a certain place, you can hear and feel the other boards cracking and moving to accomodate it.

Sun, 06/30/2013 - 14:40

SallyE (not verified)

Lucky you!  In my dream studio, I'd have white non-reflecting walls and I'd leave a section of one blank for picture taking.  I'd have a hard floor that I can move looms around on and that would be easy to dust mop.   The looms would be near the windows, but the windows would have some blinds or shades so I could close out the sun when I'm not weaving, saving my warp.

I'd have yarn storage with see through doors to keep the yarn from getting dusty, but placed out of the sun so they don't fade.  I'd have room for a small table for a bobbin winding station, and a bookcase for my weaving books.

 

Sun, 06/30/2013 - 14:55

Sara von Tresckow

Wall color and lighting.

I have two palces I refer to as "studio".

The room at the house came with dark paneling. We put daylight bulbs in fluorescent pillows from Fleet Farm and replaced the double hung windows with a large south facing bay window. It is a delight to work in despite the dark paneling - in the winter it has a warm glow that makes up for the cold outside and my orchids and citrus make a nice backdrop on the window sill. There has never been any issue with seeing things and checking colors can easily be done in another room with white walls.

At the shop, we also have daylight tubes and white walls. It is larger and more open, though I wouldn't say it was all that different.

I would avoid having too many color changes or fussy wall coverings in a studio area, but there is a wide range of color and material options that will work.

As for storage - you'll outgrow any room of the size you mention, so, while you'll need some furnishings in addition to looms, yarn storage can be anywhere in your home - prior to having a shop for storage, I appropriated a linen closet, a bedroom closet, part of the basement and any other space available - just trying to store "stuff" by category or fiber type to make it easier to find.

PS: Don't write off the garage as potential storage.  You can always get a smaller car.

Sun, 06/30/2013 - 22:41

JennieHawkey (not verified)

Sara, How wonderful to get to plan a space! I love Berber carpeting. It comes in lots of light colors, cleans up wonderfully (mine is nylon, I think) and provides some texture and warmth but is a firm surface that my looms don't scoot on. It is often less expensive than some other surfaces. Hope this helps! Jennie
Tue, 07/02/2013 - 14:31

weavingintampa (not verified)

I am in the exact same position. My room is 9x30 with one long wall of french doors. I am thinking of using a light bue/gray on the walls. We are in Florida on the water so the light is intense and washes out the wall color to a soft cool hue. I am also considering an engineered wood floor. I had one in my last space and loved how easy it was to move the looms around as well as keeping it clean. In my old space I used Ikea shelves for the cones, but found them to be too shallow and narrow, though they are perfect for books, small boxes ect., I am struggling to find a storage system that could go along the long wall to store cones. I will also have a table for my computer as well as a winding station. Another consideration is storage for shuttles. Both Ikea and the Container Store have under desk storage drawer cabinets with shallow drawers. I'm thinking of taking a couple of shuttles with me and seeing if they would work.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

Wed, 07/03/2013 - 05:15

coastalgal (not verified)

Thank you all so much for the input. Storage is high on the list of priorities....one can never have too much storage space, or pockets, or as Miss Piggy says, too much money! my tastes run in the champagne category and I want a place easy to keep clean, so carpet is out-tho quieter and warmer. I have large oriental rugs to put down, easily vaccuumed and arent too confusing to see in the background while warping. Used them in the previous space. The second bay of the garage is looking rather inviting as storage and perhaps dye kitchen. I'll probably reserve that for summertime as plumbing into the garage would be a major expense, so a hose and a small hotplate, propane fired will work for dyeing. I already have enough yarns of various types, colors to last a lifetime!  best get busy and weave.

As soon as I can figure how to post pics I'll upload of the basic room and progress. I'm looking forward to the adventure.

Thanks again. Elaine in beautiful, sunny summery Wisconsin!

Wed, 07/03/2013 - 05:36

Vennui (not verified)

I have my studio in a 1200 sq foot garage. The former owner who built it put in: High ceilings, plenty of outlets, fluorescent lighting ,storage, heating, but no windows. He worked on cars. I put in special screen doors that slide across the overhead door opening. So when the weather is good I have a great view. I really like it. I have plenty of space for storage ( maybe too much for other stuff) . Plus , there is no problem getting looms in and out. I have put down carpet . I prefer a softer covering on the floor.
Wed, 07/03/2013 - 12:25

coastalgal (not verified)

Studio remodel-new subflooring down

here goes....I've viewed the YouTube on uploading......this picture should be the studio just after the subfloor is laid. done last Saturday. Today I'll patch the walls where top surface of the sheetrock has torn some, peeling paint, etc.

Wed, 07/03/2013 - 12:32

Dena (not verified)

I am storing yarn in a number of different ways, but my favorite is pegboard.  It doesn't take up much space and makes it easy to see everything.
Wed, 07/03/2013 - 14:35

tommye scanlin

Congratulations on your new studio!  I know you'll enjoy it joyfully.

About yarn storage ideas, when I moved to my current studio, which is a small frame house adjacent to our home and built in the early part of the 20th c (hence, unlevel floors), I had a challenge when considering the shelving options for yarn storage, as well as the other things I use.  After looking at free-standing shelves, cabinets, etc., and considering the wall spaces and the cost, etc., my husband & I decided to go with the modular units that are available for closet storage solutions.  The carpenter installed 2x4 along walls, then the shelving bracket units were attached to those.  Wire shelving is one the walls of three rooms and my yarn is in plastic bins on one of the walls.  Other shelves hold other plastic bins with tools, supplies for my design work, etc.  And the shelves are wide enough, with a support of foam core board on one, to hold 18x24" papers that I use.  

All in all, I've been happy with this solution and it's easily reversable by taking down the shelving, spackling in the holes used for attaching the 2x4, if and when we begin to use the house for rental property again in the future.

I also have a folding plastic table that's been quite helpful when I need a space for finishing work, for cutting papers, etc.  When not in use, it stores behind a door.  Other tool and equipment storage solutions include hanging my larger frame looms on the wall, and hanging lease sticks, raddles, etc. behind the door.

By the way, I think it would be interesting if folks posted photos of their studio solutions.

Tommye

Wed, 07/03/2013 - 15:20

Sara von Tresckow

I swear by the wire rack storage units found in most household shops. We use them at home and at the store. As open units you can see from the bottom up or the top down what is on a shelf, they are open and airy.

I started out using them to literally "wallpaper" our closets (home built in the mid 1950's). Every closet except for places where we need hanging room for clothing has them. They hold boxes, bags, and whatever needs to be stored.

They come in a wide range of sizes - when we doubled the shop space, it was an inexpensive way to display merchandise, as well - you can store many cones of a type of yarn and see your color range at a glance through the open wires of the shelves.

Wed, 07/03/2013 - 20:54

coastalgal (not verified)

could you advise which household shop you find these in, or the manufacturer? I've wandered aisles of shops for 'the perfect solution' to yarn storage for years and apparently am still wandering......there's a lot of variety in a google search!

thanks, elaine almquist

Wed, 07/03/2013 - 21:41

tommye scanlin

Is where mine came from.  Here's a link to a blog post I did as I moved into the studio a few years back.  The shelves are seen in several of the photos.

Tommye

Thu, 07/04/2013 - 04:55

Dorian

Peg board , for all those little gadgets I hate rummaging through drawers or boxes for.
Thu, 07/04/2013 - 13:05

agneslionel

I have asthma and must be very careful about chemicals. I have hardwood in the studio with area rugs on top  but I must say, it is NOT easy to keep clean. For my other looms (the studio overflow, I guess), I went with linoleum and I just love it. It is soft enough to give underfoot, absorbs noise, is easy to keep clean (especially if you wax it), and you can put area rugs under those looms that are inclined to go walkabout.