Ask Adam Savage: Making a "Renter Friendly" Home Workshop

[@tested]

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[@Risky_roamer1]

Hello.

[@jeremybresley]

Love the idea of a workshop setup show. Sounds like something that DIY or HGTV should be climbing over themselves to contact you about. Would love to see some different ideas for building a shop with various budgets (i.e. just starting out, expanding the shop, going pro, etc).

[@juliettaylorswift]

really think it should be the shop owners budget. Yes maybe they get a bit from the show, but not "surprise here's $10k". But i do really like the idea of different tiers of people (skill and budget) as i'm sure there are obvious things to a "going pro" that the lower levels might not have realized. But has to have the workshop owner HEAVILY involved showing how the viewer can fix their shop too. To add more length, maybe use the shop to build something before and after the improvements to show how much it improves ease of use and/or speed. I think the best form of the show would be where as time goes on, the shops they go to are higher and higher quality because people applied the stuff from the show. To an extent the show will kinda kill itself because of the increasing shop qualities (in theory, but ask this old house is still a show too).

[@manythingslefttobuild]

I would add various available sizes as a factor independent of the budget. Having a 'large' screened balcony and minimal budget vs small closet with 'unlimited' budget would both be interesting. Allowable noise is another fun variable, nod to the Ukrainian guy blacksmithing on his open apartment balcony.

[@juliettaylorswift]

@@manythingslefttobuild interesting...like a 3d scale composed of skill/experience, space, and budget. Well maybe more in line with 2d because more budget would generally be correlated to more space, but yes they are both separate quantifiers. Then on top of that are the harder to measure factors like noise, fumes, renting, HOA, climate, and so on.

[@jerryfick613]

I would watch this, If you haven't seen Returning the Favor with Mike Rowe, that was a Facebook studios produced show and it was initially shown only on Facebook. I wonder if anyone over there might be interested in producing this sort of thing.

[@adammiller2508]

💯 would watch. "Savage spaces" Fridays at 8

[@Warden409]

I think a workshop building show starring Adam would be wonderful. But to extend the longevity of it, I think that showing more inexperience makers how they can improve upon the space and themselves would be good. Maybe visit some community workshops as well to highlight those spaces. The possibilites are real. *EDITS FOR PHONE SPELLING*

[@timothywalsh1001]

2 subject show... Primary >> doing a makeover specific for the person's hobby. Secondary building a featured item used for the makeover. Maybe an additional segment on tiny shop that viewers submit, either to showcase how they solved a problem or a viewer who has one. Another segment on tiny tools maybe ??

[@matthewpilkington7665]

Maker's Eye for the Creative Guy . . . or Girl.

[@juliettaylorswift]

has to have the workshop owner HEAVILY involved showing how the viewer can fix their shop too. To add more length, maybe use the shop to build something before and after the improvements to show how much it improves ease of use and/or speed. The hard part is for it to find the balance between diy and the Adam showing up with $10k to upgrade your shop ($10k picked as example from other shows). I think the best form of the show would be where as time goes on, the shops they go to are higher and higher quality because people applied the stuff from the show. To an extent the show will kinda kill itself because of the increasing shop qualities (in theory, but ask this old house is still a show too).

[@Allofthemonkeys]

When I was a renter, I did lots of projects either outside, at a friend or family members house, or small things I could do in my apartment like leatherwork or sewing over model building or wood working. I own my house now, but my shop space is still small (10ftx12ft) so lots of my projects are done on sawhorses in the yard or carport

[@jonmktchell]

On carpet maybe the best alternative floor is a raised platform. That way in the end the wear and tear will merely look like a piece of furniture sat there. You could put edges on this platform to prevent spills/leaks and seal with multiple layers as Adam suggests.

[@carliegriffiths6290]

Yeah i was thinking something like this. I mean a strong bed frame could make a good starter base.

[@brianwaskow5910]

I had a few buddies that rented an apartment. They also rented a large storage unit that had power, that is where they set up there shop. They had boxes of stuff in the front to help camouflage all the tools in the back. Mini frig and an old couch. The code would for it was "The Lodge."

[@markvanover4915]

I would ABSOLUTELY watch Adam setting up shops. Could be the best thing on whatever media it’s on!!

[@zerodegreec]

I had setup some workshops over the years in rented places and I found linoleum ontop of some plywood (ontop carpet) worked really well. The edges curl up (normally an issue) but it ended up being like a bowl and kept any mess from spilling off the sides. Super cheap and easy to pack up and move when the time comes.

[@DesireeWalker]

Ever have any issues with humidity or mold underneath the plywood & linoleum? Currently looking into something like this for total coverage of my floorspace but not sure if trapping moisture in the carpet will be an issue.

[@zerodegreec]

@@DesireeWalker I never had an issue but its very dry where I live. It was never sealed so I dont know why moisture would build up, its not like its a spray booth or a place that had high moisture environments.

[@djbassaus]

I'd be concerned with the weight compressing the carpet fibres over time.

[@carliegriffiths6290]

@@djbassaus a way to help combat that is to lay some more carpet fluffy side down then put your board on top. The bristles of the two caroets will sort of mesh, rather than being completely compressed. Although saying that, most rentals ive known all have closed short pile carpet, as its more hardy.

[@rabbitholeaverted9373]

My mini-workshop tool-tip: There is a fantastic modular powertool system sold under two brands (Black&Decker "Matrix" and Craftsman "Bolt-on") where a drill-driver is two separate quick-connect pieces; the same driver is a saw or router or pump or sander etc with a quick swap of the tool-head. This has two advantages, it means a previously space-hogging huge range of power-tools suddenly fits in a tiny space, and it also allows you to swap the driver instead of the tool-head, so all your powertools have both a cordless version and a wall-power version. I'm not associated with the products in any way, I rave because they're great when space is at a premium. (It's also cheaper to buy just a tool-head attachment than a regular one-piece tool-driver)

[@Oldrookietrucker]

Adam, all your wonderful anecdotes and experience sharing aside; every single time you say “That is a great question!” It not only makes me smile but I know it genuinely comes from the heart and makes people’s days, weeks, months etc… I came to this channel for the “celeb cred” but I keep coming back for the connections, human, fallible, and authentic. I appreciate your time. Sincerely.

[@MoarHam]

I've used hardwood floor slats (13'x6") that interconnect as the base for both workshop and office setups over carpet in the past. Even a couple slats are long & wide enough to evenly distribute weight and not completely crush carpet; it's less impactful than the furniture that sits on top of it would be. When I finally removed those slats, it was the cleanest carpet in my entire apartment. Further adding a waterproof layer, like a plastic mat, would more than suffice to prevent spills from getting through the slats themselves.

[@Kami8705]

Keep everything mobile, and be prepared for a lot of set up and take down. As far as that TV shoe you suggested, I'd be all for it. Heck, I'd love to work on that show, I love setting up shops

[@bryanbeasley6037]

In military barracks a friend built a workshop in a old uhaul he got. It was awesome and the renters/apartment question reminded me of this. He had solar power and a back up generator. Installed ventilation and some soundproofing. I know this isn’t for everyone, but an old used van or truck and renovate it if you have the parking space. It was like his backyard shed with no yard. Just wanted to throw that idea here for others to generate better ideas :).

[@DrKahnihoochima]

I've found that old entertainment unit cabinets can be good to store a variety of tools out of sight without looking terribly out of place. Lee Valley also has plans for a nice apartment workbench that closes up on itself. Also, a show on shop builds would be awesome; from garage to spare bedroom to closet to camouflaged/multipurpose furniture.

[@36736fps]

Old used entertainment cabinets and computer hutches are often really cheap, easy to disassemble and reassemble.

[@MichelleInMinneapolis]

I didn't rent my place because of this (because I started doing miniatures after moving in), but my place has concrete floors, which is very comforting! They already look like crap and the guy who lived here before me had a vintage motorcycle in the corner and the marks are still there! I don't spray paint in here though, I go outside onto the patio and use black plastic garbage bags taped down to the patio table when I need to spray something. So, depending on the rental market and your situation, being careful about which apartment you choose can make a difference. I've seen some places that have actual craft/workshop rooms for residents to use too!

[@Frankjallan]

When I was going through school to become a gunsmith, they had a blueprint for a coffee table that turned into a gunsmith bench with tool storage. It was quite nice, and you couldn’t tell that it was anything other than a table until it was unfolded. The design was for apartment dwellers with limited space.

[@Cosmitzian]

As someone that has done and does 'maker stuff' in a small one room appartment, my advice is to be very safe, like Adam said, just make sure if there's ANY chance of something going wrong, it's not going to screw anything up. Put down tarps, and papers and cover things up. Importantly, clean often, even while and during making. Don't let stuff sit, and try to never leave a messy workspace between sessions. Even if you're coming back to it the next day, anything can happen. I've found working at low coffee tables worked really well versus at a full table, when talking of stuff that can splatter, just because you limit where that can go really. Also, if you cut a lot of things.. uh... get a vise that has good rubber clamps and can attach to.. there's one way to say this, your toilet's edge. The ceramic is often very strong and sturdy, for most stuff you would want to do in an appartment, and it's probably THE most well-clamped and sturdy thing in your entire place minus the actual walls. You also have easy clean up (though try to limit it to wood if you can, and just sawdust, not chunks ofc), by just wiping the edge and flushing. Weird, but honestly, if it's between that and cutting up sawdust in the same room i sleep in? Yeah, it's going to be the bathroom, and it's going to be the toilet. I can at least wash down my entire bathroom.

[@elizabethturner2421]

The most useful "tool" I had for working in my first apartment was a 2' x4' sheet of 3/4" plywood on which I mounted a set of folding legs, yielding a desk-high bench. I still have it, 37 years later. Painter's canvas dropcloths (over moisture-impervious sheets, like good old blue tarps) will be much less slippery than than plastic tarps alone. As CMDR Dark Light noted, the adhesive floor coverings that building contractors use to protect floors is worth investigating; a big-box hardware store should have them as well as non-adhesive kraft paper floor protection in in 3-foot wide rolls.

[@JeffGrahamPhotography]

You are doing the makeover show in a way. I’ve learned many things from you and other makers as I continue creating my shop. Thanks Adam!

[@danon-theautisticmaker8112]

It's like the building I was in got condemned so because of the housing cost skyrocketing & housing shortage I'm in a motel, but I still needed/wanted & set up a making space here in my motel room. Made my own free standing furniture with drywall screws, 2x4's, 4x4's, sheet of melamine etc. All very ruff & basic, yet functional. Super super careful everything that I do & work with.

[@NukaSmurf]

The wife and I use drop cloths, but mostly when we picked our apartment, we chose this one because the carpet is in need of replacing. We own a carpet shampooer for when things get messy (and pets). We have a private balcony I can put an outdoor rug on when I need to do sanding to vacuum the mess, or quickly roll things up if weather turns. In doors you need FANS, I've got a couple box fans that I modified so it's housing keeps it secure in the window. Tarps are great too. It takes probably 20mins to an hour some times to "set-up" my workspace everyday. It's worth the hassle to be making the things I want though. Also it helps my wife has a full time job that affords us a two-bedroom, we gave up on having a "Guest room". Our living room is the "Office", thank you pandemic for making working at home a reality. Our 60in TV for Xbox gaming is in the bed room. Our "spare room" is a Crafting area, we can keep the cats out of.

[@JamesCrandallPainting]

I made a large carpeted room into a painting studio. I made a “false floor.” First layer: Ram Board floor-protecting roll cardboard (used in filming and building trades available at some home centers), baseboard-to-baseboard, taped together with Kraft tape. It’s made to want to lie flat. Second layer: tongue and groove flooring plywood, held together with thin aluminum “mending plates” screwed onto surface. Third layer: another layer of taped Ram Board. Except for slight bumps where mending plates were, surface was stable and firm enough to roll heavy tool cabinets and easels around easily. Occasional spills were absorbed by top layers of Ram Board, which could be patched by fresh pieces as necessary. 3+ years later when we moved out, we took everything up (saving a lot of it for re-use), vacuumed the carpet, and everything looked great! Because the plywood had covered every bit of the floor, it had been uniformly compressed, and there were no strange divots anywhere. We took a chance. Worst case, we were prepared to pay to re-carpet the room as a cost of doing business for those years.

[@TechJeeper]

Another idea is to explore your local maker space. Being a member of that helps build the community as well as mitigates the risk. Plus you get access to all of their cool supplies!

[@joseesparza4133]

Perfect timing for this topic. Thank you Adam and thanks to those who wrote in with the questions.

[@MorningDusk7734]

For those too young to have their own place (i.e. living with their guardians still), whatever small garage corner you can get, remember that verticality is your friend. Some cheap 1'x2' shelving, a small work table, maybe a collapsible table for temporary work, and some hook board can go a long way. Overhead hooks and finding ways to nest things is also critical to maximizing space.

[@cjbralph]

The mini shop show sounds amazing! Please make it happen!!!!

[@hannaheggert8269]

Please please please pitch a TV show where you help set up workshops in houses and apartments of all sizes. That sounds like the best show ever!

[@scarletlightning565]

I'm currently in the proccess of hunting for a house to rent on my own. I have thought of some ideas for a rent friendly machine shop to be built in a single or double car garage. Mainly to do with the benches: rubber feet and heavy frame for rigidity without damaging the floor; and large backboards to prevent spills or loose parts going down against the wall, also doubling as vertical storage space (pegboard or shelving), with thick foam pads to protect the walls from bumps and vibration. Also water buckets under any grinding/sanding tools to minimise dust (less spesifically a renter friendly tip, more just a good idea) I wouldn't tempt fate with anything more than 3D printing, gluing or brush painting inside, ESPECIALLY over carpet.

[@warpspeedmage7182]

The Maker Space show idea would be freaking amazing. Everyone has so many great ideas here in the comments! I think the most beautiful process for me would be learning more about the maker first, what they like to "make" so you can have a focus driven shop plan. Then in figuring out the layout and design for the shop, the Maker gets to plan a project to work on in that new shop for the show...and Adam gets to hang out after the shop is built to help with that project as well as learn new Maker processes directly from the person they are helping. Real give and take stuff...I believe we would all adore that.

[@dbissex]

That small/temporary workshop focused show would be incredible. I sincerely hope that becomes a reality

[@Oldcarnut63]

A show on setting up workshops is cool but also going to people's workshops large and small across the country wouldn't be a bad show either people could see other people's workshops and get some ideas from it

[@PeterIsATeacher]

Oh this is the perfect vid for me right now! This problem is a great one to tackle because it really breaks down what the most important aspects of a home workshop are.

[@jeffallen3598]

It would be great to get some tutorials on setting up smaller shops… what to think about, where to start, anything that would allow us, who have very different situations, to have the tools to solve their own unique situations. Right now, my problems are part of a 737 cockpit, HP Plotter and a big 3D printer all in a 10x15 space where I’m trying to work on other projects in and around these things. I’m sure with some plywood and 2x4’s there is a solution that I’m miles away from even thinking of at this point. A show or tutorials may get me or others in a similar situation there faster and make life easier. I haven’t seen many shops at all and there may be one out there that has a setup I like and could do.

[@coookietm]

I'm in an apartment, so i mostly stick to 3d printing for now. With the printer, having a slab of concrete on top of 2" foam really helps dampen the sound. I also have cats, so I made a DIY sandblasting box to take 3d print supports off. (I don't want my cats to eat them.) The sandblasting box also helps if i want to dremel something.

[@ElectroDFW]

Would love to see how you made a DIY sandblaster.

[@coookietm]

@@ElectroDFW The only thing that sucks is the angle of the arms. After 30min it becomes very uncomfortable. I found it here on youtube: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHqclHmserJ8d8U&ab_channel=AndrewW

[@F2Dcombat]

That should be a super cool show - if it gets going you could have a segment where you go back and look at what worked and what did not work in a particular workshop.

[@revspyder]

I've done the floor covering! Rented a townhouse years ago and set up a machine shop in a carpeted basement! As a model engineer i built a lot in a few years in that shop. I layed formica board down and duct taped it at seams on the under side with a shiny white side up. I can tell you it worked great but after two years it did permanently flatten the carpet. It was nit a thick shag carpet but not a tight pike type carpet. So i can tell you from experience it protects from dust, paint, metal shavings etc. But will permanently flatten a carpet with deep texture.

[@sadville13]

I have a carpeted room that I use. What I did was I took those foam tiles that you can get from the hardware store. They're really easy to cut and fit to the room perfectly. On top of that I took clear computer chair mats and laid them down. The landlord was happy with this. My shop light I attached to some timbers than connects to the top of my paints/glues etc shelf. I only really needed one shop light above my work desk as I don't do a lot of big works, mostly miniatures and stuff like that. Running electricity for long periods of time can also be very expensive when you're renting and already on a budget. Running more than one light along with the computer, sound system, other electronics you use to make with can really add up. There's a lot to think about.

[@reidarcomposano317]

I am currently a law student, and woodworking is my primary hobby. I have an office space where I both woodwork and do school. My first recommendation is that just about every piece of furniture be on wheels. My entire office is on wheels with the exception of an old metal barrister bookcase. Next, make sure everything has a home so that you can entirely switch gears and separate the two use-spaces when necessary. I have a medium sized tool chest, two shelves in my barrister, and around 1/2 of the floor of the closet reserved for tools, etc.; I also have a large pegboard that I mounted (this did require 4x screws in wall, but I made a design where the entire board can lift on/off the wall, leaving only two wall-matching mounts on the wall for when I need to video call). My workbench, while not ideal, gets the job done. I have a file cabinet under my desk (on locking wheels ofc) that I roll out. I place a thick table on my file cabinet. The table has a “border” underneath that I sized to the top of my file cabinet to avoid the table sliding. The table is stored behind my tool chest. As far as lighting goes. I live and die by the headlamp. Next comes the cleaning supplies and PPE. I have ready access to all sorts of cleaning devices: all types of wipes, compressed air, shop vac, dust buster, etc. I also have a box fan by my window and plenty of high quality masks for when I do any spraying (I also cover my furniture with a sheet when spraying). There are lots of other little gadgets that I have in here (3d printer, mounts, etc.). I also have a strict rule to return the space to “office” at the end of every day. Everything goes back to its home. This is annoying, but I have the clean-up down to a science at this point. That’s all! Good luck. Edit: accidentally said “for study and school” rather than for “woodworking and school.” Yes, I need to study 😬

[@Gazongola]

My general go to is a large rug I don't mind getting stuff on, with a decent backing, and a 4-6 person dining table. It's a pretty good base. And then plenty of movable storage, like boxes, tool boxes, and drawers etc.

[@jwcph]

My immediate thought: Build a "cabin" inside the room - basically, a free-standing box with your workstation inside. A bit like a practice box for a musician, except it doesn't need to be sound-proof (unless you use noisy power tools), and therefore it isn't necessary to build it fully enclosed. The biggest challenge I see with that is making it stand on the carpet without ruining it too much. The best would probably be for it to rest on as few points as possible - perhaps just one large, flat "foot" in each corner, with a floor built basically to code resting on those. The walls could just be something like 0.8 inch OSB, which would also be lovely to screw stuff into. I would include a ceiling, too, for the "screwing stuff" reason, and to give some strength and stability to the walls. I would also probably use noxious paints etc. as little as possible. I have a small workshop in my own apartment (owner, not renter, though), and try to use water-based paints and sprays as much as I can - for my health, of course, but also because the smell of it can really travel and bother my neighbors.

[@86fifty]

absolutely hugely a fan of the idea of "Adam Savage Setting Up Shop" TV Show! It's like professional organizers - they love doing this one thing, cleaning up messes, so they go do it for other ppl who pay them to do it! Also, the internet is having outages??? It has been where I live too. I thought it was just our Local Regional Monopoly Company, which is known to be cruddy. Well, which ones aren't, I guess...

[@ShamWerks]

A.S.S.U.S. sounds like a weird acronym though.

[@ramosel]

As a landlord, I have worked with tenants. First off, no really noisy tools at 2am... be mindful of others and neighbors. I tell them that if they want to make things then they need to fix things... put them back the way you found them. We take pictures and agree to conditions. If you bolt something to the wall, fix the hole. If ruin the carpet, replace the carpet. Of the 3 times I've done this it was successful 2.5 times. The 1/2 wrong the tenant did ruin the carpet and took out all the bad carpet and surrendered his deposit in favor of putting in new carpet. Cost me about $200 more than the deposit. We're still good friends. One of my tenants found an insurance policy through a maker space that cover's renters should they make a catastrophic blunder. I know nothing more than he showed me the policy.

[@tvtoms]

Here are a few ideas. Swing arm curtain rods with curtains can hide unsightly storage areas such as under tables, open cabinets or shelves. Wire mesh panels hung vertically on walls with 3m style hooks for lighter storage. Floor to ceiling spring loaded poles / panels / shelving for heavier. Bed risers to raise not only the bed but kitchen table. It provides more storage and allows for easier work standing or sitting at a counter height I find. Consider hanging any heavy thing inside a closet where you can patch any penetration and they are less likely to care or notice. Buy a big sheet of PVC plastic for use as a huge fool proof drop cloth. Big enough to extend up the walls a few feet all around. Something like the black and white "panda" plastic they sell at garden centers. There's a few to grow on anyway.

[@ElectroDFW]

With the budget you're expecting them to spend, they could own instead of rent.

[@tvtoms]

@@ElectroDFW This is in reply to me? Everything I mentioned was no more than a few hundred bucks one time expenditure.

[@ElectroDFW]

@@tvtoms not just you, but yeah, let me check the couch cushions and see if I can come up with a few hundred bucks I didn't know I had just laying around... 🙄

[@tvtoms]

@@ElectroDFW Haha I am on a fixed income of less than 1400 a month! You think I'm loaded with cash after sharing the LOWEST budget ideas on here. Not sure what else to say. Good luck.

[@alexandramahairas2337]

As a young renter, I do suggest keeping some cardboard boxes (from moving) for doing any spray painting. They make for excellent makeshift painting boxes and are reusable as patten-piece mockups. I personally love painting trays and cups for liquids cause you never know when you're going to need to put something down. Apart from that drop mats and blankets are always your best friend. Picnic blankets do a good job as they have a built-in absorbent layer and plastic layer. Try working off the floor as much as possible and always keep in mind spills, fumes and ventilation. Good luck

[@littlekong7685]

I have a home secretary desk with an attached side table. On the side table I have glued a thin metal L piece along all 3 edges (the fourth is attached to the raised desk). This adds a 1.5 millimetre lip and creates a robust protective edge, and because it is black it actually looks good too, I wish I had known about glue accelerators, because it took me an hour to set everything flush without gaps so as to 100% prevent minor spills from finding a hole and dripping. A friend bought some cheap dollar store plastic bins (3ftx4ft) and cut them down to only be a shallow 2 inch pan. She used these for doing all of her resin work from filling, moulding, setting, carving, and gluing. Everything was done in these $4 bin trays, which were sturdier and larger than any painting or automotive tray for a tiny cost and were essentially disposable. Large enough to work in, small enough to move around and stackable for storage as she had to use the dining table or outside table on nice days.

[@Mortifier21]

I live in a tiny flat and gardening is one of my hobbies, so I have a 4x4 grow tent with grow lights and a couple little workbenches. I've been thinking of using the space for crafts instead of plants lately. It already has great lighting!

[@jeepspeedracer]

I own a house now but the small spray paint booth on wheels I built is a great idea to be able to put outside and do any form of paint or resin on it. Definitely worth it to make one that can fold out bigger if you have to get into an apartment elevator or something.

[@ZilloTea]

LED lighting also doesn't use up a ton of power. Very efficient, and can handle many lights on a single circuit

[@AidyJames]

This! I also have a ring light on a stand that I can use if I need more lighting in a specific spot or if I need something to be particularly well-lit.

[@ansellprops1684]

We had a spare room in our apartment here in sweden which I am slowly turning into a makeshift workshop. I bought a giant rug from ikea for the floor, and have used tension shower rods and curtains to protect the walls.

[@naseausderhuette]

We’re renting in the east bay with a small garden. We fit a 8’x12’ shed, 9’ high in there. A outdoor 20amp extension cord feeds power through the dryer vent all the way to the shed, going to into a male nema inlet (marina stuff), all inside an electrical bubble. It’s a paradise for me. I found a 8’ long massive oak table in a Berkeley university outlet warehouse for $60 which I put on top of two husky toolboxes from Home Depot. It’s a significant but cheap workbench that will last a long time! A used medical chair from Craigslist is a perfect shop chair! So far I fit a 10” drill press, a 12” disc sander, a vise and a 7” evolution steel chop saw in there. My little attic is my storage! Man I love this thing

[@reddcube]

For renting, don't be afraid of nailing and hanging. A small nail hole is easy to patch and doesn't damage paint like Command strips. Also taking lots of photos and print them out. When you want your security deposit back no one is going to check emailed photos.

[@frasercossar407]

Yes, yes please! I’d be on your Tiny Workshop makeover/ set-up show! I have a 8x7, attached- chicken coop to my century home. An 6’+ board needs to stick out the door to be cut on my moveable mitre saw. I’m so envious of full shops!

[@brentrockwood]

With regard to the "apartment shop" question, look in to apartment darkrooms. Photographers have been dealing with nasty chemicals in apartments with portable setups for decades. Usually it involves something that is easy to set up and take down in the bathroom. If there is a spill, you are surrounded by hard surfaces and they are designed to be easy to clean if you get to it quickly.

[@AndyGeesGarage]

I rented an apartment that came with a storage room in the basement and actually built several custom motorcycles there. However I did not do any welding, grinding or paint work there. I did that in a friends bike shop that I worked at part time.

[@CSNCSNCSN]

RE: lighting. Cheap adhesive 12V LED strips + ~1/2" aluminum angle + any old computer power supply makes a surprisingly effective and very inexpensive way to light a small to medium space. Whipped mine up 6 years ago and only one little patch of 3 LEDs failed, otherwise plugging along fine. I also used some of the PSU's extra power to run an automotive stereo amp to a pair of 6x9s from a Chromecast for tunes.

[@79hirider]

When I set up a RC model shop in the spare bedroom of my first apartment. I put a 4x8 piece of 3/8 plywood down against the wall. Covered it with Linoleum tile squares and then set my workbench up on that. I did alot of cutting and grinding with a Dremel and worked with small dirty and oily parts that I would frequently drop and the 4x8 tiled floor kept the chips and dirty parts from finding the newly installed carpets. After 3 years I moved out, picked up the plywood and the carpet was still as new as it was when I moved in. I got my full deposit.

[@Telamon8]

My tip for small room shops: most of your work shop will probably be entirely confined to a table or desk, like mine pretty much exclusively is. You want to do everything you can to keep your hands clean as much as possible. A bit of ink or paint on the palm of your hand you didn't notice, and suddenly your doors or carpet or everything is covered in it. Keep a bottle of hand cleaner within arms reach at all times, have something that helps keep your hands raised, have gloves and a bag to dispose them in, all of that. Keep yourself clean, and you'll go a long way to keeping your house clean.

[@Dan_Murphy]

I would love to watch you make workshops for people! That would make a great show.

[@alexhelvetica]

Friends of mine live in a small (but not tiny) 1 bedroom rowraise for the past 7 years, who are into hobbyist electronics and amateur radio. They have a lot of shoveling in the open-plan kitchen/lounge, and a workshop on the balcony. They were renting, and were given notice to leave as the landlord was wanting to sell. They ended up buying the apartment as moving out would have been a massive task. Thinking about how you can use the space before renting, is probably the way to go

[@RadicalEdwardStudios]

My advice for renters who want a shop is to join a hackerspace, if you can find one nearby.

[@TonyPowell_Munich]

That was what I was going to suggest too. They likely have other tools you don't have/can't afford as well!

[@RadicalEdwardStudios]

@@TonyPowell_Munich Yeah, and no matter how hard you try, if it's an apartment and you're running a chisel or a saw at 2am, your neighbors will throw you out the window. So like, buildings where you can be noisy matter, too.

[@NatorDM]

This guy is so great... I haven't watched him since the OG Mythbuster days I knew he had a channel but I had never watched it because I thought I wouldn't have the space for a little shop in my apartment really inspiring. Building a wall on wheels right now, and it's daunting despite it seeming simple. No elevator in my building and I live on the top 3rd floor I was trying to think of a portable option but looks like I'm just going to have to put the back seat down in my honda accord and get some 9ft 2 x4's lol. That's going to be fun moving up the stairs alone. The advice regarding light is really good. Dealing with just ceiling fan light right now and damn I can't see anything that my shadow covers from it.

[@awandererfromys1680]

Always keep a few good sturdy cardboard boxes around. The bigger the better. They make for great makeshift spray paint boxes or paint dryers. Whether it's airbrush or rattlecan, indoor or outdoor, it keeps everything nice and contained. Flatpack them into a corner or something. You can build yourself a simple wooden box with a fan and HEPA filter of course, but a big cardboard box is a great alternative on the fly. On lighting, if colour matters then the light source does too. Modern LEDs are pretty good in that regard but not all sources are created equal. Our eyes only register the wavelengths present in the light source. If the source is particularly 'cold' or 'warm' things will look different than when viewed under full-spectrum light (i.e. sunlight). It matters for your workshop but also for displays and galleries. Bad lighting can really screw you. Now that halogen and fluorescent are mostly phased out it's less of an issue, but make sure that whatever you get is labeled full-spectrum or something similar.

[@cmdrdarklight]

Adhesive plastic carpet covering used by construction companies to protect floors available from good hardware stores would be great in these situations😉

[@xentrix89]

Same here! a bright light source is so important you could say its like night and day!

[@austinwagner3231]

My apartment workshop mostly revolves around 3D printing. Its generally a much cleaner practice than other crafts, which is nice. When I do something a little more messy, I often used shared community space outside. Im lucky enough to have a back yard, but its shared with my entire complex. If you cobble together a dedicated mobile crafting station, like a rucksack or beach cooler, you could even go to a local park.

[@TheodoraBrass]

Please do the tiny shop show. PLEASE! 🙏🏻

[@alanturing8382]

My wife in I are painters, and we painted in our apartment. When we left, we painted any areas that had stains to match the carpet color.

[@ThomasWren]

A really simple way to get good bright light exactly where you need it without spending lots of money or setting up posable, adjustable lights is to buy a really good head torch.

[@ArcanumV]

For protecting the floors, rubber-backed commercial floor mats are great. They're fairly cheap at your local hardware store, and they're a solid color and not as deep as most carpeting, so it's easier to find those tiny pieces that escape. For spray painting, Wagner sells several shelters and tents that catch overspray. You could probably repurpose a child's play tent or camping tent for the same thing, but be sure to not get inside it (for ventilation safety).

[@SandPVRR]

I have an interesting perspective on this - I'm a landlord who also lives on the property that I rent out. As a result I avoid some of the 'landlord doesn't really care' sorts of things. I discovered when I went to put a work bench into my own part of the property that I ran into many of these same things - how not to damage anything - etc. I wound up with a full piece of recycled kitchen counter (7 feet or so long) that I built a framework under (simple I frame out of 2x4s) and took two saw horse kits and used them for the legs. Its freestanding - was insanely cheap since most of it was recycled materials and I even took some of the discarded kitchen cabinets and used them for shelving on the bench. It all comes apart with a combination of wood screws (for the peg board backing) and carriage bolts that hold the top shelf to the kitchen cabinets and the cabinets to the bench. Has worked well since 2009 and some small scraps of discarded carpet keep the legs off the faux hardwood floor. A few countersunk wood screws - the peg board backing - the boards for the top and the 2x4s to build the frame and legs and the metal saw horse clamps themselves were the only cash outlay. On the topic of returning security deposits - one of the things that people do not take into account is the truly insane labor costs involved to do the simplest things - it takes seconds to put a 10-penny nail into a wall to hang a picture - but it could take HOURS to fill the hole and repaint - only to have the next tenant put a nail back in the same spot. I'm generally pretty chill about those things - but honestly - a $750 / month rental once cost me $3000 to turn around for the next tenant. Why? They burned scented candles and the entire place had a black smoke film on every wall. The lease said no smoking - but nothing about candles. The cleaning bill alone was literally twice the security deposit.

[@pkobalt]

I think if you want to cover a floor, one of those clear things you put over carpet to help chairs roll might be the way to go. It's clear so if there's any kind of problem going on underneath, you can see and hopefully sort it out quickly.

[@AdmiralSnakB4r]

i work portable in everything i do, i do vehicle repair when im not doing my model/lego building or painting. what i always find useful is nurmerous toolboxes and even jewelery boxes to help keep track of the small things. i use these a lot with legos and rc building too.

[@Amalgamotion]

I have had a mini shop of some sort inside my apartment for about 10 years now. I am a craftsman by trade and try my hand at sculptures and make my own furniture. I've lived in several rentals in this time and I have some pointers. Carpet mask should only be laid down for roughly a month, while it's an amazing shield against liquids the adhesive will leave itself on your carpet if its in a high traffic area or down for too long. However, its about the best product to lay down under a drop cloth and tarp if you just want the peace of mind for the weekend. Totally with Adam on the layer's. can be found in the carpet section of most hardware stores. Invest in a diy fume hood of some kind. better yet do it outside, but sometimes you cannot. Understandable! But you will pay twice for that spray. Plus, your pets, plants and landlord all benefit from the lack of over spray. If you are consistently noisy, and share walls with neighbor's. Consider making your neighbor's little gifts so they think of you as more an Elvish or Dwarven workshop, than mad scientist laboratory. Noise complaints will get you kicked out of most places if you get too many. I've had to pour money into a place before leaving just to prevent a hefty bill if not downright lawsuit. If you cannot find a sweet landlord that will work and understand what your up to. think of it as a game with serious consequences if you don't crush it. I fully encourage a show helping makers build out their spaces, show off what this country is up to in our little passion project rooms. (edited b/c it it, isn't a thing)

[@LazerRay1]

I live in a one bedroom apartment and I have a small area set up next to the dining table for Nerf modding or building model kits, my tools are in a plastic drawer unit, I have a small vice with a weighted base, and I use old small package envelopes as a disposable surface when painting (detail painting done inside, spray painting outside), everything can be easily packed up into a corner when not in use and doesn't damage anything when in use. I even designed my own dart catcher that can be packed into a plastic container when not in use yet its easy to set up when needed.

[@Dima_Sen_]

Amazing Adam! Just amazing 🤩

[@ChronosFatherOfTime]

As a person who specialises in floors, if you want something that isn't permanent, place down a layer of builders plastic as your water proof layer, then a layer of what we in Australia called 'Ram Board', which is a cardboard like, heavy duty temporary floor that builders use to keep the original floor in good condition, especially when working in preestablished houses.

[@thetombuck]

I've got a big bit of Lino on the floor of my rented garage. Great for spills and doubles as a cutting mat

[@OliB150]

I am so on board for a workshop setup show of some sort - I’ve wanted to get some machinery for a while but don’t really know where to start, so it would be super helpful to see some startups with future proofing as well as some transformations. Whoever it is that can make this happen, please do!

[@davidmarden4789]

I'm going through this right now. I bought a folding welding table from HF and added a small vice to it. I'm having to push my non running project car in and out of the shop and it's pretty difficult considering I'm not very mobile right now. You have to plan what and when you want to work on at any given time to best utilize the space you have.

[@kenbousquet4060]

We are really fortunate in that our apartment has a large bathroom, so a lot of projects get done in there. Especially anything involving saw dust or paint!

[@user-sq6nu3rv1m]

Good LED lighting definitely helps. I aimed for 50 lumen/sqft for our new garage with 2 additional 5,000 lumen fixtures over the workbench. I also got fixtures that can be "daisy-chained" together which reduces the need to switched electrical outlets and allows me to reposition the lights if I want to.

[@Gibbtall]

Any recommendation for brand? I picked up some cheap led strips on amazon that crapped out in less than a year. I can never find the panels Adam mentions at the price he seems to think they are. Maybe it's because I'm in Canada but all these hardware store panels are like $80 each.

[@user-sq6nu3rv1m]

@@Gibbtall I got a few 4-packs of 4 foot long "linkable" 5,000 lumen LED "shop lights" made by Honeywell. They have been good since I installed them in 2020 in an unheated garage. I did swap out one that started making a weird noise but the rest have been trouble-free. I don't run them 24x7 either so your mileage may vary though.

[@Gibbtall]

@@user-sq6nu3rv1m How much did those cost? I might just be sol and have to spend $80 per.

[@davidlowson100]

LED panels have made a huge difference to my garage, and I only have 2 x 1200x300 panels. I think I am going to bring it up to 6 panels in a 1 and a half car space shop. Make sure you get ones with the correct colour/kelvin and lumen values to have a nice, bright, clean light. To mount them on the ceiling in my rental, I made mounts from wood battens, which are then held on to the concrete by 3M Extreme Velcro (with the epoxy adhesive). When I move out they will peel off the concrete. People also often forget that white ceilings and walls make a difference as well. Landlords may be OK with painting your garage/shop white (its only white after all), particularly if you pay for it yourself.

[@RetroTekGuyAU]

Smaller shop areas within another area that I've been to I've found the simple approach of building a room within a room. A boxed off area is probably the best thing to do

[@garyscarborough4346]

Might I suggest that if you live in an area with outdoor storage units, that one of these would be ideal for a maker space? I just finished renting a garage size locker (for storage while moving between houses) and it would be ideal. It didn't have power or a toilet but a small generator and port-o-potty would make it usable all day. And if you live in an area with winter, run the generator outside or use an exhaust hose. A small electric heater would keep you warm enough. Obviously not a place to leave things like paint which may freeze. Another option is to ask apartment complexes if they are updating any apartments. I rented an apartment once and when they told me they still needed to install carpet, I asked if they could leave the bare floors. The entire apartment have concrete floors with a vinyl faux wood water/stain proof layer on top. The landlord was happy as he saved wear and tear costs on the capret for the year I lived there.

[@coreyennis9411]

The rental ones I have dealt with are very specific about not allowing any of those things. Mostly because of fire danger. Or, worry about people living in them. Maybe if they were separate structures.

[@holgerheinrich2992]

As a very small public service adress, and as a guy working in renting real estate professionally: Getting your security deposit back relies very much on the handover-protocol! Note down everything of the current state of your apartment, and have this signed by the landlord and yourself, add pictures of all surfaces, and you should be pretty much safe! As long as you still have it at the time of handing your flat back.

[@goat325]

This is a question near and dear to my heart and I have for you a marvelous solution: baby drop cloths. You know what makes a huge and often liquid mess? Children. They make waterproof drop cloths designed to be washed and set over flooring (even with grippy bits on the back so they don't slide!) so that your children don't destroy the floor when they fling strained peas or vomit uncontrollably or knock their juice cup over. They're not impervious, but they're cheap, waterproof, and portable. I don't do much painting, but these are the reason I've done what I've done. May this knowledge help you on your travels.

[@MarcusBeirne]

Lumicluster's workshop is one of the best examples of a small workshop I have ever seen. I can't find the video, but I know she talked about her setup when she was working in her sister's music studio, and the challenges she faced in working with silicone and resin in a space where spills couldn't happen.

[@button-puncher]

Surge suppressors are important on LED lighting. Tripp Lite sells nice single outlet cube surge suppressors that are perfect for that application. Budget shop lights typically have no or very little filtering on the incoming line so spikes can easily fry things. VFDs and mini-mills with brushed DC motors put a bunch of garbage on the AC line. Its important to have stuff like that on a separate line. I use an online (double conversion) UPS that all of my lighting and sensitive electronics plug in to.

[@FierceDeityLink1990]

I'm so glad I found a ground floor appartement that has a small storage shed outside that I can use as a workshop and it's not attached to any buildings so I don't annoy the neighbours with noise

[@rickmmakes]

If you want to start woodworking in apartments go with carving or all hand tools. I used to throw a tarp down and cleaned it all up when I was done.

[@heliank6905]

If you keep each type of fixture on separate circuits, you can balance out the lights after the fact with dimmers. The other concern is the color of the lights changing what you see. You will want LED's with a decent CRI (Color Rendering Index). I find myself taking pictures of resistor and pin color bands because the flash LED on my phone gives a more accurate color representation. The cheap overhead florescent lights at work and my flashlight make some colors indistinguishable, namely orange and red color bands.

[@NotThatChrisJohnson]

My wife and I (a chef and a musician/puppet builder respectively) live in a 200 or so sq ft apartment in Manhattan with no countertops and a shower in the living room that somehow functions as a recording studio, puppet workshop, chef’s kitchen and a cozy home. We’ve managed to make a lot of different stuff in our tiny space.

[@joemedley195]

Don’t know about apartments. I had a rental house a few years ago with a garage. I put my shelving units and peg boards in the garage on French cleats. It took me longer to put up than to take down. The French cleats also meant that I could easily rearrange my shop as my understanding of my craft improved. I still do that every though I now own.

[@BarcroftLaboratories]

Really depends what you are intending to do, I had workspaces (not full workshops) in rented flats. I had a desk that i worked on and would put down dustsheets when I worked. I did spray-painting outside in a cardboard box sat in the top of a wheelie bin

[@Gabe731]

I would watch that show!!!

[@gavinyoung4870]

When I was a renter I ran an extension cord out my window and was able to do some woodworking on the roof of my building. Although a parking lot or a truck’s tailgate would be just as gpod.

[@SiliconRiot]

Yup, I've done the "Dumping a Jar or Acrylic Medium on the carpet.... After cleaning it with water since it was clear they never noticed the hard spot it still created in the carpet.

[@U8uxa8SP]

What a great bunch of ideas. Your show would be incredible.

[@Tekma28]

I got a dish bench from ikeas like random section and a cupple of dressers and made a workbench out of them. I also put some plywood between the wall and the workbench to protect the wall. Lastly i got some of those hard plastic floor protectros that you put under a rolling chair to protect the floor from dropped stuff and paint. Tadaa workshop in a rented apartment

[@MikeysLab]

As an apartment maker, I have dedicated the second bedroom to my lab. It is worth noting that I am in Canada, and security deposits are illegal. My landlord does not like it, but that is his problem :) I work primarily with electronics, but still have a lot of 3D printing chemicals, soldering and PCB etching chemicals and really heavy tool chests. I guess my point is I understand and expect that the carpet in that room will be destroyed. So my advise, you are paying for the space, use it as you desire. The other piece of advice I have is find your local maker space, they are awesome places to build and grow as a maker.