observatory flooring

[Nillchill]

saw this link while looking round ebay, looks a cost effective flooring for an Observatory

Black Interlocking Safety Matting Tiles Drainage Holes | eBay

[Gina]

Not sure... The holes provide dust traps and also will obscure any small bits you drop.

[Nillchill]

I thought that at first Gina, however, when you weigh it up that it is tiles and inter-lockable ones at that.

I thought it may make them a bit more versatile for lifting to mop the floor.

also, they won't get damp, or hold damp like carpets may do

[r3i]

I think quite a few folks have used these in their observatories: Interlocking Cushioned Floor Mats : Camping & Hiking Accs : Maplin Electronics

[robbieince]

yep - I use the maplin stuff and its nice and soft for when you drop expensive gear - ahem.......

I have a couple of spare tiles that double up as kneeling pads and mats for grassy pitches when at star camps

[pmlogg]

Mine's floored with standard wooden decking. Raised off the concrete it feels warm underfoot and to the touch even in cold weather and almost all my cabling runs underneath it. The downside is that it is possible to drop something small down the cracks and it was quite a bit of work to build. I don't regret it.

[laser_jock99]

I'm thinking of carpet tiles since they'll be easy to get uo if I want access the under floor cable channel. Plus they're cheap & hardwearing.

[earth titan]

I'm thinking about flooring as well.

I intend to lay a base of 1" thick polystyrene sheeting, then topping it with something. Not sure what yet but I've used it in the office and it's superb with a laminate flooring on top.

Not sure laminate is the right stuff though. Like the thought of decking material, except for the dropping stuff factor.

[Carbon Brush]

I have used mats like those linked by r3i. Got them from ebay while back. From memory they may have been a bit cheaper than the Maplin price.

Easy to lay. Fit together well. Soft underfoot. Soft on the dropped eyepiece. Easily swept clean.

The only downside is thermal expansion. I laid them in cold weather. When it gts warm, there is a bulge in the floor. Probably trimming a few mm off the edge would sort it out.

[Sam]

I've got timber decking on mine.

[kirkster501]

I think quite a few folks have used these in their observatories: Interlocking Cushioned Floor Mats : Camping & Hiking Accs : Maplin Electronics

Those often appear in sales at Maplin as well if you can wait...?

[Rols]

i carpet tiled, easy to replace, but i think if i had seen the rubber matting i would have had that instead, and may even pop it over the top at a later stage.