Flooring/drain options for brewery not in basement

[etk29321]

I'm building a new house, and the space that works in the floorpan for the brewery is upstairs (right off the home theater ). I had tried to get the builder to put in a floor drain and tile, but they're not willing to do something that custom. I was however able to get them to rough in for a drain. So, when we move in the brewery room will have a non-sloped floor and carpet (that they think they'll need for the inspector, but I'll immediately rip out).

What's the best way to finish it off after the fact? I don't really think sloping the whole floor is necessary as it's a 14x12 room, and the wet side of things is confined to a 6'x4' wide section. I'm thinking of using vinyl plank wood-look flooring for the majority of the floor (e.g. https://www.homedepot.com/p/LifePro...-Flooring-19-53-sq-ft-case-I114813L/300461633), but I'm trying to figure out what to do about the wet area and the drain.

For a 6'x4' space, would I just use thinset to build the slop to the drain? Does anyone know of options other than tile that would work well for this kind of space?

 

[Bobby_M]

I guess it depends on how wet you plan to get. Wash down of the area with a sprayer is going to soak everything and make a mess of your walls, framing and subfloor. Thinset, tile and grout are not waterproof so you need membrane underneath like a shower. I would put schuler kerdi on the walls and floor and tiles the whole space. I would also use a glazed tile and epoxy grout.

 

[madscientist451]

A floor drain will need a sloped floor or the water will just sit there. I'm wondering if you really need a floor drain anyway. Maybe a large commercial sink will hold your brew kettle for cleaning?

 

[shoengine]

The builder won't do It? Get a new sub in there. How hard can it be to build a whole-room shower stall?

With 240v 40A outlets...

 

[mj1angier]

Unless you are realllly messy or just want to hose everything down. floor drain is not needed. But it can be done with enough $. Like shoengine said, it will just be a large shower stall. But unless the area was set up to have it recessed down, you will end up with a step up of 1-3 inches- that down slope has to come from some where.

I would just get a commercial sink:
free standing- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DKWGQXU/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

or drop in-https://www.amazon.com/Ufaucet-Commercial-Undermount-Stainless-Handmake/dp/B01N96G5TO/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1516974387&sr=8-18&keywords=commercial+sink

 

[mj1angier]

But you can get a prefab base. Here is one brand but there are a few others:
http://www.tileredi.com/shower-pans-and-bases/redi-base-shower-pans

 

[mongoose33]

The builder won't do It? Get a new sub in there. How hard can it be to build a whole-room shower stall?

With 240v 40A outlets...

This ^. When I built my house I wanted a garage floor drain. The concret sub wanted it in the middle where it was easy to slop the floor toward it. I wanted it toward the garage doors so snowmelt would drain away from the areas where people entered and exited the vehicles. I got what I wanted.

Heck, the whole point of building instead of buying existing is to GET WHAT YOU WANT.

I am surprised at those saying you don't need a floor drain. I suppose, technically, you don't, but what happens when you want to spray that floor down? What happens if you have a leak? There is no way on earth I'd brew 5 or 10 gallon batches in the house without it.

I'm currently learning how to use a pump with my system. Each time I disconnect my camlocks, guess what? On the floor it goes. I wash it down to the drain (I brew in my garage, see above).

For certain, I'd have a floor that could be cleaned. No carpet. Vinyl or tile, and sloping toward a drain. IMO, you will regret, later on, not having a drain.

Get one, and get the floor sloped.

 

[Br3w4u]

You could ask them to put in a walk in shower in the corner of the room. That would be like a sink you can stand in....

 

[shoengine]

I make a huge mess in my kitchen when cleaning things. If/when I purpose build anything for this, it'll be on concrete with a drain.

 

[mj1angier]

I would hazard to guess that OP might be getting a home in a sub-division that one of the bigger builder has. A lot of the times you can only chose from 6-8 floor plans and have minimum change orders. They make money on how fast they can get them up with fewest changes between each build.

Also, OP, are they putting in an exhaust fan in that room? If you are boiling inside, you will need one or a condensing system.

 

[shoengine]

Makes sense, good point.

 

[etk29321]

mj1angler, exactly. It's in a sub-division, not a full custom builder. There's stuff they will and won't do. I cannot do any work my self or bring in my own sub before I close -- because until close I don't own the house.

Yes, I did get them to put in a 'bathroom fan'. I'm working with the project manager to make sure its the right ductwork to outside, then I can replace their fan with the proper hood.

 

[etk29321]

I thought about one of those foam shower pans that give you the slop, but thats far more slop than you really need for a floor drain and they're ~1 3/4" tall on the sides.

 

[mj1angier]

I thought about one of those foam shower pans that give you the slop, but thats far more slop than you really need for a floor drain and they're ~1 3/4" tall on the sides.

The minimum slope would be 1/8 per foot, but if I wanted it to be safe for keeping water away from carpet, hardwood... I would do 1/4. So depending on where your drain is, you can have a big curb. If in the center of the 6x4 area, you would need at least 3/8-3/4 drop on the 3 foot side. If at the end of the 6 foot side its will be 3/4-1.5 ". And that is just drop, still have to add material thickness to that: tile,grout, mortar bed. So that 3/8 has become about 1.5" above the floor beside it. Then, just because there is slope, its not going to water from going off of tile area, you need a curb of about 2". That gets you to about 3.5" above the carpet floor. Here's a link showing components: http://inspectapedia.com/BestPractices/Figure6-42.jpg

You also have to plan for the walls. They will need to be water proof at least 12-16" high. Because if water gets behind it, you have mold in your future...

This kind of shows why most home kitchens don't have floor drains. It is just not practical for non- commercial use. If this was your basement or carport, it is a bite easier because all the floor is part of the drain base.


If it was me, ( and it just my opinion and worth just what anyone is paying for it, lol) I would put down a high quality roll vinyl by Armstrong like this:https://www.armstrongflooring.com/r...nyl-sheet/cushion-step-better/item/B3014.html ( I have had it in my last two homes, it is tough- we have 4 dogs that are 45-60 lbs and very active)

Add a commercial sink, a few buckets and some towels... maybe a mop bucket if it gets real messy. Then put most of the $$ in a good hood to get the steam out

 

[etk29321]

Practically, I know roll vinyl is tough to beat. Since my room is small enough I could get a seamless sheet to cover the floor. Then, with reasonable waterproofing around the edges, you know you've got a fully waterproof floor. I'm just having a hard time getting over my personal hangups on it looking cheap.

My backup option is to use the drain rough-in with a square shower base/surround and just use it as a pot-washing station instead of a floor drain. I could easily pull water lines over from the sink rough-in if I wanted.

 

[parrothead64]

https://www.schluter.com/schluter-us/en_US/Shower-System/Prefabricated-Substrates/c/SS-PS
Schluter has a 6x6 presloped tray that you could use if you need a drain. If you want to tile on wood, ditra is waterproof as long as you go over the seems with Keri band. I would do that and put a cheap porcelain tile over it. You could run Kerdi band up the base of the wall and use tile instead of baseboard. Then you only have to worry about the door. I think a porcelain tile floor with Ditra and Kerdi band of the seams is going to be good enough to mop up any spills. The sink seems like a better idea than a floor drain.

 

[augiedoggy]

This ^. When I built my house I wanted a garage floor drain. The concret sub wanted it in the middle where it was easy to slop the floor toward it. I wanted it toward the garage doors so snowmelt would drain away from the areas where people entered and exited the vehicles. I got what I wanted.

Heck, the whole point of building instead of buying existing is to GET WHAT YOU WANT.

I am surprised at those saying you don't need a floor drain. I suppose, technically, you don't, but what happens when you want to spray that floor down? What happens if you have a leak? There is no way on earth I'd brew 5 or 10 gallon batches in the house without it.

I'm currently learning how to use a pump with my system. Each time I disconnect my camlocks, guess what? On the floor it goes. I wash it down to the drain (I brew in my garage, see above).

For certain, I'd have a floor that could be cleaned. No carpet. Vinyl or tile, and sloping toward a drain. IMO, you will regret, later on, not having a drain.

Get one, and get the floor sloped.

Almost 5 years now and ive been brewing regularly in an upstairs bedroom I converted to a homebrewery... no issues thus far.. I think if a person just takes the time to make sure they dont do dumb things like leave kettle valves open (which Ive done btw and its noting a couple towels and quick reflexes cant solve before things get out of hand.) theres no reason a person has to brew in a custom shower stall or wash bay environment... Do most people have floor drains in their kitchen?

I guess it depend on how a person started brewing and the habits they developed... someone used to brewing in their driveway likely has some pretty sloppy methods so yeah its going to be tougher for them or at least appear that way.

Just my outlook but a floor drain would be nice to have in a large setup where hoses need to be changed around and such but I just dont see the need myself on a little electric single tier system where the mess is completely avoidable. The way I see it, theres absolutely no reason a person has to be moving or disconnecting hoses to brew and building the system to not have to do so is much more economical than a crude messy setup with floor drains.

 

[mongoose33]

Almost 5 years now and ive been brewing regularly in an upstairs bedroom I converted to a homebrewery... no issues thus far.. I think if a person just takes the time to make sure they dont do dumb things like leave kettle valves open (which Ive done btw and its noting a couple towels and quick reflexes cant solve before things get out of hand.) theres no reason a person has to brew in a custom shower stall or wash bay environment... Do most people have floor drains in their kitchen?

I guess it depend on how a person started brewing and the habits they developed... someone used to brewing in their driveway likely has some pretty sloppy methods so yeah its going to be tougher for them or at least appear that way.

Just my outlook but a floor drain would be nice to have in a large setup where hoses need to be changed around and such but I just dont see the need myself on a little electric single tier system where the mess is completely avoidable. The way I see it, theres absolutely no reason a person has to be moving or disconnecting hoses to brew and building the system to not have to do so is much more economical than a crude messy setup with floor drains.

Different strokes and all that.

I'm using a pump. It's very difficult to connect, disconnect, move hoses around, etc. without getting stuff on the floor. If you don't use a pump, and you're careful, maybe a drain isn't helpful.

In the OP's case, he has a chance to get it put in as the house is built. To me, that's a no-brainer.

 

[augiedoggy]

Different strokes and all that.

I'm using a pump. It's very difficult to connect, disconnect, move hoses around, etc. without getting stuff on the floor. If you don't use a pump, and you're careful, maybe a drain isn't helpful.

In the OP's case, he has a chance to get it put in as the house is built. To me, that's a no-brainer.

I use 3 pumps... When they are only $20 each its easy to permanently plumb them inline...

 

[etk29321]

Thanks everyone! I think I am overthinking the drain. I do brew now in a garage, so hosing stuff down to clean it up is part of what I'm used to, but its not the only way to do things of course. I do move hoses on my rig, and that does lead to some sticky drips of wort that I hose down. I'll just need to modify my system so that I don't have to do that anymore. Since I'm converting from gas to electric, I'm already reworking it anyhow.

My builder had a great idea that is a workable middle ground. HVAC companies can make custom sized drain pans pretty cheap. They use them for AC condensate under the air handler in an attic. I just have one made about the size to fit under the brew table and treat it as insurance should something catastrophic happen. Typically they use galvanized steel. I'll ask if they can do stainless, but I doubt thats really necessary. Then I don't really need to worry about floor pitch. I can just put in a vinyl floor and keep some towels on hand.

 

[mj1angier]

Thanks everyone! I think I am overthinking the drain. I do brew now in a garage, so hosing stuff down to clean it up is part of what I'm used to, but its not the only way to do things of course. I do move hoses on my rig, and that does lead to some sticky drips of wort that I hose down. I'll just need to modify my system so that I don't have to do that anymore. Since I'm converting from gas to electric, I'm already reworking it anyhow.

My builder had a great idea that is a workable middle ground. HVAC companies can make custom sized drain pans pretty cheap. They use them for AC condensate under the air handler in an attic. I just have one made about the size to fit under the brew table and treat it as insurance should something catastrophic happen. Typically they use galvanized steel. I'll ask if they can do stainless, but I doubt thats really necessary. Then I don't really need to worry about floor pitch. I can just put in a vinyl floor and keep some towels on hand.

This sounds like a solid plan.

 

[itsnotrequired]

a whole room floor drain with slope is nice but certainly not a necessity. that being said, a floor drain may make sense for a brewery that is not in the basement or at grade. a very large spill (e.g. a kettle tipping over) could leak down through the subfloor and damage the room below. a waterproof floor (flat) with drain provides a path for that disaster liquid other than through the floor/ceiling below. you'd want to have the waterproofing up the walls a couple inches or so as well. this would strictly be for a major disaster and not for hosing everything down, etc. there will inevitably be some dribbles here and there while brewing, easy enough to wipe up with a towel. i had a full carboy blow up on me in my basement brewery but it is in an unfinished area with concrete floor. that took hours to clean, i can't imagine what the damage would have been if that happened upstairs.

 

[LarMoeCur]

It it were me. I'd forgo the sloped floor, but I'd still put in a drain and some sort of water resistant/proof flooring. As AugieDoggy said there will be times when bonehead mistakes happen. Like leaving a valve open, or having a silicone hose rupture. I'd buy a 10 dollar squidgy on a stick from home depot. Any larger spills that may happen I'd just squidgy to the drain.

 

[Dcpcooks]

I went with green board for the walls. 6” vent for the hood.

You could lay down cement board on the floor and skim coat it then top it with epoxy coating. Pretty bullet proof and water tight.