# What is the best flooring for a stall?



## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

What do you currently have in your barn, or WISH you had in your barn?

My horses live outside 24/7 for the most part, but sometimes I'll throw them in a stall for various reasons. I'm "dreaming" of what to put in my dream barn someday (now that we bought the land!!). I've got plenty of time to plan, as it will be a few years. I want something the horses are going to love AND something that is *easy to clean/maintain.*

Concrete sounds really easy to clean or hose off (and you could put a little sloped drainage channel on the side), but then of course you'd need some good mats over the top. I'd also want shavings just because I hate it when urine gets splattered all over the place. 

Dirt/sand is more forgiving to the horses but can get rathy DUSTY and they can dig holes in it, if they have to be kept in. 

I've seen all sorts of fancy contraptions on the internet, but have no idea which ones are good.

Thoughts?


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

beau you opened up a can of worms. You KNOW that we have divergent opinions here. So, here goes my two cents.
I love, love, love that my old barn came with a concrete floor. UNfortunately, I have had a 35yo horse die in his stall and I was positive that I had cleaned up everything with bleach afterwards.
Mats are mandatory on a concrete floor. Mine tend to shift, but they make mats that fit together like simple puzzle pieces in 10 x 10 and 12 x 12 and others, and they do not shift.
Dirt floors are fine, but as a gardener I can assure you that you will need to remove and replace the dirt every year, or else you will be creating excellent compost and be growing mushrooms in your stalls in the wet areas. So, that is possible, too. We all have clay that can be dug up and moved to replace it. Dirt also compresses (from my gardener's knowledge) and becomes harder the more constant weight it receives.
WhatEVER flooring you decide to use, please be careful WHERE you build your barn. I live where there are 150yo farms. You can tell which ones are old. *They have the houses on top of the hills...where it never floods.*
It is more expensive, but build as much of your barn with wood as is possible. Metal bakes you in the summer and freezes you in the winter, and you will end up lining your stalls with plywood to counteract it. I have vinyl siding on a (I think) 70yo wooden barn. When the ice freezes outside, my horse's water in the rubber buckets does not, and this is when the doors are windows are open for good ventilation. Of course, there are 375 bales of hay and straw in the loft, so there is some insultaion. =b


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Corporal said:


> beau you opened up a can of worms. You KNOW that we have divergent opinions here.


:confused_color: A can of worms on stall flooring? I honestly had no clue. 



Corporal said:


> WhatEVER flooring you decide to use, please be careful WHERE you build your barn.


Yup, we will be consulting with professionals to make sure we have the right base, location, water flow (when it rains), etc etc. 




Corporal said:


> Dirt floors are fine, but as a gardener I can assure you that you will need to remove and replace the dirt every year, or else you will be creating excellent compost and be growing mushrooms in your stalls in the wet areas. So, that is possible, too. We all have clay that can be dug up and moved to replace it. Dirt also compresses (from my gardener's knowledge) and becomes harder the more constant weight it receives.


Both points make sense, which is why I am leaning towards concrete at this point. Makes more sense for the long-term end of things, and I do plan for this to be a forever home for us. However, of course, concrete can settle and crack, and whatnot. It would be wonderful if we can slope them and put a drain in the center or on one side. Would be super easy if we need to hose it off and clean them. 



Corporal said:


> It is more expensive, but build as much of your barn with wood as is possible. Metal bakes you in the summer and freezes you in the winter, and you will end up lining your stalls with plywood to counteract it.


I hadn't really decided between wood or metal (would wait and see what costs were one way or the other) but this is a good point to consider.

I would line the stalls with something, regardless of what we built it out of. 

I don't think I will insulate the barn ... I don't think. I want to insulate and climate-regulate my tack room so I can keep things in there all year round without worry of it freezing or getting too hot, or the humidity getting out of control. I want to have a wash rack with hot and cold water; I suspect that will have to go next to the tack room so the water heater we end up with can be inside the climate-controlled tack room.

Someday I want to have a heated indoor arena. Doesn't have to be big or fancy, but just enough so I can work a horse good in the winter without freezing my toes and fingers off. I know I probably won't have the funds for that right away, but I'll leave space for it and design it ahead of time with the barn so it all "flows". Right now, my design plan makes the most sense if I have a long side of the indoor arena be shared with the barn, so that will help keep the barn "warmer" in the winter. 

Fortunately, hubby is a project manager for a home building company, so he's got all sorts of connections when it comes to construction. This is a _forever home_ so things are going to be done right!


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## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

Hmm, I'm in FL and we have a high rate of water seeping up when it rains too much, I'm not sure about ND.

My favorite is a base of gravel about 4-6 inches deep with stone dust (another four inches or so of limestone or bluestone.) compacted over that then mats. This allows me to build up the stalls a bit so that if water does come into the stable it likely won't reach the horses feet. It also allows moisture to seep down and 'filter' a bit if some moisture gets under the mats.

I'm guessing that frost heave is an issue where you're at so that I would think would affect your options for bases wouldn't it?


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

When we built our new barn a few years ago now (how times flies), we went with dirt floor (clay based topped with layer of road type gravel) and put mats on top for the following reasons:

1. While I like the basic idea of concrete for a floor, it is frightfully expensive (at least where I am) to put in and its hard as rock (wonder why).

2. I didn't want to use wood planks for flooring because I figured that even treated those would eventually rot out and have to be replaced making an additional cost and, most importantly, more work for us.

3. The dirt with mat on top has a bit of give to it making it comfortable which reduces the amount of bedding you have to use hence a savings in dollars and labour without compromising the horses' comfort. I actually tried out a lie down on it when the mats were new and it was very tolerable (I wouldn't do it now -- those mats aren't quite as clean as they used to be).

4. If the floor develops any unevenness, its very easy to correct by just lifting a mat and putting in a bit of dirt in the low spot or dig/rake a high spot out.

We have the mats snugged up against each other well and we have not had any problem with urine getting underneath and turning the ground to ick. One thing I do notice when the mats are pulled up, btw, is the ground is super smooth and compacted to perfection which I find quite interesting.

P.S. This is technically the second barn we've built new. Number two is so much better than number one based on our experience garnered from the first project. Based on this, I would say that everyone needs to build at least two barns to get it right:wink:.


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

I've read about this a lot here in the past so I can tell you there will be a lot of different opinions. Our barn has lime floors (concrete in alley, lime in stalls). There are rubber mats on the lime and then bedding on top of the mats. Our lesson barn doesn't have the mats but does have lime flooring as well. It does seem to vary a lot based on where you live.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

My barn is a little bit unusual, especially for this area. The entire frame is pipe and c channel. Recycled. We brought it with us from Texas, because the new owners wanted none of it, and they were going to dig a hole and bury it.

Barns around here have wood frames. We had to bring the crew from Texas to put up the pipe frame, and then the Amish crew took over and finished it in metal. 

My Amish contractor told me that he had wood floors in his stalls, and we went up there and looked at his barn. I loved them, so that is what I did.

I take care of 13 horses by myself, and in Texas I had 2 (!!!) dirt floor stalls in the barn, and keeping those alone clean nearly killed me. I put Stall Skins in them, and that helped.

So now I have 6 box stalls, and 9 standing stalls with full 2" oak floors. The base of the floor is about a foot of gravel. I do not think there is a better floor for me. They are easy to clean, a good bit of the urine drains into the gravel, and they are easier on the horse's legs than concrete. 

The only drawback so far is that I had to mat the stall that the mare was going to foal in, because it would have been too slick with all the fluid. It worked out fine.

My aisle way is concrete. The roof has that bubble wrap type insulation that was installed with the roof, and I am working on insulating the walls, starting with the north side. If you want, I can dig out some pictures. 

You should be able to get drill stem pipe in ND....that is what my barn is. Common and cheap in Texas.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

_I'm pleasantly surprised to see the ideas swapping about stall and barn flooring and not bashing happening like I've seen on other forums on this topic..._
I think many times it comes down to cost, what is available and how easily it is accessible for the barn owner at building time.
_Every flooring material has pros and cons to them._ 
It comes down to what you are willing to put up with or not as to what you will ultimately use...

My comment comes from you putting having your indoor arena and barn under one roof, connected....
Since near all indoors have a sand/dirt base you are encouraging dust to be airborne and inhaled by your horses when you ride inside...
I can tell you it can coat everything..._nothing is left dust-free._
For me, I would rather a covered walkway for bad weather {close in the sides if need be} but barn and arena under separate roofs so the horses and all in the barn are not subjected to dust inhalation or a messy coating...

As for the barns construction...
So, a wood sided barn breathes with the weather.
If you locate it correctly it can have cooling breezes in heat and be warm from closing of windows in winter yet leave your aisle-way doors partially open for fresh air.
Put a ceiling in {yes, about 10' high} will help keep heat in in winter and if done right pull the heat out and let it escape through vents in summer...allows individual stall lighting if you use lights for breeding or shedding help.
If you do a metal barn you will need to put up protective walls inside so there is no $$ savings or time since you are building double walls. You must go high enough to support windows for light and ventilation all barns need...
I also second having the entire barn area raised like a house pad is done. 
Ground settles over time. 
You may not get soaking rains but you do get snows, thaws and water standing from that so a raised barn area including a nice sacrifice area around it that can be sloped away with grading would be so worth the extra expense.
_{If you look at those to die for barns look closely and see they are actually near 2' -3' above grade..it is for a reason!}_

Just some thoughts and things I wish I had done more of....
My barn_* is*_ raised on a pad..._ now started settling so wish I had done it higher!_:icon_rolleyes: 

:runninghorse2:


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

greentree said:


> If you want, I can dig out some pictures.


I guess I should add I would LOVE to see pictures if anyone has them! I'm a visual person so visuals are great. 



greentree said:


> So now I have 6 box stalls, and 9 standing stalls with full 2" oak floors. The base of the floor is about a foot of gravel. I do not think there is a better floor for me. They are easy to clean, a good bit of the urine drains into the gravel, and they are easier on the horse's legs than concrete.


Do you put any mats over the wood floors or leave them be? Or any shavings?

How far did you space your planks?

I was just watching an episode of Property Brothers where they redid a barn on a family friend's farm. And I noticed that they had put wood floors in the stalls, but I couldn't see how they had finished them in the end. 

I personally have never seen wood floors in a stall so I was intrigued by the idea.

I guess if you think about it, lots of trailers used to (and still do) have wood floors. Yes, eventually they WILL rot out someday. But concrete will crack. Dirt will settle. Etc. There's a "downside" to anything you choose. 



Horseychick87 said:


> Hmm, I'm in FL and we have a high rate of water seeping up when it rains too much, I'm not sure about ND.


Nope, don't have that problem where we are.  There are some areas in my neck of the woods that flooded a few years back when the Corps of Engineers didn't quite figure the flow correctly from the dam, but we are well away from any of that and won't have to worry about it. 

We do have snow melt and runoff in the spring, so again, we'll be consulting to make sure we have the landscaping correct so it runs around and away from the barn, and also has good drainage in the future corrals. 




horselovinguy said:


> My comment comes from you putting having your indoor arena and barn under one roof, connected....
> Since near all indoors have a sand/dirt base you are encouraging dust to be airborne and inhaled by your horses when you ride inside...
> I can tell you it can coat everything..._nothing is left dust-free._
> For me, I would rather a covered walkway for bad weather {close in the sides if need be} but barn and arena under separate roofs so the horses and all in the barn are not subjected to dust inhalation or a messy coating...


Let me clarify that even though they may share a wall, they are going to be SEPARATE buildings for that exact reason. While I will keep my indoor arena as dust-free as possible with proper watering and proper care, I do not want any of it floating into the barn and it will not.



horselovinguy said:


> I also second having the entire barn area raised like a house pad is done.


I would never imagine NOT doing this!


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Originally Posted by *horselovinguy* 
_I also second having the entire barn area raised like a house pad is done.

_
I would never imagine NOT doing this! 

________________________________________________________


_*You would not believe how many people just put up a barn in any location on their property and NOT raise it above grade....*
Then they have flooding and drainage issues and can't understand why....

Glad you are going about this in the right way with input from professionals who understand ground structure and composition so you attain the end results you truly want.
Doing a barn correctly is no more expensive than doing it wrong by cutting corners....what you pay out the first time and are done is probably less expensive than doing it wrong and having to play "catch-up" all the time!!
:wink:

_


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

I will dig up some pictures... I have some on my phone. 

My covered arena is about 30 feet from my barn. I probably should have connected them, but there seemed to be a natural water draining area there, so we left it open. 

We have a lot of slope, so my barn is grade level on the back( rock),and the front is about 6 or 7 feet above. We have about 10 feet of "front yard", which contains the septic tank, then a steep slope down to the outdoor arena.

"There is a down side to anything"..exactly! When we were talking to the contractor about this, he mentioned smell. He said he noticed none in his barn. When we went up to visit, he had pigs in one stall(3 or 4 young...but good sized), and we could not even smell them. I get a bit of urine smell when the horses in standing stalls have been in overnight, but part of that is because they are all mares, so they pee on the concrete. It runs into low spots in the concrete, so I sprinkle shavings on it and sweep it up.

The boards were not spaced, I don't believe, but they were done by the Amish sawmill, so they are not laser straight. They were also not super dry, so they shrunk a bit.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Interested in this thread as we are building next spring. We weren't going to do the concrete foundation, but after some thought, we decided to do it. Our contractor is going to raise the barn about 3-4 ft above the land around it (and it's already on a high portion of the property) and put in a complete concrete foundation with frost wall. The reasons we decided to go with concrete are 1 - it will give the building a permanent, non-floating base (we live in a cold climate and our contractor explained that the whole building will move as the frost comes and goes - this is problematic for connecting plumbing and electrical) that can also be used for other purposes if we ever sell, 2 - wood floors rot as urine collects between boards and dirt floors require refilling when they settle which is something hubby and I would prefer to avoid since we're not the types to keep up with that sort of thing, 3 - of course we will use rubber mats no matter what type of floor we put down, but at least with concrete, you can haul out the mats and hose down the concrete once a year. I was in a local barn recently that had all concrete except inside each stall. So there was a concrete perimeter that the stall walls sat on, but inside each stall was a roughly 11 x 11 open square in which they put gravel, then mats. I am intrigued by this option and plan to explore it with the contractor.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

We use lime screenings (seems like every one calls it something different but it's about like sand only it will pack down) in our barn. They are only locked in long enough to eat their dab of oats and get looked over daily so no other bedding. On the rare occasion one has to stay in then I put shavings down. We keep a pile of the lime in the barn lot to fill in holes as needed.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

horselovinguy said:


> _*You would not believe how many people just put up a barn in any location on their property and NOT raise it above grade....*
> 
> _


Probably helps that hubby is in the construction business so we KNOW better! :wink:




Acadianartist said:


> but at least with concrete, you can haul out the mats and hose down the concrete once a year.


I am leaning towards concrete for this reason. Would be very easy to pull the mats and pressure wash them (with soap) when needed. I would put a drain in each stall too so the water would have somewhere to go. Would be very easy to incorporate a drain field for the barn, like you would for a house. Extra cost, yes, but good for longevity. 

I like the idea of dirt floors or something similar (and as you said, could just leave a "space" for the stall floor and have concrete elsewhere around the stall) but I just love the idea of being able to pressure wash and clean the stall. Wouldn't do that with dirt. 

Definately a lot to think about.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

We've got crushed stone here with rubber mats laid over it, it works OK and drains well. I do use disinfectant and Sweet PDZ which seems to keep it from smelling but I think the rubber mats laid over cobbles that we had in the UK worked better
I use shavings for bedding


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

beau159 said:


> Probably helps that hubby is in the construction business so we KNOW better! :wink:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Agreed. Longevity is a big concern for us since we aren't DYI types and don't want to have to fix stuff every few years or more often. It's also important to angle the concrete floor so urine drains away from the outer frame of the barn and towards the center if you're just putting in one big drain, or towards the center of each stall if there's a drain in each. Was in a barn last summer where they didn't grade the concrete and urine would seep out of the stalls and into the adjacent building which was being used as a tractor garage. Not pleasant to have horse urine all over your garage floor!


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