# Wood floors in stalls



## KatieQ

Our new barn (or recycled barn) is nearly finished! It used to be an RV shed built on a concrete pad where a mobile home used to be placed. So it has good drainage all around, a good roof, etc. we just had to enclose it and build the interior walls and stalls. But I do not like the concrete floors, especially since both my horses are pawers and will tear their hooves apart on the concrete in no time. I thought about stall mats but they are very expensive. But we have at our disposal a large amount of long 3 X 12's- they look like they came from an old dock or something. They are very heavy and would easily stand up to a horse, so I am thinking of using them for flooring over the concrete. I think they will be easier on the horse's legs and feet, and warmer in winter. We are planning to install them before building the walls, so they will not need any kind of nails or fasteners to hold them down and will not shift or move around. Is this a good or bad idea? Anyone here have wood floors, and what are the pros and cons?


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## TKButtermilk

I do not have wood floors but have had experience with a small demon dog constantly peeing on ours, it rotted the wood and could never be cleaned eventually in his favorite spot. I'm fairly certain the same thing would happen in the stalls, just on a much larger, icky-er level.
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## Poco1220

I would say no to wood floors. The urine will immediately soak into the wood which means you'll never get rid of the ammonia smell and it wont take long to rot the boards either.
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## Scoope

what about matting instead of wood?


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## NorthernMama

It depends how much time you expect your horses to spend in the stalls. I imagine if a horse had to stand on concrete for 8 hours a day, it would be too hard on them, but if it's more of a shelter option only, then the concrete would be ok. 

Pawing on the concrete won't hurt their hooves unless they have problems with their hooves already. I'd be more concerned about joints if they stand on the concrete. 

I have concrete on one side of my barn and wood on the other. I haven't notice that my horse prefers one or the other, but she is never locked inside either. For cleaning purposes, the concrete is easier and less slippery, esp in the winter. When you get just below the freezing mark, urine will make the wood slippery.

If you want inexpensive matting, see if there are belting service companies in your area. Here we have a lot of mining and some heavy industry. Those require belting for large conveyors. Sometimes there are cutoff, or worn belting that is no longer good enough for conveyors, but fine for the barn floor. Just stay clear of the steel-belting, or check it carefully for exposed metal. If it's exposed only on the ends, you might be able to cap the ends with something. Fabric belting is the best for this application.


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## Saskia

I'd definately go concrete or something waterproof. Its great to be able to hose them out if need be, otherwise after a while stables get this smell about them that is worse than the ordinary horse smell which isn't that bad. Also, wood will rot, even treated wood could be scraped away by hooves.


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## natisha

Wood will also get slippery after a little wear & the nail or screw heads will become a problem. The best way to use wood is to make a wood frame, much like a wall in a house, fill it with gravel & attach the wood to the top with a slight gap between the boards.
Personally I would have the concrete removed from the stall area or use heavy mats with deep bedding.
Congratulations on your new barn.


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## Maverick101

Speaking from experience....wood floors are not as bad as one would think.

We have wood floors, and the barn is going on 6 yrs and I have only had to replace 3 floor boards thus far, and that was from a very aggressive stall walker, and he would also paw in one spot (by feed tub)....the rest are holding up fine.

Our barn DOES NOT smell of urine. However, we re bed daily, and scrape the floor of wet spots daily, and apply lime/stall dry to urine soaked areas. All our boarders and visitors are amazed at how our barn does not smell like most barns. 

We did not put our boards straight on top of the concrete however, they are over top the ground which has a layer of quarter down to help w any drainage, and on-top 2x6 spaced along floor as a brace. They are attached to the back and front of the stall using screws.....these screws if came dislodged (which has yet to happen) would not be in the horses way, as they are located directly under the stall front, and back wall....you can still get at them to remove if needed, but are not in the horses way.

Now like I say we clean our stalls thoroughly daily, and we also use wood shavings, not straw, I would guess that if the stalls are not properly cleaned, bedded, and if using straw, then wood floors may not be the best idea, but they can be used w little problems.


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## KatieQ

Well that is encouraging Maverick, because we already did it! My husband (the carpenter) was set on the idea and I know better than to argue. They look pretty good and there are no nails or fasteners where the horses can get at them. We are not planning to shut the horses in, for the most part, but will have the option eventually. It is mainly a place to come in for shelter and food, for our convenience as much as anything. They have a run-in in their field now, which they have NEVER used as a bathroom so I don't anticipate having to clean it daily.


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## Allison Finch

Rubber stall mats are not that expensive.....in the LONG run. They are almost indestructible and they will allow you to use less shavings. Eventually, the cost pays for itself. 

We had concrete floors at BARA Farms. I can't imagine how bad it would have been without mats. BTW, make sure you seal that concrete VERY well. Urine will soak into that, too.


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## Maverick101

I agree that rubber matting would be essential if horses are just housed on concrete.
But w the wood floors it isn't needed IMO.....its soft enough to be comfortable for thier joints etc, and durable enough to withstand horses urine. Again this is w proper cleaning. I don't bed our stalls exceptionally deep...just ensure they are thoroughly cleaned
I personally hate rubber matting, as moisture can get trapped between the floor and rubber matting causing more damage to the flooring. But of course this is just my experience and opinion. Everyone will have their "favorite" combination.


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## maura

A cheap, wonderful alternative to stall mats is machine belting. My old boss frenquently got permission to take the worn out belt from the factory, it's essentially the same substance as stall mats but in a three foot wide roll. He would put an ad on CL and deliver a piece of the roll to someone for about $75; it was then up to the purchaser to cut it, fit it, and put it into the stalls. I have a big roll of it to do my barn aisle and stalls. 

Even though TK Buttermilk has had an OK experience with wood, since you own this facility and will reap the long term gain of investing in some kind of decent stall flooring. I would be very reluctant to put horses on either wood or concrete, and think the only way to do it safely is to bed heavily and be very meticulous about stall cleaning. In the long run, depending on the price you're paying for bedding, might still be cheaper and easier to do the mats.


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## waddle04

You can try adding a dirt base and then your shavings. If its a good ventilated barn then I would suggest using bulk shavings. They are more fine then the bagged shavings but less expensive and great for soaking up urine. They bulk shavings will last awhile and they are easier to sift through.


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## mls

Maverick101 said:


> We have wood floors, and the barn is going on 6 yrs and I have only had to replace 3 floor boards thus far, and that was from a very aggressive stall walker, and he would also paw in one spot (by feed tub)....the rest are holding up fine.


What type of wood though? I would assume some type of treatment was done to them?


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## Red Gate Farm

mls said:


> What type of wood though? I would assume some type of treatment was done to them?


This is what I was wondering as well.

Do you creosote them to waterproof them?

Paint them?

Put something like Thompson's Water Seal on them?


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## Corporal

If you REALLY cannot afford any mats, I would agree that dirt with shavings OVER the cement would work. My barn has cement floors and I use (4' x 6') 3/4 inch rubber mats, 4/stall, ~$40/each, so each stall cost me $120 . MY horses have most of the year turnout, and I only force them into their stalls--like I have to force them?!?--when there is ice. I know that the full-stall mats are upwards to >$300--is this the price you are referring to? Honestly, the 3/4 inch mats are hard ENOUGH to move and clean when the stalls aren't in use--I fold them in two and drag them, and it's an all day job/stall--so I have also double-uped on (4' x 6") 1/2 inch cattle mats with buttons, which I also use in my trailer and that has a wooden floor. No slippage like some mats that are too smooth can cause. 
I think the 1/2 inch cattle mats are cheaper--you could lay down dirt and use those--IMHO, rubber mats are NEVER a waste of money.
I have heard of wooden floors in stalls, before. I think the places that use them have drainage underneath the stalls. I am not sure that your horse won't slip on the wood, either.
BTW, when I am NOT trailering, my mats are cleaned and they line the walkway in my barn so my horses really don't walk on any cement. Even the old ones with cracks get recycled under heavy use gates. (I also use the worst wear ones for my chickens.)


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## KatieQ

My floors are 3X 12 planks, so very sturdy and will last for years. They run the length of the stalls and are fastened under the walls so there are no exposed nails or screws in the horse's area. I probably will invest in mats, too, but for now I will just use lots of bedding.


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## Corporal

KatieQ said:


> My floors are 3X 12 planks, so very sturdy and will last for years. They run the length of the stalls and are fastened under the walls so there are no exposed nails or screws in the horse's area. I probably will invest in mats, too, but for now I will just use lots of bedding.


Could you post some pics on your page sometime? Like I said, I've heard of this before, just never seen it. Sounds pretty neat, BUT a lot of initial work. thx! =D


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## KatieQ

Corporal said:


> Could you post some pics on your page sometime? Like I said, I've heard of this before, just never seen it. Sounds pretty neat, BUT a lot of initial work. thx! =D


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## KatieQ

KatieQ said:


> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I will take some pics this afternoon
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## KatieQ

Here are the best pics I have. I tried to take some close-ups of the floor today but they came out too dark. As you can see we're still building, and the board on the floor in front of the saw is not part of the floor- it's just lying there.


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## caseymyhorserocks

I am not a big fan on wood floors.. But I actually really like yours!! The ones I have experienced (not had, just seen) were older worn ones, and got really smelly... They kept there horse in there for about 30 minutes, and he went lame (no bedding, but keep in mind the horse was 25 years old) so use LOTS of bedding!!


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## KatieQ

Thank you! I think the whole thing is turning out quite nicely considering what we had to start with (an old, rundown shed used to house a rotten old school bus!). I am going to post an album here somewhere with before and after pics, as it has been quite the project. And it was almost all done with recycled or free materials.


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## Maverick101

QUOTE=KatieQ;1194003] And it was almost all done with recycled or free materials.[/QUOTE]

Good for you! That must be quite the undertaking. But will be very satisfying once its all built!

Our wood floors are like yours, run from front to back off stall, the only difference I can see from your pictures, is that ours are flush together (you seem to have a small gap between the boards?). We also did not biuld them directly on the ground or concrete. 
Our main alleyway and barn area is cement, then we had the biulders leave an area where our stalls would go w out cement, we level ground put quatre down on ground to act as a drainage, and then attached our floor boards over top using planks running long ways underneath as brace to attach our floor boards to.

I don't use LOTS of shavings, I use what I would consider a normal amount as any barn. We scrape the wet spots and add lime and or stall dry to help draw out any moisture left behind, this helps perserve the wood, and ensures there is NO ammonia smell. This would go for any barn w any type of footing, if you're not removong urine soaked bedding on a daily basis, you're going to get ammonia smell. I have been to many barns tht use rubber matting, and they smell awful! Its generally the cleaning process that will cause stinky barns 

We did coat our boards w a water seal prior to install, but we just used plain rough cut boards no pressure treated.

I have had no issues w the boards. They are not slippery, in fact find some rubber matting to be more slippery.

Good luck w your project! I'm excited to see pictures 
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## Corporal

KatieQ, that is a really nice setup. It looks as if you have sand underneath and also leading up to your stalls/loafing shed. That WOULD give you good drainage, which is what I have read that you must have with a wooden floor. VERY nicely constructed! =D


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## KatieQ

Yes it does have good drainage- the whole property is sand underneath the topsoil, which we have scraped away around the barn. There is also a drainage line around the entire pad with Big O about 8" deep, covered by drainrock. We filled in the excavated area with more sand, as there will be no chance of grass growing there anyway. But we do get a huge amount of rain here, and because the shelter doesn't cover the whole pad water sometimes pools on it. This way it can run off underneath the wood planks, as the pad is sloped slightly to the outside. Anyway, we are kind of making a silk purse out of a sow's ear!


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## Clydie

Just my opinion but I hate wood floors in stalls...they get the slightest bit wet and they are very slippery. If you have wood floors put down rubber mats..I like rubber mats on dirt personally (works on cement too..less joint stress, less hick rubbing..less slippery..)..but like I said that just my opinion...


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## KatieQ

Well its very close! The horses will probably be in their new stalls tonight or tomorrow night. The other side of he barn is not sided yet but the stalls are done, paddock is fenced and just a few last touch-ups to do. We'll see how they like the floors. I do actually plan to get mats very soon, but for now they can use them as is. They do not have doors yet, so it will just be a loafing shed/feeding station for now but I'm looking forward to the convenience of feeding them indoors and just tossing their hay over the wall rather than lugging it all the way across the yard. They even have automatic waterers- a convenience I have always longed for but never had. Woohoo!


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## Clydie

Well it certainly does look nice. I am sure they will be happy in there.
I would LOVE water out to the stall...(electric wouldn't hurt either!)


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## KatieQ

So the guys are finally in the new paddock and they LOVE the stalls- especially the automatic waterers which they keep drinking from again and again. They must have had them at the last place because they seemed to know what they were right away, and they love the fresh running water. None of that brackish, stale trough water for these princesses! They've apparently been trying to tell me that all along, because they both kept sticking their feet in the water trough and pawing madly- I had to change the water constantly because they made it so dirty! I am still waiting for them to choose a stall- they keep switching back and forth, and often hang out in the same stall together which can get quite silly at grain feeding time! But the convenience of feeding them indoors more than makes up for it- especially when the crappy weather starts.


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## KatieQ

These are just some updated pics of the barn, since I added walls to the back of the stalls. Later we will be installing dutch doors. I also want to add a covered grooming area at the end, which will be outside the paddock. The ground in front of the stalls looks very mucky in these picks- we had just had a huge rainstorm, but it is sand and drains very quickly.


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## KatieQ

Okay so no doors yet- I decided the next priority was mangers, which we built this weekend. They were eating their hay off the floor, but it was getting dragged all over the stalls (and even outside), trampled and pooped on and I was not pleased with all the waste. I had thought we'd bought enough hay for the whole winter, but now we're going to be buying more in the next few weeks. There must be 20 or more bales worth on the manure pile, which ticks me off. Hopefully the new mangers will solve that problem.


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## Iain

I would lean more towards the use of rubber or another material, for several reasons.

1. The planks would almost certainly rot in a very small amount of time, thus having to be replaced.

2. Everything, from manure to pee would seep into the the wood and wouldn't smell to nice after a while.

3. Replacing them would be a sore, considering how much work would go into putting them in.

4. Wood is a magnet for infectants, mould (lots of it), disease, bacteria. What I'm trying to say is that it could get nasty very quickly.

I would definitely recommend rubber matting. It's warm in the winter (relatively), it's going to allow for easy cleaning, and once every few years you may have to replace them, but I can almost guarantee they're not going to be as much of a pain as wood would be.


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## Saddlebag

Horses still drag hay out of manger. Stuff small mesh hay nets high over the mangers. As the horse pulls hay some will fall into the manger and not get walked on. Extremely little waste this way. I stuff mine pull tight and tie a single knot then work the extra rope toward the bottom, pull tight and hang up. It will be a ball at first but it drops as the quantity of hay is reduced. An easy way to fill a net is to fill a plastic garbage can, stretch the net down over the top, flip the whole works (the tub is now upside down) and holding the net with one hand work the tub up and out. A plastic water tub will work as well. I just happened to have the garbage barrel for storing grain.


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## KatieQ

I'm not a big fan of hay nets, however I made the mangers big enough so I can "fluff up" the hay- break up the flakes so they can't just grab a whole flake and haul it out of the manger. Seems to work quite well, however I did build them too close to their automatic water bowls so I have to scoop all the soggy hay out of them all the time-oops- another lesson learned.


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