BARN FLOORS

Anonymous Poster · Nov 29, 2001

I am reading a lot about concrete floors. I am looking for a lower cost floor fo my barn. I like dirt because oil seems to disappear but it is dusty. Easy to loose small objects in gravel. Any ideas?

Youare · Nov 29, 2001

Around here we can get what is called stone dust and a similar product called hard pack. Both are ledge and stone that have been crushed and screened. The stone dust is fine like sand but packs real well and is not dusty. The hard pack is a more course material which packs hard and is wonderful for driveways and roads. It will not wash out even with hard rains.

I think hard pack, if something like that is available in your area, would make a great floor material and it doesn't cost much more than good gravel.

Randy

Anonymous Poster · Nov 30, 2001

Thanks for your reply, youare. Here in northern Kentucky, we have what they call lime sand. It is rather fine: packs well. It will wash away if used on an outside grade.
With this product, I made a ramp in my barn going up from the dirt floor area to the concreted area. It has held up well. The main concern I have is there is always a thin (very thin) layer on top that does not pack tight.

RichNJ · Nov 30, 2001

I did the stone dust thing in my barn. I used what they call 5/8 roadstone. It's stone dust mixed with 5/8" crushed gravel. It packs down real good to form a good solid surface.

gerard · Dec 1, 2001

I use the stone dust for horse stall base and as previously stated it packs really well and would be very good for a garage floor. If you want to make it even harder you can mix a loose bag of cement, about 1 bag per square yard or so. Mix it dry, spread and tamp. You'll wind up with a very solid surface that will still absorb oil etc. The cement will absorb water from the stone dust (which usually comes damp anyway), and the air and will harden up over time on it's own. If you're impatient you can water it lightly after it's tamped

woodmills1 · Dec 1, 2001

this is beginning to sound like high grade soil cement. stone dust and stone dust mixtures are fine until they get saturated with water. look out then. up here it is 3/8 stone and stone dust, called dirty pea.

James "woody" Mills

Anonymous Poster · Dec 2, 2001

I have one barn with a floor made of asphalt millings the county was generous enough to provide. When they mill the road with the machine, you can sometimes get a few loads. I spread it out in the barn and leveled it off, then tamped it down real good with a plate tamper. I'm on the shore of Lake Ontario, and the frost can be a major problem, but it hasn't had any bad effect on that floor in 5 years since I put it there.