My wife and I are planning to build our barn in the fall. In the planning stages. What is everyones thoughts on dirt/crushed stone with rubber mats vs concrete with rubber mats? Center walkway dirt or concrete? We have dirt now without the mats very difficult to clean. Any other thoughts or suggestions on layout and things that you have found that you wish you did or didn't do or have? Wash bay? We are looking at building a 4 stall bank barn with tack room. The land layout is set up great to do the bank barn. Upper floor for hay storage. Trying to be as efficient as possible with everything to make taking care of horses as we get older.

Thanks in advance.

docgj

Crushed stone in the stalls with the mats on top work very well. I have this set-up and the mats stay in place. One poster suggested to use rubber type caulk on the mat seams to keep urine from seeping through and stall mat curling. I haven't done that since I bed deeply, but it is a good idea.

I have a concrete aisle way and it is very easy to keep clean. I use a leaf blower to blow out hay and dirt.... works great! The concrete in the aisle way is rough, not smooth so the horses can get traction when they are on it. One thing to mention is I don't use the alley way a lot with the horses since I have paddock swing-set doors that open into paddock runs that adjoin the pasture. If you can afford it, I recommend paddock doors in each stall. This increases air flow in the hot summer time and allows your horses to come and go as they see fit. And they tend to do their business in the paddock run which is a lot easier to clean-up daily than picking through shavings. I have 12 foot over-hang on both sides of the barn. This helps keep the barn cooler too.

Insulation is needed under the roof. Do not skip this or you will get condensation in the winter and early spring and it will "rain" inside your barn.

My neighbor has concrete under his stall floors and has been fightening mold and urine ammonia issues for several years. And now they are making paddocks to increase airflow to help with the air quality.

And you can never have too many outlets. I have one at each stall for fans and heated water buckets. And several more on exterior walls and other areas of the barn.

Water spigot is located at end of the barn aisle. I wish I could have afforded stall waterers, but the water spigot with a hose works for now.

I don't like hay stored over horses in the barn for fire reasons, but I know a lot of people do it. And it seems harder to store hay in a loft situation than in a seperate building. I store just enough hay in the barn to feed the horses for a week or so, and the rest in the hay barn.

If you use concrete in your tack room, I'd have a window installed too. This is one thing I would do differently in my barn. I get mold on unused tack every summer because the concrete holds moisture. My walls are tongue and grove so the room is very tight and moisture builds up from the high humidity. A window would help a lot, so we are going to add one. For now I use those humidity closet bags to help take some of the moisture out.

Good luck with your barn, you'll love it when it is done.

We're approximately 70% finished with a new barn that is 48'long X 36'wide with 2 14' high lean-tos on either side.one is closed on 3 sides for hay,and has a door entering a feed room.The other lean-to is open and has another door coming into a 12' wide walkway.There is a 12x12 wash bay with sink and a tack room,and 4 12x12 stalls.The 2 rooms are side by side and the ceilings/roof are floored for storage.One room is completely lined with galvanized tin.That will be the feed room.

I researched out all kinds of stall flooring material as this was probably the most important part of the barn,to me.Because of the LABOR involved in caring for stalls and what is underneath the horse's feet.I've seen some stall/barn floors that have turned out to be nothing but work nightmares to care for.We decided to go with crushed limestone,"chat" as it's known here.I called for 3/8" minus but the smallest that it is crushed in our locale is about 3/4".I made sure that the hauler knew I wanted the dust with it.That is what packs down the flooring beneath the mats when it is wetted down, and installed. I found a good website,The Rubber Man,a company that supplies mats,that has a lot of good information about stall flooring.They recommended this type of material beneath mats.When it hardens,it's almost like concrete but drains better.

When we built our barn, the center stall isle was formed with concrete. Before it hardened, I broomed the surface, lighly roughening things and reducing it's slipperiness. We've been in many barns with dirt isles, some covered with mats, some left bare. One we visited is even built with plank flooring which has become impossibly slippery when wet. The concrete, for us, has been much better. It's easier to keep clean, has a higher reflectivity, does not soften when wet, needs no releveling or maintenance.

When the horses are shod, the errant clipped nails are easy to spot. Farriers and vets enjoy the hard and level work surfaces. Installing the concrete was a decision we have never regretted. If a vapour barrier is installed before the pour, moisture will not appear through the concrete, which is hygroscopic by nature. Our floor was formed using 2X6's which resulted in a 5 1/2" pad. This is strong enough to drive vehicles on, without any apparent damage over several decades of use.

There are many types of fill that can be used under stall rubber matting. Drainage is important, The mats greatly reduce the mucking times and are recommended.

CRG. It will take a while for your new concrete to fully harden and dry out. I would try it as is for a while and see what happens. A lot depends on your topography, weather, usage etc., as to how much it might sweat. You can always seal later, if you feel it needs so.

The easiest way to prevent this moisture, is to install a vapour barrier under the concrete before it is poured. It is put down first, then the mesh and rebar, then the concrete is poured, covering everything.

Enjoy your new barn!

Thanks,Gard.

Our contractor did all that you mentioned before the concrete was poured.vapor barrier,grid,etc.I was thinking about sealing the concrete off mostly to prevent staining like what has occurred in my garage and driveway,(impossible to remove once it is there.) I wanted to prevent that same thing from happening at least,in the new barn floor.

Penejoe,

The way to do it correctly is to remove the steel and put it over the purlins. The only issue is that you will need to put the screws(New Ones) back in the same holes in the steel that they came out of or you will have more leaks than when you started.

docgj