Coop floor

[Melissa2173]

Is it advisable to have a plywood floor and just cover with pine shavings? I've read that putting linoleum down is easier for cleaning but do you have to?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

LInoleum will help keep water from soaking into the wood.

You don't HAVE to use it, but it will make the flooring last longer

 

[jinxschuh]

I was lucky enough to come across some old used real-estate billboard signs made out of marine grade plywood. So I wasn’t to worried about needing to water proof nor preserve it. In another thread people were suggesting to at least paint it if not put tile or linoleum down to ‘simply’ cleaning. But I cleaned out all the bedding to put in a complete fresh layer the other day and realized that dried poop really sucks. I ended up taking a scraper to it which worked really well and quick (I just wore a mask and rubber gloves). If I had painted it first I would've just scrapped the paint off. Or I would've had to soak the poop to be able to wash it off instead of just being able to scrap it off. So I’ve decided not to do anything with it as far as finishing it. In the end I think it is a personal preference and how long you are planning to keep the coop or how often you'd be willing to replace the flooring (maybe every few years or so I would guess).

 

[greenbottle27]

Can you just use the peel and stick linolium tiles from the dollar store? Or is it better to get a higher grade from Home Depot? And.... what about laying tile on the floor? That would be super-duper easy to clean, right?? Would there be a down side? Maybe in the winter it would be too cold???

Thoughts?

 

[AlienChick]

I got a can of mistint glossy paint from the paint store for $5 and painted the floor with it.

It's cheap, the floor looks awesome and the slick surface stays clean underneath the shavings.

 

[bryan99705]

Peel & stick tile are ok as long as they're tight. The object is to have a floor that doesn't stink or rot from wet & poo. If you have dirt, maybr pea gravel or course sand would be better because after you clean the poo out, you can rinse down anything missed and it soaks into the ground

 

[RiddleMe]

Quote:
I think the point of the paint is that the dried poop doesn't adhere to the paint the way it does to the bare wood. At least, that has been my experience (still new to this). I painted the floor with porch paint and walls with kitchen/bath paint. When I clean, I've been able to just use a broom and the poop comes off, even the stuff that stuck to the wall and dried.

 

[hcppam]

yeah I painted mine and put down sand.

 

[spotstealer]

I used linoleum, and love it. It is sooo easy to clean! Plus the girls love the decor!

 

[LilyD]

I use horse stall mats in my coop over my plywood and the water doesn't soak in.