I was thinking about design and...

[Clucky Me]

... there are so many great designs. So many great ideas! While taking all this information in, I have been thinking about the flooring of the coops. I love everything being wood and I will definitely be using hydrated lime whitewash to paint the interior when I do finally take the plung but again, the floors. I am one of those that love easy ways of cleaning things so I thought... Could I use large, thin sheets of corrugated plastic on the floor instead of vinyl? I have seen videos where people say that over time, the vinyl absorbs the moisture from droppings and lends to bad odors and mess when it has to be ripped up, a yucky job.
http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail...gclid=CMXX3ZOTyLkCFeh9OgodyDQA2w&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[aart]

Well, it is corrugated, so there are openings on the sides and all the way across that could house pests and/or gather moisture....but plastic won't 'absorb' liquid.

It would be hard to 'seam' between the pieces so that nothing seeps/sifts between the sheets...which could lead to nasty underneath.

 

[Clucky Me]

Ok, that sounds like a reasonable worry. Thanks for the feedback. I wonder... Has anyone seen those plastic, floppy, opaque cutting boards? I love them for there purpose but wonder if they make them in large sheets that could be used instead??

Also, would anyone know if it would be safe to use NeverWet Spray on the entire outside of the coop to reduce outside moisture from entering or would that not be a good idea, stopping the building from "breathing" or something? As you could tell, I don't know what the heck I am doing! LOL

http://www.neverwet.com/

 

[Clucky Me]

I see in another thread, that someone suggested horse stall mats with DE spread. That sounds like something I should look into!

 

[JackE]

For the coop's floor, you can't do any better than Blackjack#57 rubberized roof coat from Lowes. With this stuff you will have a rubber coated floor. Nothing can ever get under it, it doesn't fall apart after a while. It is totally chicken proof, they can't do anything to it. Your floor joints, gaps, wall to floor seam/gap will be sealed under a coat of rubber. I've had this product down in my coop for over 31/2 yrs. Been through all kinds of weather and temps. and it looks like it did when I first rollered it down.

 

[chfite]

If you wanted a monolithic floor, but not sheet vinyl, you might consider EPDM. This is the material that is used to line water falls and ponds that are installed at home and business as water features.

There is a product that has been tested and used for many years to control the movement of moisture through wood exteriors. Paint has been in use for many decades on the exterior of buildings with great success. A proper application of a primer coat and two finish coats should last 10 to 15 years before needing refreshing. Exterior paint is designed to shed some of of its material over time due to the effects of sun and rain to prevent staining. When it loses its luster, a fresh coat sets it up for another round of similar duration.

A well-designed roof will keep most of the rain off of the building, so that frank water should not be a problem. In as much as paint controls the movement of moisture through the walls of the structure, a chicken coop is open to the environment so that moisture will more readily move in and out of the building borne by the air rather than through the wood exterior.

Whitewash is nice and reminiscent of days gone by,but is not durable. Paint has displaced it in use and provides a more satisfactory result.

Chris

 

[aart]

chfite...thanks....I've been thinking about maybe using EDPM for a monolithic floor....had some commercial weight sheet vinyl lined up but the length was short. know anyone who's used it in a coop?

 

[chfite]

I don't know of anyone who has used EPDM in a coop. Nevertheless, a monolithic floor could be achieved on a pieced substrate by applying fiberglass over the matting such as used in boat manufacture

The Blackjack #57 rubberized roof coat mentioned above has a certain appeal. Probably pretty inexpensive to apply and maintain.

I suppose all this falls back to how much money you wanted to spend, how durable a finish should be, and how often the quality to be impervious to moisture was needed.

You might be able to make a floor out of Trex, a plastic-like deck board. It is proof against moisture. It would not have to be monolithic to resist water. Spacing 1/4 inch between boards would allow it to drain.

We certainly run into some grand challenges in building chicken coops.

Chris