Vinyl - good or bad

[AJsCityChicks]

Great Info!! So you clean out/replace the pine shaving every 3-4 months? and the poop board 2x a week?

 

[sgtmom52]

Love my vinyl! I suggest that you extend it a coupe of inches up the side walls too for easy cleaning. I nailed mine down with galvanized roofing nails.

 

[B'villechicken]

Quote:
I use deep litter and refresh it as needed. I only completely empty the coop once a year in the spring. Everything goes into compost for 12-18mos. and a new deep litter goes in for the next year.

David

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
A lot of BYCers like vinyl a whole big lot, but having used both vinyl flooring and plain ol' painted plywood, I would have to say that there is no discernable difference in my setup. (Multiple pens of each).

Vinyl is slightly bad for you if you are likely to be hosing out the coop frequently, because of trapping moisture underneath (no matter how well you think it's sealed)... but as there is generally no NEED to be hosin' at things all the time, this is not really a big issue.

So, I'd say, do whatcha like, six of one half a dozen of the other

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[AlienChick]

Then maybe it comes down to a matter of price?

I don't know how much paint costs or how much paint is required for 8x12 floorspace.

I did price the scrap roll of 8x12 linoleum at Lowes for $52.

.

 

[TajMahalChickens]

I have a plywood floor covered in linoleum. I just got the vinal from home depot. Be sure to get the stuff that is waterproof on both sides, since water is at some time going to get under it. Don't be tempted to by the cheap one-sided waterproof stuff!

We nailed our on around the edges using baseboards. No glue. That way I can rip out the base boards and take it out in need be. Be sure to have it come up a good foot to compensate for bedding levels. I can post pics of ours if you want.

Also, buy the most un-textured stuff that there is, since big cracks hold in dirt.

I have only have my floor for 9 months, so I can't tell you the long term benefits. But when I cleaned the coop out this fall it was quite easy to clean and disinfect.

I found that resin also works well. I resined my other coop on the floor and 12 inches up the wall. Although it takes longer to install, it has the benefit of no being able to have water seep between it and the wall.

Good luck!

 

[TajMahalChickens]

Quote:
I'd say that sound right. I just add more bedding on top of the existing bedding usually. I do a full clean-out-hose-down spring and fall.

 

[puredelite]

Seems that I am the only one so far that has had negative results with sheet vinyl. I bought the cheapest stuff that Lowe's had to offer and still cost me about $70 to do 8x14'. For some reason it has cracked all up and soon as warmer weather arrives I plan on cleaning out the shavings and replacing the vinyl. Think this go round I'll use this heavy duty roll roofing membrane that I bought from a roofing co. that was closing. Wish I had bought much more as it's uses are almost endless, have covered lumber piles, firewood,etc. I dare my chickens to tear this stuff to pieces! Have fun with your new coop!!

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I commented on this on another thread, dunno if you saw it -- I have "inherited" vinyl flooring on a bunch of pens (they used to be the indoors parts of dog runs from when this was a kennel), and most have held up pretty well despite being quite likely approaching 20 yrs old... BUT I HAVE also had an experience similar to yours, with some of it getting really crumbly and breaking up all over. It was the stuff that was (apparently, to my nonprofessional eye) cheaper-grade stuff AND was in locations where it got somewhat dampish bedding caked down onto it for a long period of time. (I use a sort of deep litter style mgmt, and occasionally damp spots in the underneath of the bedding escape notice for, uh, a good while, and get rather composty)

So it is not *just* you

but OTOH the rest of my vinyl flooring has done fine. (I still don't think it's any better than painted plywood, mind)

To the o.p. -- you can paint an 8x12 coop for FREE, just find someone with some leftover primer and some leftover exterior-grade paint (preferably semigloss, but it is not critical). People ALWAYS have dribs and drabs lying around, or a lot of municipal recycling facilities have paint exchanges, or if you want to be lavish you can get mistints from a big hardware store for like $5 for a quart (which is PLENTY). Do prime first, it matters. Color OTOH does *not* matter.

Pat

 

[AlienChick]

We have not yet bought the vinyl flooring.
I will talk to hubby tonight about the possibility of painting with semi-gloss paint.
Don't care about the color.
Just want the ease of washability.