Hey there, We are re-doing a great old coop and the floor is cement. The cement is in ok shape and we filled in any large holes with quickcrete (mostly around the edges). The coop floor is probably 60 to 70 years old and the top is kind of crumbly and will be hard to clean. What should I do to it? Is there some type of sealant we can use? Should we paint it? I just don't know what to do. Thanks! Julie
Quote:Hi Julie, I have a concrete floor too in my coop and Honestly all what I put on it is DIRT yes plain old dirt, it makes te hes very happy and you can't hardly smell anything bad, and it is super easy to rake it, every week I spray a little water to keep the dust down. so don't spend any money and try my way for few days if you don't like it then you can find other solutions. Good luck. Omran
it can be tough to get paint to stick to concrete for any length of time. if you must paint use one of the garage floor epoxy type products. Rustoleum makes one that i've used and it's very good. i think you'll be fine with just the concrete and your bedding of choice.
Concrete has a few issues and benefits. First the good news. It is about as predator proof as can be. It is low maintenance and it's does not rot. It degrades/crumbles as you note, but as long as the subsurface is sound it remains viable. There are top dressings, epoxy fills, that will work to cure the top erosion, but they are costly. Normally, just refilling and smoothing with a portland cement/sand top dressing should go along way to curing the pitting. Cement was popular back then, mostly in the NE States, so I'll wager you are above the Mason-Dixon line. Concrete's chief vice is that it is cold as Hades. On low land that is damp, it can harbor moisture if poorly insulated, which is bad for the litter. It normally requires a thick layer of litter, 6-8", especially where the winters are cold. So you have to take pains to ensure good insulation in the coop and adequate ventilation. Otuside of that, you are lucky to have it. Make good with it!
