flooring

just getting started with the the planning..building soon
I have an option of sand, any sized gravel.....or I have brick -like pavers... As long as I have options I would like opinions from more experienced GH ers

thanks,
jackie

Howdy Jackie...

Just curious as to what kind of g-house you are putting up. Also, how big is it? And what will you be doing with it? (Year 'round? Seasonal? etc.)

still in the planning process.......looking around as to cost and design....and suggestions..
We will build this fall or winter...still way too hot to start major projects now ....have a thirty acre homesite with gardens to fill.. I am a hobbiest only and needing a place to overwinter and grow seedlings or cuttings and divisions for sping planting. I probably won't use it much in the summer it is far too hot here. I am thinking 12 x 16 maybe.....nothing is certain just yet, we are looking to see what our options are. .I don't want to spend a fortune but would like something a little more substantial than a hoop house........you know, champagne on a beer buget...something along those lines....We are not young so I wanted something that wouldn't be a maintenance nightmare. We get some pretty strong winds and thunderstorms here. This area is called Tornado Alley.

I put down weed mat and then gravel in our g-house. Also dug two ditches and put in leach line under the weed mat/gravel so excess water would drain outside. Works great for us.

Some folks lay down water lines and then pour a concrete slab...hot water runs thru the pipes and offers floor heating. This would be great for keeping pots/trays/etc of rootings, plants and the like warm. (Much easier to heat the containers of soil than to heat the whole airspace.) I'm not sure how cold your winters get there though so you may want supplemental heat also.

i use upside down carpet in mine!

Hmmm...I hope to put up a big cold frame, maybe I better start contacting some carpet companies to get their old stuff, eh? Much obliged, Dori!

the voices of experience are well appreciated
thanks,
jackie

notmartha,

Why upside down carpet? Won't it get moldy on the floor of a greenhouse? I was just about to get rid of a pile of old carpet and carpet padding that the landlord piled next to the shed and conveniently forgot about. Maybe I can use it?

Wayne

wayne I put it upsidedown becuz its easier to clean-you can vacumm or just sweep it up. The carpet will sooner or later rot but there is always a pile of used carpet being tossed out by someone!!! I have 6inches of packed sand underneath the carpet so even when i soak it it dries out with the heat of the GH

**welcome shoe! lisa is the one that told me about the carpet yrs ago!

We have a concrete slab.
Last weekend we got interlocking rubber mat from Harbor Freight.
Nice stable 1" cushion for the feet.
Black so picks up heat.
Water-proof.
And only 12 bucks for four 2' x2' squares.

Ric

Carpet works great for paths so I guess it would be great in the greenhouse too! I do have to caution that it will grow moss in the shade. LOL I put it through my shade bed. :) I have also used it between daylily rows and vegetable beds. It is free, lasts several years and weeds do not grow through it!

I was wondering about the toxic black molds that I've seem to become sensitive to. An office building I worked in flooded briefly and the resulting mold made it impossible for me to enter my office until all carpets were cleaned and treated.

Wayne

I have a 8.5 X 12.5 Rion that we just finished putting up about 3 weeks ago. I used 1/2 in. size limestone. I needed about 1 1/4 ton and it costed about $24. The reason I needed so much was our ground is so unlevel. We had to dig down on one side and brace up on the other side. So far I am real happy with it. It is real easy to walk on.

2 dogs,
the limestone sounds good.......I have a dump truck and there is a pit nearby for local stone or large gravel rock...

my thought's are.........my land is sand, pure sand 40 feet down...drainage is definitely not a problem....I have some pallets of brick leftover from the house building......lay the brick on packed sand with no mortar fill in with with loose sand...water it in to pack tight ...
it should drain well, ......can sweep it, blow it, or wash it clean... it will just be labor intensive to lay ...but, it will be a one time deal................

I have used carpet in the past as a weed barrier and it works great..just cut out an x and plant right thru it if you want..throw a little mulch on top to conceal...I would be a bit concerned in a closed environment of a GH with mold and allergies............

open to any ideas.......you guys are the greatest.
jackie

My husband built me a 10x20 greenhouse on the east side of his metal shop. The floor is concrete along the walls with the middle open a dirt floor. We had a long drain installed with a cloth cover on it. Bark will go in this area when I get time. So far I have just had time to put my plants in it for the winter. It is wonderful. I have 2 rollup doors on the North and South. The wall facing East is a clear material (the material that they make sky lights) so you don't feel boxed in. There are two sky lights in the ceiling. I plan to have some relaxing times in my greenhouse this winter.

sounds like that husband may be a keeper...........great greenhouse...send pictures for our enjoyment if you can
jackie

here is my gh that dh and i built

here is inside with carpet floors

Notmartha, that is an impressive looking greenhouse. Do you have any problems with the carpet getting slick with either water or mold? It sure makes the greenhouse floor look neat. You have some nice looking plants, also. Dotti

dotti
I have had no probs with the carpet-and its easily replaced! Its easy for clean up-just sweep or vacumm!
I love my gh and used it bunches this yr for seedstarting!

Hello everyone! I am a newbie here at DG and became very excited when I accidently came across this website in the middle of the night..couldn't sleep.
I am planning to build 2 large greenhouses soon and have been mulling over how to do the floors, so when I came across the idea for upside carpeting I was intriged. My greenhouses will be 20 X 40 feet. I live in the Arizona desert where summertime days can reach 110 and winter nights can drop to below freezing with warmer days. We also get monsoon rains, thunder storms and wind gusts up to 80-100 mph during the summer. If I were to use the carpeting, does it make a difference on the kind of carpeting one uses? The dirt here is hardpan so if I use carpeting I suppose I should put in a layer of gravel first to facillitate drainage and level the floor. I should also mention that I want to be able to heat and cool the GH and that I will be growing wasabi hydropnically with mainly a water system. Besides the carpeting if anyone else has done the heating and cooling of a large GH and/or does hydroponics..I welcome all comments!