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Dirt Barn Aisle -- putting down gravel and mats?

Hello,

I have an older barn with a combination of dirt and old, pressed sawdust in the aisle. Because of decades of layers of sawdust in the aisle, it is not hard and compacted like dirt. It literally crumbles under foot and is incredibly dusty.

In some areas I have shoveled away enough to see there is some sort of gravel “base.” I am considering hiring a landscaper to dip up the aisle to remove all of the old shavings/dirt and lay additional new gravel and stonedust. The plan would be to compact it and then place mats on top. I’d love a concrete aisle, but with the length of the aisle, it’s probably not in the budget.

Does this sound like a decent plan? Any better alternatives or advice to make this a long-lasting aisle?

Thanks in advance.

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Sounds like a great plan! I know many, many barns with a stonedust aisle, they look great and are quite functional. You probably don’t even need to mat it, but the mats will be easy to sweep! Most people with stonedust aisles that I know of use a rake to clean them up, not a broom.

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I don’t know what concrete in your area runs, but just for grins, you might want to get a bid or two on that for your aisle.

I think that the mats and stone dust underneath would be a great solution, but it is not a permanent one. You will need to adjust and replace, as you go.

I have a very old barn, and I did pour concrete, and I have mats down in my work areas.

Rubber mats in an aisle can be slippery. Concrete is not very forgiving. I’d consider removing whatever is dusty that you don’t like, and putting in clay (if you can find a source). It would set up pretty solid especially if tamped down, dry but not dusty, and easy to rake or sweep. Damp it down every now and again to reset the surface. Not as “fancy” as rubber matting, but has advantages of it’s own, and often cheaper.

I like the stone dust + mats plan. Not overkill at all. If you just go with stone dust, a good way to tidy up is to use a leaf blower once you’ve got any big crud picked up.

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I’ve got stone dust and mats in my aisles and they are still perfectly level 10 years later because the mats are wall-to-wall. My mats are textured and I don’t tend to get much water in the barn so I’ve never really experienced slippery. I wonder if it’s even necessary to scrape the old stuff or if you could just put down stone dust and rent a compactor to tamp it down?

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Many of the barn aisles I know that are stone dust have been around for 20-30+ years without issue nor frequent adjusting or replacing of stonedust.

People in the south really like clay for some reason. I hate it, I would never use clay, personally.

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I have rock hard dirt, a modest layer of stone dust and mats over it. We used stall klips to secure the mats and they do not move- every day two geldings race to their stalls and slam on the brakes on those mats…no shifting. Mats just sitting on rock will shift usually…so being able to strike solid dirt with the clips made a difference

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My tiny barn has a dirt aisle that is covered wall to wall with rubber mats. It is not perfectly level in spots but it works fine. I dream of rubber pavers but it’s probably not going to happen since this setup is perfectly functional.

I have a stonedust aisle that is 17yo.
Put down & tamped over a 9" gravel base.
When new, it was like beachsand & now feels like cement to me, but horses leave very shallow imprints.
It has remained level from both horse traffic & trucks hauling loaded haywagons over it.

I sweep it clean & on the occasion it gets “watered” < hosed in error - it drains well.
I have 2 large pieces of rubber roofing (ice dam?) material for mats, also 17yo.
They are easy to move if I need to & I have used bricks to weight the corners or a strong wind coming in from the opened front sliding door will lift them.

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I would put down stone dust/ag lime/dusty 12. You will need to wet and compact it. Once it’s dry it’ll be like concrete. The mats over.

Yes, compacted stone dust will give you a nice surface for an aisle. I had that in my last barn, covered in mats. However, our local show venue just has stone dust aisles with no mats and it is lovely to work on, easily raked and/or swept clean, and a misting of water will keep it dust-free.

We had a dirt aisle in our barn for the first year. I liked the softness and the fact that I really didn’t need to sweep it. However our barn cats liked to make their “deposits” in the aisle. We brought in some stone dust and rented a compactor. We put the mats wall to wall. They have not moved. The mats do get moisture on them when it rains. So now on rainy days I don’t bother to sweep so I don’t have to worry about traction.

So much helpful feedback! Thank you!

I have one follow-up question: Should I let the gravel and stonedust “settle” for a year before placing my mats? The landscaper gave us a quote, but said the stonedust will likely be displaced somewhat where the horses walk and it will feel like an imprinted area under the mats. He recommended that we use the aisle for a year and then place the mats. (This reminds me of weathering an outdoor base before placing the top footing!)

Is this necessary? If so, I’m game. Although I am very ready to reduce the dust in my barn!

Will be starting a separate thread for advice on hydrants/auto waterers in pastures. While digging up the aisle, we are going to run some water lines to the fields. Yay!

my opinion: pay to have it removed, and a level of stone dust compacted evenly and then interlocking mats ‘edge to edge’ (think carpeting). This can and probably should? be done all at once. so no divets, dips, hoof dig up. I LOVE MINE. would opt for it over concrete any day of the week.

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No. You’re best to lay the mats right away while the stone dust is pristine and level, otherwise you’ll never get it back in that shape later on if you decide to wait.

Choose mats that have a slightly raised gentle nubby surface, not a slick surface. The nubbs offer traction when the mat is wet, slick mats can be a nightmare when wet and a serious slip can get you hurt. Fully recommend the mats be installed wall to wall, cut to fit.

You will love having the mats. A leaf blower will keep them clean. No more raking, no more dust, no more divots in the aisles. I finally laid mats after 20+ years of dealing with stone dust aisleways. Loved the results so much that I did all the stalls as well. Had to have more stone dust delivered for stalls and have them tamped down, but it was worth the expense and effort. Had I known, I would have matted my entire stable decades earlier.

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In follow-up conversation with landscaper, he said an aisle in which he placed gravel, then mats, did settle in the middle. Perhaps the missing link was the stonedust layer?

This leads to a follow-up question: Do I need the gravel base or should I just put a layer of stonedust then mats?

Final question – how many inches of stonedust?

Thank you for all of the helpful insights and experiences!

I’d forget the gravel and add enough stone dust to get within 3/4 inch of your stall entrances so when finished (including compacting the stone dust, key step) all is flat. If you have a lot of depth to create a flat surface with your stalls (more than 2-3 inches) then use roadbase under the stone dust.

DressageLin : ‘landscaper’ vs. horseperson can mean a lot of things! I was fortunate the guy I hired for my Ramm fencing, and my adaptation ‘barn build’ and all my leveling/mats, etc was a horse guy as well as a builder. Anyway. from your update I picture a large gravel and no, that wouldn’t compact or work under mats. when you say ‘how many inches’ that will vary too…didn’t you say you have sawdust/soft footing in your aisle now? start with removing all that to see how much stone dust you’d need to top over your ground/clay whatever base there is once the organic non base is taken off…but keep in mind you want this compacted and leveled so, it may take more. Have you checked with any horse owners in your area if they used someone to level/install mats who they used? may help with your soil type …

No, you do not need to wait any time to put down mats. Think of it this way, we do not wait to put mats down in stalls after putting in the base. The better you prep your base surface; stone depth, level and compaction; the better the mats will be. No, you do not need a gravel base. Level dirt floor. Stone dust. Compact. Mats.

I think you have a good plan!

I had stone dust in my aisle the first few years. I was finally able to put down mats. So much better!

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