Another for concrete and mats. I’ve always boarded where there was dirt, and I hated having to fix mats that moved, or were dug up. When I built my barn concrete was a MUST!
OK I am a vote of dissent. Back in the day I co-opped at a barn that had concrete floors. They were horrible. I bedded the stall in lots of shavings but the urine ran under the mats and had nowhere to go. It was gross!
When I built my barn I put crusher-run/ screenings/ stone dust in the stall floor and put thick interlocking mats ( Summit) on top of them. It has been 15+ years and they are as level as they were when I rented a compresser from Home Depot and compressed the base. No tunnels underneath, the mats are just as level as when I put them down. I have done NO maintenance to the floors in this set up. I do think that this works best if you compress the base really good and you use interlocking mats. The one stall that I have cheap mats in does not do this well but it is not the fault of the stone base. When I can find some more interlocking mats without a huge shipping fee I am going to pull out the cheap mats that move around and put in interlocking ones.
If you live in an area with humidity the concrete will sweat. Even if you have mats over it, it just adds to the moisture in the air. I have screenings as a base in my horse’s living areas and much prefer it to the barn where we have a concrete floor. My goats and cow are in there and it is harder to clean.
I have two 12 x 15 foot stalls and think putting concrete in would cost me an arm and a leg. At present the flooring is dirt and it is unlevel and lacks decent drainage. Planning to dig down and put in rock then gravel then something else and use blume farms idea of 2 x 4’s on their sides with space between.
To compare, here concrete for stall floors is running $4 square foot.
That includes digging out, adding dirt and sand and preparing site with reinforcing bars, hauling, concrete, labor, all of it.
For those two 12’ x 15’ stalls it would be rounded up $1500.
3/4" rubber mats would add maybe up to $1000.
So $2500 for your two stalls.
Digging out, screenings down, water and compactor rent, wood, labor to do all that?
You figure that and compare.
I would say there is not that much cost difference up front.
There may be in maintenance.
Concrete maintenance free for decades, other, it depends.
I think that what we choose comes down more to personal experiences, opinions and preferences than cost differences.
Concrete, hands down. Been in both, and if you have a horse that likes to paw, even just pee in ONE spot, that will eventually lift a mat edge and then you’re done for :dead: Pulling 100+ pound mats out of stalls, reeking of piss, then leveling as best as possible and reassembling the mats… Makes you want to give up horses and take up anyotherhobby. I remember about 10 or so years ago I said concrete was best and got tarred and feathered, I’m glad the tide has changed :yes:
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My BO went with dirt with mats. The only problem I see is that she uses sawdust for bedding. It works its way under the corners of some mats and should be cleaned more often. She did concrete in the aisleway with mats. Her uncle owns one of the largest sand and gravel operations that supplies concrete and anything else she needs. She and her ex-husband were still reasonably good friends at the time so his foundation business provided all the labor.
She packed the soil before the stalls were constructed. She literally packed the soil herself. There are 12 stalls on one side and 7 on the other. She didn’t pour the aisleway until everything was finished.
Anyone every put down concrete and then 5 inches of pea gravel or sand on top (in lieu of mats?) Just curious. between pouring concrete for my big 12’ by 15’ stalls and the mats it would be pretty pricey. There would be a drain so the pea gravel or sand could be hosed down to clean if need be (and drain would have to block those materials from going down so maybe sand isn’t the way to go? How about the concrete then Blume Farms 2 x 4 wood panels with pea gravel between. Then you wouldn’t need mats. Of course have to price the options which I have not yet done.
Pea gravel or sand will constantly shift under the horse. Think about walking on a beach above the tide line… it’s hard work. Not to mention the risk of ingesting that material. No, that sounds like a bad idea… :-/
Well I think the only way tit would work would be to do Blume farms 2 x 4 planks with pea gravel between (no shifting in that case) and then I would but bedding on top of that. I use wood pellets.
And pee goes…where? Fines from the bedding will sift into your pee (errr, pea :lol:) gravel, holding urine and then clogging drains. Removing the lot of it to rinse the organics from the gravel and unclog the drain would be a huge undertaking.
The stall fabric options that use a gravel drain bed separate the drain bed from the bedding for a reason. Organic materials like bedding and inorganic materials that need to drain don’t work well without a barrier between. You could do stall skins, but at that point, you’d likely be spending more than mats, so…why?
The benefit of concrete under mats is the level surface that doesn’t deform. There’s no benefit to having concrete under gravel or sand 
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OK. Well if you are putting mats over concrete how thick should they be?.
Who makes the best (quality/durablity)mats- I assume you get what you pay for.
I’m in CA for what it’s worth.
Many use plain 3/4" mats from places like Tractor Supply or such local places.
Is cheaper if you find a bulk supplier close by, the internet has plenty and buy wholesale.
Some like the Summit ones that tie into each other like a puzzle and some of those come up to 1" thick.
We have the plain ones, most in 4’ x 8’, from Gebo’s a SW company, that sells at a discount for volume orders.
Hmm, tricky question. The commonly available 3/4" 4x6 rubber mats are probably all pretty similar. You can most likely get a deal by buying by the pallet at your local feed store.
But then you get into interlocking mats and thicker mats and one piece mats and lightweight mats and…geez, even stall mattresses. You can even get liquid rubber products, which just seem SUPER sexy.
Probably all depends on how complex you want to get 
When we built our barn we did concrete and then rolled a sealer on it to help seal it, then good quality rubber mats over top. I would much prefer it that way. Since we moved we now have dirt floors and it’s very very dusty. We don’t live somewhere where you can get professional dirt/screenings delivered so its just packed dirt. I want to put rubber mats down but we need to get the stalls leveled and then I still will have to deal with pee soaking thru the joints between mats etc., not an ideal situation for me.
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So if you have properly installed mats, the pee doesn’t leak through the mats? I would plan to use some wood pellets for bedding over the mats. Also would set it up so the concrete could be hosed off to clean (so there would be a drain in the concrete floor). I do have a tractor supply locally and they carry the 4x6 mats ( but the ones I’ve seen don’t interlock).
My stalls are 12 x 16 so I would need 16 4 x 6 mats to cover two stalls. Grand total for 16 mats with tax would be $772.03 at Tractor supply.
If we do concrete we will install a deco drain strip either at the end of the stall or down the center with slight slope to concrete (either way). We will also put 3-4 inches of gravel or sand below the concrete so it doesn’t crack and expansion and control joints in the concrete (all per my contractor bf). (Lucky lucky me).
No, not really. Mats should be cut to fit TIGHT. When I install mats, I cut 1/4" to a 1/2" longer than the measure and bang them in with a rubber mallet. Very little is able to seep between. If you have gaps, they’ll shift, bedding will get underneath, seams will lift, and you’ll curse every time you clean the stall. Poorly installed mats just suck.
You’ll want to slope to be very even across the stall, or the mat edges will have a tough time aligning. A edge drain is probably better, otherwise both sides are coming to a valley in the middle.
If you have a local feed store that’s not TSC, check there, too. I’ve always gotten better deals by shopping NOT at TSC. My last mats were $30 a pop, delivered. Pallet pricing, local store.
Thanks Simkie. I’m in the boondocks and only local feed store is TSC. However, I could go to Lancaster, Bakersfield, or LA if I needed be (California).
TSC will do a pallet price, so if you can find a spot for the other mats, definitely take advantage! Mats are one of those things that just always come in handy. But if those other feed stores aren’t a ridiculous haul, give them a call to see what they can do for you :yes:
