Has anyone ever used roll out rubber mats down a concrete barn aisle? Likes/dislikes?

[2DogsFarm]

[QUOTE=ASB Stars;8658815]
When it is REALLY humid, the matts in the aisle will get damp. That’s what worries me about the belting in the aisle.[/QUOTE]

I have rubber roofing material called ice dam I believe - very thin, held in place by fencing staples (my redneck solution to edges blowing up) - in my aisle, laid over stonedust floor.
I got it for free from one of the guys who built my barn & was redoing his roof.
12yrs later it has stood up to horses walking & aside from wind blowing it up no problems with wear.
I even used it to line stalls under shavings, but after about 5yrs it had holes, rips from the manure fork catching as I picked.

It DOES get slippery when there’s excessive humidity, but is thin enough so horses don’t slide walking on it when wet.
Their weight pushes it down into the stonedust enough so slippage is not an issue.
I have been known to almost take a header walking on it when it’s slick & I hurry.

[Pennywell_Bay]

[QUOTE=vxf111;8658341]
I think I need to go see these to see how thick/heavy they are.

Appreciate all the feedback. I hadn’t thought about sweeping the edges. Though, frankly, having had a DIRT floor for a year-- I am excited (for now) about sweeping ;)[/QUOTE]

I use a leaf blower 99% of the time, which is why I’ll upgrade to the heavier mats next time as sometimes the blower lifts the edge.

I use a broom for tidying up but honestly, not on a daily basis.

[HungarianHippo]

[QUOTE=goodhors;8658743]
Darn, wish I was close enough to get some of that conveyor matting![/QUOTE]

goodhors, check out http://www.repurposedmaterialsinc.com/used-conveyor-belt-used-conveyor-belting
They routinely have used conveyor belting on hand, and their Joliet-area warehouse may be accessible for you. Regardless, shipping a 600-800# pelletized roll of rubber should not be horrendous. Few hundred bucks by LTL carrier.

[SugarCubes]

[QUOTE=trubandloki;8658316]
I can not comment on the difference in the mats, but I can comment on having 1’ on either side of the mats. My 10’ wide aisle has 1’ on either side of the mats (the thicker mats in your first link) and it is annoying having to sweep that small 1’ area. Small stuff does not sweep up over the edge of the mat so I have to sweep to one end or the other (on the side that does not have stalls).[/QUOTE]

Oh yes, I totally agree with this! I also have 1’ on either side of my matted aisle and it drives me insane too. Have you tried using a blower instead of broom? That works better than sweeping, IMO. I am definitely going to buy more mats in the future and make them fit wall to wall in my aisle.

[Bluey]

There are all kinds of conveyor belting.

A friend bought some that had been used in a quarry, to use around the bottom of her round pen and it didn’t hold up too well, was curling all over, no matter how tight she attached it to the panels.

Other than losing it’s shape, it is still there, these many years later, so it is durable.

I am not sure I would want to use that kind of belting for a floor on an aisle.
Be sure you know which kind of belting you are getting.

[vxf111]

Update-- the concrete seems to be sufficiently rough as to not be slippery. Even when wet. Even when walked on my an idijot loose legges horse. So for now… I am going to try life mat-less.

BUT BOY DO I NEED TO GO BUY A PUSH BROOM

[ASB_Stars]

[QUOTE=vxf111;8664943]
Update-- the concrete seems to be sufficiently rough as to not be slippery. Even when wet. Even when walked on my an idijot loose legges horse. So for now… I am going to try life mat-less.

BUT BOY DO I NEED TO GO BUY A PUSH BROOM :)[/QUOTE]

If your floor has a rough finish- like mine- the push broom will not get it clean. I’ve tried! You just keep at it, and there is always dirt left behind!

So, my transportation doubles as my barn broom! :lol:

[vxf111]

So what’s best, a blower? I always hated blowers…

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=vxf111;8664968]
So what’s best, a blower? I always hated blowers…[/QUOTE]
I am wondering this too, because I too have always hated blowers.

I hate getting all that dust into the air.

[vxf111]

[QUOTE=trubandloki;8664985]
I am wondering this too, because I too have always hated blowers.

I hate getting all that dust into the air.[/QUOTE]

Me too. I lie awake at night worrying about horses and respiratory issues. I suppose if I do it before the horses go out, it’ll settle while the barn is empty though.

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=vxf111;8664989]
Me too. I lie awake at night worrying about horses and respiratory issues. I suppose if I do it before the horses go out, it’ll settle while the barn is empty though.[/QUOTE]
I was actually thinking about this topic this morning as I swore at the broom trying to sweep that 1’ wide gap next to my mats.
I only have three horses and they do go out in the morning so I could blow things, but there is enough dust in a freaking barn already, blowing will make it worse I would think. Would I simply be adding more dusting/decobwebbing to my chore list if I went to a blower? Do I want dust settling on my hay?

[FreshAir]

We have brushed concrete in the wash stall and it works fine. I would think a rubber mat that gets wet would be more slippery than bare floor alone. I also agree with another poster that if you can get wall to wall matting on the aisle, you will be cutting down your sweep time.

[bdj]

I’ve got a brushed concrete aisle and a regular old corn broom does a great job for me - it is a pretty solid one, though - not one of those cheap dealies from the grocery store.
I do have a push broom - it looks a bit like this one: http://www.lowes.com/pd_469317-1738-00635LSU___?productId=50342106&pl=1&Ntt=push+broom - but I think the old-fashioned one is easier to use and so I do a better job with it. YMMV. (I actually find the push broom more helpful on the slick finished garage floor.)

[HungarianHippo]

…or you could, you know, just ignore the fact that there is a 1" wide area in your barn that is dusty. :lol: I’m kinda thrilled when there is a 1" wide area in my barn that’s NOT covered in dust. j/k

Constructive ideas: fill the gap with 1x1 lumber wedged in there. Or, cover the 1" gap with flexible cove base tacked along the barn/stall walls. Attach low enough and angle it so the bottom of the cove base rests on the matting.

[Miss_Motivation]

LOVE Linear Rubber’s custom heavy mats. Pricey but I can’t imagine they won’t outlast my lifetime, they are custom-made so fit well (some custom-fidgeting adjustment is still needed when installing) and they are thick and protective.

The mats keep the barn so much cleaner and make so much more sense for labor than watering/raking the big aisle every day, and they have a slight textured surface to no slip.

I’ve posted about Linear Rubber several times- have had some of mine for a decade and they are exactly as when received. Also great in stalls, only two pieces fit into a 12 x 12’ stall instead of 6 regular mats. A total pain to handle and install but then they never move.

Lots of good suggestions here-

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=HungarianHippo;8665628]
…or you could, you know, just ignore the fact that there is a 1" wide area in your barn that is dusty. :lol: I’m kinda thrilled when there is a 1" wide area in my barn that’s NOT covered in dust. j/k

Constructive ideas: fill the gap with 1x1 lumber wedged in there. Or, cover the 1" gap with flexible cove base tacked along the barn/stall walls. Attach low enough and angle it so the bottom of the cove base rests on the matting.[/QUOTE]

Not sure if you are referring to my post. I do not see anyone else referring to a one inch wide gab so my assumption is that you read my post wrong.

The gap is one foot (1’) wide, not one inch (1") wide.

10 feet wide aisle with 8 feet wide mats (two mats wide) leaves two feet of uncovered aisle, one foot on each side.

[HungarianHippo]

I did indeed read 1". My apologies if my lighthearted comment offended.

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=HungarianHippo;8666389]
I did indeed read 1". My apologies if my lighthearted comment offended.[/QUOTE]
Not offended at all. Just confused. I went back and read to make sure I used ’ instead of "… I was not sure how having way too many 1x1 pieces of lumber would make this gap better and then I opened your link and said ‘oh they must have read that wrong’.