Pebble finished concrete for barn aisle

[Jumper_girl221]

So I’m in the process of trying to build my “dream” barn. Nothing fancy, but I do want boarders so it needs to be “nicer” to attract them.

I was wanting to do brick pavers for the aisle. However, yesterday I ran a work deposit to the new bank that was just built and there sidewalks and curbs were that “pebble finished” concrete.

Apparently its very easy to do, and I really liked the texture and thought it was less of a slip risk/less maintenance then regular concrete (and at about half the cost of brick). Apparently you let the concrete “almost” set, then brush an inch or so of the small “pebbles” onto the concrete, it sets, then you seal it.

The barn will be smaller without a whole ton of in and out traffic, just 6 stalls with two exterior covered wash rack and a 16x10 tack room.

However, I cant find ANYTHING on google images showing this pebble finished concrete being used in a barn. Plenty of pictures showing it beside a pool…which implies good traction, but no barns! Is there a reason for that?

And for those that haven’t seen it…

http://www.webphotos.com.au/photos/pebble_concrete_finish.jpg?thumb=true

[js]

Its pretty but I’m wondering how it would hold up to 1,200 lb horses walking on it and how likely it would be for pebbles to work lose and come out? For me, it would be hard to clean, I like a smooth finish that is easy to sweep. We have mats down our isle, easy for horses to stand on for the farrier and easy to clean up.

[Jumper_girl221]

I did think about the cleaning. I’m not sure how much more then brick pavers though.

As far as sweeping, I HATE to sweep lmao, that’s why I have a blower lol. I’d be blowing this, then maybe 1-2x a year doing a pressure wash if I could figure out a way to keep the stalls dry.

Farrier and grooming would be in the outside covered wash rack, I’m not a big fan of using the center aisle for cross ties, one because horses can pull back, two because it then blocks traffic for others.

the working free is a very good point, I wonder if a larger rock would “stick” better.

[amastrike]

I’ve never really seen it, but I’m thinking no…
A. Cleaning
B. Pebbles breaking off
C. Millions of tiny pebbles + hooves = bad traction

[SmartAlex]

I saw some the other day and thought the exact same thing… perfect for barn. How it held up may depend on how it was sealed.

[Jumper_girl221]

See I would think that the pebbles would make the surface quite grippy and would give you more traction then a plain concrete…and I would think a pebble here and there breaking loose isnt’ the end of the world. Worst case in 10 years you can mix them with epoxy and put additional down.

Not saying stfu I’ll do what I want, just thinking out loud. I do have a little while before I have to make any decisions, we’ll be breaking ground on the house and barn sometime in November hopefully

[ManyDogs]

My parents had that surface for their driveway. I realize car tires aren’t horse hooves/shoes and the horse may have more of a sharp impact (? not sure if I’m explaining it right), but weight-wise I think it would be OK. I love the look!

[kdow]

My friend saw something similar at a home show and asked his landscape architect dad about it, who wasn’t too keen. I can’t remember the objection, though. I’ll try to ask and get back to you if my friend remembers what the problem was.

(His dad doesn’t design for horse properties, so it wouldn’t have been horse specific. Maybe something to do with how well it holds up to wear?)

[walktrot]

My b/o had a broom finish put on the aisleway. It’s plenty grippy enough, but easier to sweep than I imagine a pebbled finish would be.

[Simkie]

I don’t know…I think that could be pretty slick underneath a shod horse.

I would really suck to spend the money to install it only to find out it’s a skating rink

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

My gut is that would be slippery with shoes too. But I just don’t know!

[Field_of_Dreams_Mini]

We have a pebble finished area on the driveway. It is SLICK when we drive the ponies on it. Much more so than the rest of the drive, which is asphalt. If you like it, you could do sidewalks, but as an aisle? I’d be afraid…

[amastrike]

[QUOTE=Jumper_girl221;7762723]
See I would think that the pebbles would make the surface quite grippy and would give you more traction then a plain concrete…[/QUOTE]
If horses had soft feet, that would be true. But because horses’ feet are hard and sit on top of the surface rather than sinking in, you’ll have less traction because there is less surface area touching between hoof and surface. Less contact = less friction.

[Horseychick87]

I have stepping stones made of this, I would not use it around horses.

They break/ chip easily and then are very sharp, they are slippery, and although attractive not very easy to clean.

I’d go with ‘swept/ brushed’ concrete. You can tint the concrete to make it a pretty color, and even have designs brushed into it.

[Scarlet_Gilia]

FWIW - when we had a pad poured for our outdoor hot tub, the contractor suggested using an exposed aggregate concrete. This may be more durable than the type with pebbles only in the top layer – I don’t know for sure. It could still be a problem to keep clean around horses, however. He added a reddish dye to our mix; for concrete, it is quite pretty. The horses haven’t asked to hop into the tub, so I don’t know how slippery/grippy they would find the aggregate surface.

“The concrete incorporates stones/pebbles as the aggregate, and is poured like standard concrete. When the surface is still wet, it is power-washed to expose the stones within.” http://www.gallioncustomconcrete.com/exposed_aggregate_concrete.html

See this link for a photo of a finish similar to ours.

http://www.gallioncustomconcrete.com/images/exposed%20aggregate%20concrete.jpg

[Bluey]

In Europe, some streets were made of that and they were extremely slick for the horses.
We tried never to ride there, too dangerous.
Some times, in parades, we had to ride thru some of those and horses were sure slipping around.
Then, practically all our horses were shod, don’t know if yours will be barefoot and if that may make a difference.

Our vet clinic just expanded and the new aisle is asphalt.
I have not asked how they like it to clean it or walk on it or how slick it is for the horses.

I still like dirt or concrete best for horse barn aisles, but those don’t have the wow factor rubber brick or such others can have.

[PeteyPie]

A friend of mine had it (exposed aggregate, not Pebble Tec) for a front entry sidewalk. It must be installed by someone who has done it before because the timing for washing and brushing is critical. If you don’t do it right, the pebbles will come out easily during regular washing or sweeping. This happens especially if you expose the stones too early during installation or if you use too much water pressure or brushing during this stage and remove too much concrete. On the other hand, if you hose it and brush it too late in the curing process, the pebbles will not be exposed attractively. I’m not saying it’s rocket science, but you only get one shot to do it right.

[CrowneDragon]

[QUOTE=amastrike;7763344]
… you’ll have less traction because there is less surface area touching between hoof and surface. Less contact = less friction.[/QUOTE]

This. Have you ever seen a curling ice sheet? The ice is pebbled for the same reason; to lower friction of the stone.

I had a pebbled driveway once upon a time and I thought it was really pretty, but it is more slippery than regular broom-finished concrete. Perhaps you could do a small border with it?

[Ambitious_Kate]

That would be way too slippery for my tastes. I want my horses to stand on mats in the aisles. Makes working there much easier on my feet and legs as well as theirs. Plus, I personally would not board at a barn which didn’t have cross ties in the aisles. I want the stable flat surface for the work space, plus I want to be able to walk around my horse 360 degrees and have enough room between that horse and any walls or fences that I can move out of the way and feel safe. I want cross ties for the security and safety of my horse. My horses are taught to cross tie and, they are taught manners and how to walk past a horse standing in the aisle without misbehaving. Its a safe work space for the farrier and the vet and equipment. I can walk away and the horse is standing still.

I’ve seen horses slip and horses do a split. They can tear an artery and bleed out in minutes, never mind the strains from slipping. A good surface is paramount for horses to work on them and looks come second. Please don’t consider a pebbled surface.

[chicamux]

I boarded at an older barn that had “pebbles” embedded into the concrete aisle surface. These were larger rocks, more the size of quarters. Yes, slippery!!! I had a young mare fall onto her belly and stifles when something behind her startled her and she leaped forward. Both hind feet went straight out behind her and her front feet went forward so she crashed down on her belly. Took a year to recover from injuries.

If you want to do something that looks good and is practical do rubber mats, the interlocking kind. Very horse friendly and practical.

chicamuxen