Feet on the Ground: Earthen Floors

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

“One of the central intentions of natural building is that when your house reaches the end of its lifespan, the lumber and hardware get recycled, and the majority of the building material simply decompose,” he explains. “Rain and microorganisms will break down an earth floor in a relatively short time—probably within a few years. It’s a truly cyclical process.”

Earthen floors are also economical if you do them yourself. The soil, if taken from the home site, costs nothing, and sand is inexpensive. The biggest costs comes from the natural linseed oil, which is about twelve dollars a gallon off the shelf and much less in bulk. Bolman used 12 gallons for his 450-square-foot home and 55 gallons for the downstairs floors in his 3,400-square-foot triplex.

The drawbacks

Though functional and sustainably viable, earthen floors have a few disadvantages, including odor from the sealant and problems with scratching and cracking. Fortunately, the Steens say, these difficulties can be overcome.

Like most conventional floors, earthen types must be sealed, and some linseed oil can leave a lingering odor. To combat this odor, the Steens use raw linseed oil; while it takes longer to dry, it has only the odor of flaxseed oil (raw linseed oil is derived from extracting oil from the seeds of the flax plant and is used, in this unprocessed form, as a nutritional supplement). Boiled linseed oil, made through processing raw linseed oil, has additives that produce strong toxic odors, but using it also hastens drying time. To avoid these fumes and to speed drying time, the Steens pre-oxidize raw oil by placing it in a shallow container in the sun.

Unfortunately, earthen floors are not indestructible. Dropping a brick from chest height, Bolman says, would likely dent an earthen floor, but the same could be said of a wood one. “It’s more comparable to a slab of leather than concrete,” he explains. Which means, says Bill Steen, that earthen floors are sensitive to scratching. “It doesn’t mean they aren’t durable, but people can’t have unrealistic expectations.” In areas with high foot traffic—under a desk, for instance, or in an entry way—earthen floors may not perform well or may need to be sometimes supplemented with alternative materials such as flagstone or brick. Chairs, sofas, tables, and other furniture may need padding underneath their legs to disseminate the concentration of the weight.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print