Lime-ash floors were an economical form of floor construction from the 15th century to the 19th century, for upper floors in parts of England where limestone or chalk were easily available. They were strong, flexible, and offered good heat and sound insulation.
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Stabilized Caliche Floors
Caliche: calcium carbonate formed in the soils of semiarid regions.
“I sifted the caliche through a chicken wire sieve to get rid of the larger material. This leaves a good size aggregate for a 4-5inch think pour, thicker floor better against moisture too (when the pour is too thin less ,than 3″, the mix will crack more, when setting).
Log End Flooring Videos
Glue log ends in place with construction adhesive.
Adobe Block Floors
Readers often ask our advice about the most practical floors for do-it-yourselfers. If you’re building your own sustainable home, I suggest building floors on grade. This eliminates the need for posts, beams, floor joists, subflooring, toxic glues and other materials used to build typical wood framed floors.
Earth Coupled Floors
Earth coupled floors – high mass floors in contact with the soil below (slab on grade, tile, stone, CEB, earthen floors, salvaged brick) – are ideal for keeping homes cool in hot climates. They are not recommended for cold climates where underfloor insulation is best. Our earthbag roundhouse, which is in a hot climate, remains … Read more
Plunger Pile Floor System
An inexpensive option to thick concrete floors. The diagram below is from the 1972 book “The Owner Built Home”, by Ken Kern. In this discussion Kern describes a lightweight 1″ thick fiber reinforced floor system that had been tested extensively in India. The system starts with a flat earthen floor surface that has been loosened … Read more