Greenhouse flooring

Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC

last year

I purchased a 20' greenhouse, and I'm putting it together today.

What do you suggest to use as a floor?

I can leave it as dirt, but I don't know if that's ideal or too cold.

Other options I've considered are pallets (to let water drain more easily) and 1' x 1' pavers.

Thoughts?

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Comments (3)

Embothrium
last year
last modified: last year
Concrete. At least for the walkways. Or a rock product with weed barrier underneath - uncovered soil will splash around, sprout weeds. Items made out of wood will harbor diseases and pests, decompose and collapse over time - you really want everything in a greenhouse to be made of metal, plastic and so forth. Even then if polyethylene is used that material is subject to breaking down in sunlight, having to be replaced at frequent intervals.
rosaprimula
last year
last modified: last year
Yep, I have concrete poured for most of the base, apart from the centre space, which is brick, laid on sand. I had around 4m2 of our beautiful, local 'Cambridge Whites', so used them for the most visible bit while all the areas under the benches are concrete.
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What should I use for my greenhouse flooring?
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Comments (19)
What is your humidity at night? I can't imagine a g/h this time of the year not dripping with humidity, or at least mine does on dark dreary days and at night. For orchids you need the fans circulating air 24/7. Pea gravel or limestone gravel under your benches will definitely increase your humidity. I have limestone because it is the cheapest around here. When you water your plants, it soaks into the gravel and then into the soil. For two days we had super sunny weather and the g/h temps went to 90 with the humidity at 50%. By 7 last night, the humidity was 85% and the temp was 62. Today we have no sun and it is 75% right now - drip, drip, drip - with the heater running. In the heat of summer, during the day my humidity will go under 30% if I don't thoroughly wet the gravel but at night, it returns to 80%. Add gravel and then you may want ideas to reduce the humidity. Brooke
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Greenhouse flooring...
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Comments (8)
I did this in my greenhouse. First about a 3" layer of 5/8 minus gravel: leveled, wetted, and then compacted with the end of a 4X4 timber. Then a 2" layer of sand leveled out with a 2X4; then 1-1/2" thick clay pavers laid on the sand and pounded down with a rubber mallet; lastly, more fine sand swept across the floor several times to fill in the cracks and lock in the pavers. I've had this for 2 years and it works great. Water spills immediately go through the cracks between pavers and into the sand. If you have only 4" of space for your floor, you may not be able to put in very much gravel, and may just go with the sand and the pavers. I don't think you will need more drainage unless you plan to really be dumping a lot of water on the floor. Here is a link that might be useful:
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greenhouse floor
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Comments (4)
I'm certainly not an expert, but ANY wood will eventually rot, given the right conditions. Greenhouse interior conditions would be prime for rotting! It may take a really long time for rot to ruin the decking, but if the structure is to be permanent, it might just pay to think about adding a separate floor with a moisture barrier. A drain for run-off would be good, too. Depending on what is under the deck, i.e. gravel, dirt... and whether or not the ground under the deck is level, you'll need to re-direct the run-off from watering so it doesn't pool under the deck, causing more damage. Ventilation and good air circulation should be considerations, not just for moisture but for plant health, as well. I stumbled upon this thread while looking for greenhouse information... I'm considering purchasing a small one, mainly for seed starting, cuttings, and young plants... it will sit on the ground, though! :-)
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Concrete for greenhouse floor?
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Comments (6)
I worked for a commercial greenhouse that had rough finished concrete walkways in some of their greenhouses. Even with the rough finish the walks would over time become slick with a green slippery moss that grew under the benches, and would eventually work its way into the walks. Periodic washings with a pretty strong Clorox solution would fix it for a while, but...... We were growing orchids/indoor foliage, so were throwing a good deal of water at a lot of plants. Bill
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Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
Original Author
last year
What do you think about pea gravel, with plastic or weed barrier underneath?

My greenhouse is 20x10, and the cheapest pavers I see at Lowes are $1.78 for a 1' x 1'... that's about $400 in pavers, not counting sand and everything :-O

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Greenhouse flooring

Comments (3)

Embothrium

rosaprimula

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Greenhouse flooring

Comments (3)

Embothrium

rosaprimula

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Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NCOriginal Author

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Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
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