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EARTHEN FLOORS

For more information see our Info Manual Shop

Earth Floors

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Background:

  • Earth floors of various designs and applications can be found throughout history.

  • Locally earth floors were used by early settlers where timber could not be sourced or afforded.

  • Local vernacular architectures still use earth floors.


Benefits:

  • If well-built can provide viable warmer alternative to concrete using local materials.

  • Earth floors provide excellent thermal comfort to building interiors.

  • Can be easily repaired.


Technical information:
  Ground Slab construction:

  • Adobe bricks or cast clay slabs are laid on a thick bed of gravel.

  • Then various layers of earth, straw, dung and sometimes lime is used to screed over.

  • Normally sealed by burnishing with mix of beeswax and linseed oil, casein.

  • Good perimeter french drains are advised to divert all moisture.

  • Vulnerable in floods.

  • Easily damaged, but also easily and inexpensively repaired.


 First Floor Construction:

  • There are many variations of this construction.

  • Typically a slab of clay straw is laid on criss-cross layers of reeds and bamboo or timber ceilings spanning between timber rafters.

  • Earth bricks can be used forming mini vaults between rafter supports.

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Company Track record/examples of work:

  • House Klipspringer – Wild Rivers Estate, Hoedspruit, Mpumalanga, 2021

  • OR Tambo Narrative & Enviro Centre – Leeupan, Johannesburg, 2010 - 2011

  • Mamre Info Centre Project, Mamre Western Cape, 2010, first floor construction

  • House Davids, Zeekovlei, Cape Town, 2000

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