Why We Chose Dirt Floors (Part 3) Earthen Top Coat, Sealing & Wax #46 DIY Passive, Off-Grid Home

Why we want a dirt floor in our new house. Applying the top layer, sealing and waxing our earthen floor.
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[@canuckyank82]

Beautiful floors. Tons of work but such a pleasing result. It was great to see the scientific thinking and see the application of that thinking as you progressed. It makes the story of the home very special. Thanks for the video!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

It was less work than laying tile, so really not too bad, and a whole lot less cost. Apprecite it, thanks for watching! 😊

[@peggyhelblingsgardenwhatyo7920]

Wow! Looks great and you really have one heck of a story to go with it!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks so much Peggy! It was a bit of a risk, but they turned out amazing! 💛🏜️

[@RobertWiggers]

Looking amazing. Never thought it would look this great.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

We had some ideas, but didn't know for sure how it would turn out. We are glad we really like the finished product. Thanks! 😊

[@kellierebkowec625]

I think it looks a lot like worn leather. Very nice.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks!

[@diyfferent]

It's been really enjoyable to watch your progress and learn new things along the way. I appreciate seeing new ideas and building techniques.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! It's been an interesting process, and we are figuring things out as we go. We are excited to get moved in and test everything out. 😊🏜️

[@alexfreer8892]

I agree ☝️

[@dickdavidson3616]

The contrast with the concrete and the bull nose joint is awesome. Love the living room’s warm brownie colour and texture. Looks edible!

[@basilwise8193]

I love the warm brownie comparison, it is perfect!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! We thought about adding some stain to the oil to darken the floor some, but that definitely wasn't needed.

[@canajian]

👋😎👍

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

😊🏜️

[@stephenaustin142]

Wax on , wax off .

[@BKLevi]

Nice job you two. I'm working on a clay floor... you inspired me.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! Best wishes! The video showing our son's earth floor will come out next weekend. 🌞

[@1icepop234]

It's amazing how level you were able to get it just using your eyeballs! 😂 It's a really beautiful and inviting floor! ❤️

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Yes, the eyeball is the best tool for the job. 😂 Red was much better at getting it level than I was, so I just sifted dirt and stayed out of his way. The floor feels so nice to walk on. Thanks! 🧡🏜️

[@turiyapanama]

If you densely pack the mix with finely chopped wheat or rice straw you will get no cracks! I did my earthen floors in 3 layers, with 3-4 weeks drying time for layer 1 (3 inch thick with long straw) and layer 2 (1 inch thick with finely chopped straw). For a smoother look, you can add layer 3 which is only sand and clay, but very thin (like 1/8-1/4 inch). It grips to the straw in layer 2 after u wet the surface. Then you can seal with tung oil/linseed oil after 1 week! But yours did come out beautiful! We get ants in any cracks so no cracks was a big factor for us

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

😎 Yes, there are definitely other ways to do it, this was a bit of an experiment. It's looking good so far. I decided to fill the crack between the earth floor and concrete with more dirt and sand, then I sealed it with wax. We love the combination of earth floor and concrete it's working out great! Thanks!

[@terequiroz6144]

Hola excelente trabajo soy una admiradora de ustedes y su gran trabajo que realizan bendiciones ustedes vinieron a revolucionar la vivienda en pro del buen ambiente a la pobre tierra 🌎 que ya necesita un respiro creo esto viene a lo retro en ingeniería en pro-medioambiente espero se haga más consciencia del ser humano y aprendamos que lo natural es lo mejor gracias gracias gracias 🙏🏻… yo voy a empezar mi casa espero encontrar alguien que me ayude porque yo soy una mujer sola así q Solá voy a empezar mi hogar para poner un granito de arena al mundo 🌎 ❤

[@HaroldReece]

Absolutely unique floors. At first the cracking bothered me but after you filled them in they kind of grew on me. It will be interesting to see how well they last over the years. Thank you for sharing this with us. I find my self looking forward to Saturday anticipating your videos.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

We wouldn't have been brave enough to try it, if our daughter hadn't first. They were in a crunch to move in, so they just filled in the cracks with dirt, and it worked great! We could have kept the floor from cracking by adding more sand. Smooth earth floors are nice, but we really wanted something more interesting. Appreciate it, thanks for watching! 😊🏜️

[@ChrisBGramz4u]

I always say the more cracks ya see, the more sand ya need. Thank you.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Yes, I just got done patching a few new cracks. It's good to get them stabilized so they don't start chipping. It just adds more character and in my opinion doesn't hurt the look of the floor.

[@kimberleytramper8966]

Came over from DIYfferent channel and subscribed! I really enjoyed this video.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Appreciate it, thanks for joining us! 😊🏜️

[@ricardoy.7493]

I have a cement floor (80 square meters) and I would like to convert it to clay floor. Do you think I would get good results doing it on this? Do you have any advice for me? Thank you and I congratulate you on your work.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Here is our video of doing the floor in our son's house. kzbin.info/www/bejne/on6ygHSVlMZpmJY A recent video we posted also shows a more recent update. It takes some maintenance, but we really like our earthen floor. Your results can vary a lot depending on the composition of your soil, Best wishes! 🙂

[@cathyjones3403]

These floors are amazing. Beautiful and a lot of hard work . This channel is one of the best on KZbin

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Appreciate it, thanks so much! ☺️

[@joannadrawe6654]

I love both the concrete floors, and the earthen floor!!! We have all concrete, which is hard on the feet and legs.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! 😊 It's nice to have concrete in the kitchen, entrance, and bathrooms, but the earthen floors feel much nicer to walk on.

[@basilwise8193]

Wow, the cracked look is amazing! The floors turned out better than I would have thought possible, great work!!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Yes, we love how it turned out! Thanks! 😊

[@learay6580]

I want to do the same thing for my new little house not far from you. I haven’t watched all your videos so I may have missed any additional efforts you made to keep rats from burrowing underneath. This is my biggest concern with the earthen floors. Maybe use 1/4 hardware cloth? Thank you for sharing such detailed videos. Very inspiring.

[@desertdanblacksmith1394]

Awesome stuff....Ill do this as my shop floor on our new farm we are moving to......if u wet the grounda lot more first before pouring?.....and keep spray as it dries?....everything sucks the moisture out of things in the desert....lol...I think rapid loss of mosture unmderneath causes the cracking?,,,nice work...wihout the cracks.....it would be boring!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! Soil cement might be a good option for a shop floor too. From what I have seen, you just till up the soil, rake the cement in, wet it down, and smooth it out. To keep the floor from cracking, people seem to add more sand. They do test samples with different amounts of sand, and see which one has just enough sand to keep it from cracking. Red isn't patient enough for that, so we just used the bedrooms for our test samples. We also knew we wanted some cracks, and we like that the bedrooms look different. Yes, the cracks add a lot of interest to the floor, it was a bit of a risk, but we love how it turned out! Best wishes on your new farm, sounds like fun! 😊🏜️

[@AndresGonzalez-qn2kv]

saludos desde Paraguay son una gran inspiración y aplicare esto en mi casa THANK YOU!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Glad it's helpful! Here is the video showing our son's earrhen floor that we did more recently. It turned out really nice! kzbin.info/www/bejne/on6ygHSVlMZpmJY 🙂

[@DeepRootsFamilyHomestead]

Looks amazing guys. I would never have considered that type of floor until seeing you do it. Thanks for your encouraging comments on our channel as well, Shalom!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! We wouldn't have considered it either, if we hadn't seen our daughter's. We think it's going to make a great floor! 😊🏜️

[@stan525]

cracks are caused by too much water in the mix. looks good, good content

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Or not enough sand. Our son's earthen floor didn't crack at all even though the top layer was pretty wet.

[@gregwaugh8069]

Check out paperbag floors as well. I love what you are doing

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

I'll look it up, sounds interesting. Thanks for watching! 😊

[@bondpaz]

Looks incredible! I love it. Can’t wait to see how our turn out. It’s definitely a labor of love. Great work y’all!❤

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! Overall the labor wasn't too bad. It is easier than doing tile. Y'all are getting pretty good at working with mud, so I'm sure your floor will turn out amazing. ❤️🏜️

[@bondpaz]

@@RedandAprilOff-Grid thanks so much ❤️

[@diyfferent]

Wow, I love the earthen floors. The cracks are neat and add visual interest! Great vid :D

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! Yes, the cracks make the floor a lot more interesting. 😊🏜️

[@ewidmer1]

Love the living room floor

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! 😊

[@allthingsnu4673]

This is very helpful...thank you!

[@Digne1d]

Amazing that you're controlling the thickness by eye. I've seen tile setters lay a mortar bed by setting a 1x3 metal ground to trowel up to. Have you ever thought of making your own earthen floor tile?

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! He was even better at it when he did our son's earthen floor. Here's a video showing how it turned out.kzbin.info/www/bejne/on6ygHSVlMZpmJY I think earthen tiles would be too brittle. 🙂

[@leslienelson7016]

We made 2x4 2x2 box frame and filled them with 3-clay and one-sand mix in a wheelbarrow, then poured the mix into the 2x2 forms and let it dry for a week, then brushed on linseed oi.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Doing test batches is a good idea. 😎

[@omegaroyal]

Where is the red? Nowhere! And it is not April it is September! LIES LIES AND MORE LIES!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

🤨😏

[@et5222]

Amazing video and floor. April better patent the earh floor "snow ahoes"... Are you staying "baseboard-less"?

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

They need better straps, and the floor was still too sticky. 😅 The concrete floors areas will need trim, but with some paint touch-up the earthen floor area should look okay without it. Thanks! 😊

[@brianjohnson1346]

IM CONFUSED? So its like concrete without the mud washed out?

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Concrete doesn't typically have mud in it. The base layer we used for our floor is similar to soil cement or rammed earth. The top coat is just native soil and sand. The master bedroom has some cement in the top layer.

[@catgynt9148]

Not at all what I was expecting in a dirt floor. Adding the polymer coating does bring out the richness and depth of color. You have made a wonderful choice in materials. Now that we are past the autumn equinox are you beginning to get sunlight in to start charging your heat battery? Looking forward to seeing your continuing evolution of house into home. Wishing you and your family a blessed weekend, gentle autumn weather and restful evenings. Peace

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

The oil darkened the floor more than we expected! We thought about adding some stain to the oil, but that definitely wasn't needed. Yes, the sun angle changed really fast. It went from complete shade on the front of the house, to sun starting to come in through the windows in just a couple of weeks. We can feel the sun warming the floor and it is starting to hit the concrete wall in the late afternoon. The temperatures are staying real nice in the house. Thanks! Happy fall to you too! 🍂We are really enjoying the cooler temperatures! 💛🏜️

[@lovealdabaabadla6292]

😳 wow amazing 🤩🤩🤩 beautiful floor ❤️❤️❤️

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! We really love how it turned out! 😊❤️🏜️

[@lovealdabaabadla6292]

I totally agree 💯

[@boomdiddyah]

Beautiful! Are the floors rough? Can you easily glide a mop over them?

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! The floor can be mopped, but the mop doesn't exactly glide. 😄 The oil and wax seal the floor well and water doesn't soak in. I have only mopped once, we don't have pets, and we usually eat in the kitchen. I vacuum all of the rooms daily, and spot clean when needed.

[@rgarizonahomestead2729]

looks fantastic thanks for sharing and have a great weekend

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! Hope you have a wonderful weekend as well! 😊🏜️

[@TheBeaker59]

Its effectively linoleum which was Linseed oil and limestone with fiber additive possibly actual linen originally. (later version would have had asbestos the new wonder mineral) I am 63 when I started at British paints in the late 70's they had an unused Linoleum machine in the back store. The Linseed oil was reacted with peroxide to make it quicker and Cobalt naphthenate as a catalyst (the natural reaction of linseed oil is an Oxidation reaction). Would there be less cracking if you allowed the floor to dry right out and crack then finish it with a very wet light coat perhaps? the lines might show as a different colour thus less actual cracks just a visual effect.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Interesting, 😄 we didn't know what linoleum was made out of. If we wanted less cracks, we could have added more sand. The dry sand/dirt grout worked really well, and it doesn't shrink.

[@TheBeaker59]

@@RedandAprilOff-Grid Yes also a larger size aggregate sand particularly in base layers. In the coatings industry its what we call PVC (pigment volume concentration) lots of hard particles reduce shrinkage therefore cracking. Odd how small things interest our minds :)

[@KuzweKanfarms]

That's so interesting.. I really like it

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! It was a bit of a risk, but we really love how it turned out. 🧡🏜️

[@mikehogan1827]

Such a cool approach to flooring. Will it be prone to dents from furniture? I’m looking forward to seeing how all your passive energy management elements work together.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! It shouldn't be too bad, but we will see how it goes. We'll probably want to put furniture sliders under any pieces with small feet. The temperatures are staying real nice! Hopefully Red will have a chance to talk about that soon. 😊🏜️

[@turiyapanama]

You do get dents from furniture in earthen floors! A cushiony wool rug helps

[@mrvgranfield]

what about using fibers in the finish to stop cracking

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

We wanted the look and texture from the cracks. A higher ratio of sand would have kept the floor from cracking. Here's how our son's earthen floor turned out. kzbin.info/www/bejne/on6ygHSVlMZpmJYsi=E43hM45FoT3SwcX-. Some people add fine straw to the top coat.

[@shaitanscientist]

U should have added some cowdung to avoid the cracks…

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Or we could have added more sand, but we prefer it with the cracks.

[@peterpadazopoulos2954]

The cracking might be caused by top layer drying to fast, if plastic sheet with holes in it were laid down the cracks would be even less.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

That might help. We used less sand than is typical, because we like some cracks, and didn't want to risk the floor being too sandy.

[@turiyapanama]

You need chopped straw or fiber to prevent cracking. You'll get cracking even with a slow cure if there isnt fiber reinforcement

[@ohasis8331]

Any idea of what the load bearing properties are once set?

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

One guy did some tests on earth floors sealed with different oils, he came to the conclusion that an earth floor sealed with linseed oil is about as hard as a pine floor. I'm sure it depends also on exactly how the floor itself was made. We'll put some feet on our furniture legs, but I think it should be pretty durable. We'll keep everyone updated.

[@sholbk]

I love it!

[@familiewisse832]

Portland cement is high enviremental inpact🤔

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

The earthen floor has very little Portland cement, and we were just using up some we already had.

[@waderue]

ya I have an old leather coach and it looks like your floors

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Like our floors, leather is beautiful, but if it's dry and cracked, just give it a generous coat of oil and wax. It makes all the difference. 🌞

[@frankhoffman3566]

I think ultimately the structure will work but the floors won't. All that cracking will lead to crumbling and dust.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

The cracks are filled in. Linseed oil and wax seal the floor. It is hard, clean, and dust free. The house and floors are working out great.

[@frankhoffman3566]

@@RedandAprilOff-Grid .... I was referring to the long view. Good floor products can last decades. Even middling floor products will go 5 - 7 years. Candidly, declaring success after a year or less is premature. The walls and roof of the house look sound in construction and good in aesthetics, but check your floor in 5 or so years.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

@@frankhoffman3566 www.resilience.org/stories/2015-06-01/earthern-floors-why-how-and-where/

[@jesuskingjesus9775]

It looks great!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! 😊

[@montageOM]

Do you have to reseal it every so often? Thank you. Beautiful!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Maybe eventually, but it doesn't look like it will need it anytime soon. I have had to fill in a few new cracks, but it's not too difficult, and it still looks great. Thanks! 😊

[@montageOM]

@@RedandAprilOff-Grid Thank you for your prompt reply. We are in process. Wish us luck! 😃

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

@@montageOM Awesome, hope it goes well! 🤗 Here's the video, when we finished the earthen floor in our son's house. It turned out really nice. kzbin.info/www/bejne/on6ygHSVlMZpmJY

[@rhondamendonca2648]

Beautiful job! I am currently making up sample squares to determine my perfect mixture for base and topcoat with my soil. I am wondering what you used as a binding agent between sections.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! Best wishes! We really love our earthen floor! We just used a concrete bonding agent. Not sure if it was necessary, and we mostly just used it along the seams and over some of the smoother sections.

[@lawrencelipon8673]

Wow very in depth and educational video love the process and guidance of how you did the floors, priceless!! Great content and presentation thank you so much for sharing your experience.👍👍👍👍👍👌

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Appreciate it! It was definitely a challenge to squeeze so much into one video. 😊🏜️

[@guerro327]

Carnauba wax

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

We used, BIOSHIELD Wax Finish. The ingredients are: Water, Coco-based Soap, Carnauba Wax, and Alcohol Ester.

[@nwflboy007powell8]

I agree it's a very interesting surface and texture and y'all did a great job. That's been proven to work in a desert environment, that would definitely not work in a high humidity environment though. Congrats on your efforts and outcome! Hope you enjoy it for many years to come.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! Yes, earthen floors are probably best suited for the desert. It was a bit of a risk, but we are really happy with how they turned out. Now to see how the floor looks after a few years. We think it will perform well, and are excited to get everything finished so we can moved in and find out. 😊🏜️

[@vincejohnson5462]

Great job again and thanks for taking the time to share all of this with us. Will you please let me know what brand of wax you used on the floors? Thanks again.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

We bought the wax from, Green Building Supply. It is called Bioshield Wax Finish. We learned about it from the channel, "Tiny Shiny Home". They do a lot of research on things, so we just went with what they used. Thank! 😊🏜️

[@waynekomprood7093]

Those floors are awesome. As I was watching some of my videos, I saw where you had one up so I skipped the line and jumped ahead to yours, You guys are my favorite channel to watch.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Appreciate it, thanks for watching! 😊

[@bobjoatmon1993]

Just don't drag things like furniture on it as that might break through the linseed layer. And scooting a chair in and out repeatedly at the dining table might scuff it too (unless that's the full concrete part of the main room?). Be sure to give us updates on that

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Our dining table and chairs will be on the concrete. Our daughter's whole house is earthen. So we have a pretty good idea of what we are dealing with. Her floor is definitely a bit rustic, and it has needed a couple of patches under the table. Other than that, it is doing very well, and they don't have to be particularly careful. It seems to scratch and scuff less then wood. They did have to shim under some of the furniture, to make it sit level. We'll try to keep you updated.

[@dariogonzalez6249]

Awesome job, can you tell us what it feels to live in a house like this?Great admiration for you both.Thanks

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! It's pretty awesome to be moved in! We are working on a video now, talking about the passive design temperatures and benefits, and hopefully soon, we can do a whole house build video.

[@danijelabozicevic1079]

👏👍🏠☘🙋‍♀️

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

🤗🧡🏜️

[@johns6119]

I think the cracks give the house some character , if you don’t like it you can just put some tiles or stone,

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

We love the cracks! The floor would be nice, but a bit boring without them. They are filled in and should wear well.

[@loucinci3922]

Looks great. Very interesting concepts. Thanks for sharing

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks!

[@jesuskingjesus9775]

I feel like I always learn so much watching your videos. It looks great

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks for watching! 😊

[@Nannygoat]

Looks great! Can't wait till the next video to see more progress!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! 😊

[@wandadibble5426]

The floors are amazing. The black and yellow grasshopper that you showed at the end is commonly called a Mexican General. They eat non native plants to the roots. Have no

[@wandadibble5426]

natural enemies. Ants would eat them if smashed. I picked them off my plants and dropped into a plastic jug so I could drown them and then throw jug away. They stink. I lost a whole bed of iris to them before I discovered what was eating them.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! 😊 Interesting, there does seem to be a lot of grasshoppers around this year. They haven't did too much damage to our garden or flowers yet, but right now there is a lot of other things for them to eat. Sorry about your iris's. Some insects can sure be a nuisance!

[@ExploringJ]

Interesting! Glad you all like it!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

It's definitely a one of a kind floor! 😊🏜️

[@B30pt87]

Oh, your floors are wonderful!

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks!

[@banjobenson9348]

Interesting, good job,

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks! 🌞

[@ShadowMoonFarms]

Thanks for sharing

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

Thanks for watching and commenting! 😊🏜️

[@bensouthwell1339]

Cracks in a newly laid floor are a failure no matter how you dress them up. If that floor was presented to a Building Inspector in the UK it would have to come up and relayed without any cracks, perhaps thats why we moved away from dirt floors two hundred years ago.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

It would be such a boring floor without the cracks. Grouting the cracks makes them stable, so they are not an issue, and easy to repair if needed. We love how the floor turned out and wouldn't change a thing.

[@bensouthwell1339]

@@RedandAprilOff-Grid like I have said if you were in the UK that floor would have to come up, but then again we do not use muck on the floors unless you are a hobbit. In your favour its a desert you live in and I have not set foot in a desert unless we include Sunderland.

[@RedandAprilOff-Grid]

@@bensouthwell1339 I am glad we live where we do, and I love our dirt floor. 🌞🏜️

[@nowirehangers2815]

@@bensouthwell1339muck? Why are you even here??