If you have ever taken a step – especially with bare feet – on an earthen floor, you would probably have felt the difference and been sold on the idea pretty quickly.

Not only will you be making happy feet when you choose an earthen floor, you’ll be making one of the most radical-yet-simple sustainable building choices that could dramatically reduce the environmental impacts of the built environment.

An earthen floor, also called an adobe floor, is a floor made of dirt, raw earth, or other unworked ground materials. It is usually constructed, in modern times, with a mixture of sand, finely chopped straw and clay, mixed to a thickened consistency and spread with a trowel on a sub-surface such as concrete. Once dry, it is then usually saturated with several treatments of a drying oil, often linseed. Traditionally, floors were made with raw earth, kept moist with water.

A typical earthen floor mix is 1 part of clay, 4 parts of sand, and 1 part of finely chopped fiber. As clays and clay soils can have different properties, it is always good to experiment with new materials before pouring an entire floor. Once this mix has been poured and troweled level, it is allowed to dry. Then the real magic occurs: several coats (anywhere from 2-6) of natural oil finish is applied to the floor. The oil penetrates into the clay/sand mixture and hardens around it, creating a tight and water-resistant finish that is very durable.

One myth about it is that it has to be one colour. The colour of the clay you use makes a big difference. You could get a grey-toned clay or somewhat reddish clay, which will affect the overall colour of the floor. Another method, is to add colour pigments to the earthen mixture. After the earthen layer is dry, you could also also add pigment to the final coat of oil.

The carbon footprint of earthen floor, is very low, compared to other options, since no transportation is required, and it produces low emissions. It is also easily biodegradable, making it a sustainable material for flooring. It can be done with a few people over a weekend and uses raw earth, clay and sealants which makes it a sustainable, non toxic and low emissions option that also feels different underfoot to concrete and stone flooring.

Earthen flooring are also a source of thermal mass and can retain retains heat areas which makes it an excellent option in hot, dry areas. It also helps in keeping your home cooler during summers. Adding an extra layer of insulation, makes it suitable for winters, providing warmth inside homes. Earthen floors do require a stable and strong subfloor which means the structure will have to be considered, especially in cases of renovations to see if it will be able to support the additional weight.

Earthen floors are more durable than many would imagine. The average earthen floor, is generally very durable and lasts a long time. Frequent mopping might strip the oil or wax on the surface layer, but you can re-oil or re-wax it occasionally, but it is better to just avoid wear when possible. Same applies for dragging around furniture to move it, or treating your earthen floor in a way you would treat a concrete one. Earthen floors should be treated similar to wooden flooring and use the same precautions when it comes to spilling in main causeway areas or heavy items that may dent it after a period.

Our friends over at Milkwood couldn’t find adequate resources when they were constructing their earthen floor and have created a very handy step-by-step guide for earthen floor in southern Australia.

Our other friends over at Viva Homes are running a workshop soon which you can find on our directory page and they are pros at earth floors so keep an eye out for their next earth floor workshop.