The Surprising Beauty of Rammed Earth Floors

Posted on December 31, 2008 by Joyce Benson
Tag(s): Green Building, Green Furnishings, Greening the Home, Greening the Office, Money Saving, The Great Green Outdoors

If you’re thinking that a “rammed earth” floor sounds like it’s made of dirt, then you’d be right. It may seem a bit strange, but a floor comprised of dirt, gravel, straw, sand, and clay, actually has many redeeming qualities. Once it’s been compressed, and sealed with natural linseed oil, a rammed earth floor is quite durable, easy-to-care-for, environmentally sound, and even beautiful! Plus, it’s dirt cheap!

Rammed earth floors have got to be the greenest flooring out there and can be done in either new construction or in renovations. It can even be installed by do-it-yourselfers with earthen materials that are found on site, or at least locally. Any waste materials from building this type of flooring can simply be used in the backyard garden! Earthen flooring even helps to regulate indoor temperatures due its thermal mass characteristics.

I first saw a rammed earth floor on a recent episode of World’s Greenest Homes on the Planet Green channel. The host explored a home in Greece whose owners had trekked in wheelbarrows full of soil to build much of the first level’s flooring. After tamping down the earthen materials, the floor almost has the look of a stained concrete floor. The rammed earth floor is durable enough to withstand the antics of two active kids, and yet comfortable for the adults in the household. Despite not being scratch-resistant, these floors are easily repairable.

Sources: Ecology Action and Matternetwork