Earthen floors are a gorgeous complement for earth-plastered walls. They also act as excellent passive temperature sinks. Sun shining under the eaves of a home in the winter can heat a floor during the day. Leaving windows open on cool summer nights will cool down the floor for relief on hot days.

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Earthen floors can be installed and finished in a few weeks and will last for years. The floors can be mopped and deal well with foot traffic. They create a hard wearing surface, but can be scraped when moving furniture roughly.

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The earthen floor mix is poured as a 4” slab over a compacted pumice sub-floor, then allowed to dry.

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Pouring them in summer is best as they can take a long time to cure. Good air circulation helps to speed the drying. After two weeks of drying cracks must be filled with similar colored (or different colored) grout. The floors must be sealed to prevent dusting and excess wear. Four coats of linseed oil are applied (1 per day) followed by a coat of beeswax.