When it comes to building your new greenhouse, it can be challenging to decide what sorts of materials to use, especially when it comes to choosing a flooring type like concrete. So should you use concrete as your flooring in your new plant nursery, or is there something better?
A greenhouse should have concrete floors if you want sturdy flooring that will last a long time. However, concrete flooring can have difficulty draining water and be expensive, so you’ll want to consider those factors when building your greenhouse.
In the rest of this article, I will discuss what flooring is best in your greenhouse, the pros and cons of using concrete flooring, a few alternatives to concrete, and whether your greenhouse even needs a floor. So, if you want to learn more about whether concrete is a viable option for your greenhouse, be sure to keep reading.
What Floor Is Best for a Greenhouse?
People tend to use several different flooring types when building their greenhouses. However, one kind of flooring is significantly better than the others due to its durability and long-lasting structural integrity.
The best floor for a greenhouse is concrete because you can clean it easily, and it lasts longer than most flooring types (as long as you plan for adequate water drainage). However, it’s important to note that concrete can corrode over long periods and is expensive to install.
Corrosion will always be a concern when using natural materials like concrete or gravel. However, it usually takes 5-15 years for corrosion to begin occurring. After Which point, you can always opt to repair it or have it redone, though new concrete can be expensive.
Pros of Using Concrete for Flooring in a Greenhouse
If you have a sturdy floor, you don’t have to worry about it, which is a big plus for building your greenhouse. So let’s talk about some benefits of using concrete as your greenhouse’s floor.
Greenhouse concrete flooring pros:
- Lasts a long time: Builders use Concrete as a base in several building projects, such as foundations, for its structural integrity. Concrete can last anywhere from 50-100 years.
- Easy to clean: Concrete can easily be swept and washed off when it gets dirty, making it an ideal material for flooring in a messy greenhouse.
- Low maintenance: Once your concrete flooring for your greenhouse has dried, it will need very little maintenance other than the occasional sweeping or spraying off when it becomes dirty.
- Helps with temperature control: Concrete can help act as an insulator so that temperatures in the greenhouse can better remain stable, especially in an unheated greenhouse.
- Fewer bugs and other pests: Concrete flooring is a great way to limit how many bugs and other critters make their way into your plant nursery. By having a solid floor like concrete, bugs and creatures will have more difficulty tunneling into the greenhouse and bothering your plants.
- Fewer weeds: Unfortunately, weeds are a regular occurrence in the temperate environment of your greenhouse. Still, you can significantly reduce the number of weeds by pouring a concrete flooring barrier between you and the ground.
- Weight resistant: Concrete can handle much more weight than other flooring types and will better keep flower beds in place as dirt or gravel floors.
- Aesthetically pleasing: Concrete can look very nice and uniform in your greenhouse, plus it’s much easier to clean so that you won’t have dirty-looking floors.
So as you can see, there are several reasons you should consider using concrete as your flooring for your greenhouse, but before you opt for concrete, you should know about some of the cons of this flooring type.
Cons of Using Concrete for Flooring in a Greenhouse
There will be pros and cons with any type of flooring you use. Concrete flooring has quite a few benefits when using it for your greenhouse, but let’s learn about some of its drawbacks.
Greenhouse concrete flooring cons:
- High cost: Concrete can cost about $4-8 per square foot (0.09 sq m) to have poured, and depending on the size of your slab, the costs can add up quickly. Not to mention each contractor will charge a different amount for labor.
- Drainage issues: When using concrete as your flooring in a greenhouse, it’s essential that it slightly slopes toward a drain or that you can easily sweep away the water that builds up on it.
- Degrades over time: Like any natural material, concrete will begin to break down and erode, but you generally have at least a decade before seeing any wear and tear.
Though there are not nearly as many cons for concrete flooring use in a greenhouse as there are pros, it’s still important to understand some future obstacles you may encounter. Even if they are minor, disadvantages such as cost and drainage issues can be reasons to seek other flooring types.
Alternatives Flooring Options for Your Greenhouse
Though concrete is pretty amazing when it comes to greenhouse flooring, there are several other options you might want to consider before building your conservatory.
The best flooring for your greenhouse other than concrete:
- Stone slabs: They are another excellent option for flooring since they last a long time and can be arranged however you want. However, this flooring option, like concrete, can also be a little pricey.
- Brick: Bricks are a relatively easy option for creating suitable flooring in your greenhouse, and bricks will also break down more slowly. However, you need a proper sand layer under the bricks for adequate drainage. Bricks also allow you to arrange your floor in more intricate patterns.
- Lava rocks: Lava rocks provide excellent drainage, can be a cheaper alternative to concrete flooring, and require zero maintenance. Lava rocks also absorb excess moisture and increase your greenhouse humidity. The caveat is that this type of flooring is challenging to clean.
- Rocks or gravel: Rocks and gravel can be great to fill in your greenhouse flooring cheaply and still have excellent drainage. However, laying landscape fabric beneath the rocks is vital to prevent weed growth.
- Greenhouse interlocking tiles: I recommend Pandahome’s Plastic Wood Interlocking Tiles on Amazon.com. These tiles are plastic, but they look like wood and are waterproof.
- Sand: Another relatively budget-friendly option is to use sand as your greenhouse floor. Sand can do a great job of insulating but, over time, may need to be replaced as it’s hard to keep in place.
- Dirt: The cheapest way to your greenhouse floor is to leave it as dirt. Dirt is cost-effective; however, you will more often have to deal with mud and weeds.
So as you can see, there are many different flooring options for you. If you would like a more detailed description of the best greenhouse flooring types, check out Simple Tek’s video titled 8 Greenhouse Floor Options.
Does a Greenhouse Need a Floor?
Now that you know more about what kinds of floors work best and the many pros to using concrete for your greenhouse flooring, you may wonder if your greenhouse needs a base.
A greenhouse does need a floor. However, you can make up your floor from a selection of materials, from dirt to concrete. Some flooring will hold up better; for example, concrete has a longer life than wood which will rot in the moisture and need replacing much more frequently.
Work on your greenhouse flooring as you want. What’s important is that your growing space is comfortable and tailored toward you and your needs. So if you don’t require a solid floor and are happy with filling it in with dirt, do it!
Conclusion
Ultimately, your greenhouse should have whatever flooring you deem is best. Keep in mind that concrete has the longest life and is the lowest maintenance flooring option despite being more expensive.
Whatever you do, just remember to choose a floor that:
- It offers good drainage.
- It is easy to clean.
- It is low maintenance.
- The floor type Inhibits weed growth and plant pests.
- Can handle the weight of your gardening boxes.
