I know your pain about flat feet and concrete. My feet are so flat i could use them for a straight edge. The ending was hilarious.

I built my little garden shed/shop directly on the grass and let the floor turn to dirt/barren moon/badland style, mainly for cost reason (I'm a student and my income are very limited). Quite happy since it doesn't procude much dust right now. On a other note, I love how you let time between takes for the floor shot. As a multimedia writting student, I really dig when there's such regard to the video montage work ! Keep it up and good luck with all your moving.

I love my dirt floor, it's gentle on my feet . I have big tiers on my mobile tools and can move outside on nice days.

I'm on concrete but in a perfect world my forging area would be dirt transitioning to brick or cement away from the forging area. BTW... A barn like yours? Perfect!

Yes Roy, I agree. Dirt is probably better. In my new shop, I plan on going with a clay floor, the type that they use in tennis courts. I think it's also called stone dust.

Morning Roy, I was just in your new area last week on a trip to Minnesota where my first shop was. It had concrete floors. My new shop in Pennsylvania is 26 feet by 54 feet with N0.2 gravel. The problem I have with this is that small parts disappear when they fall on the floor. My power hammer sits on a cement pad that I am trying to place a brick floor on sand in front of to stand on. The shop the club demos at is in Drake Well Museum and State Park is dirt filled with coal dust, ash and clinkers. Traffic and moisture make it a pretty good floor though it is somewhat uneven and small parts get lost.

You really have been blessed. Love your new shop start! Thanks for bringing us along for the ride. My hot shop is a converted 1 car garage with concrete floor, I'm currently converting our old chicken coop into a jewelry studio, I graveled the yard because I do Raku ceramics and that's where the Raku kiln is going to be. You're barn has so much character- I love it, love it, love it (your dirt floor is pretty swell too) ;)

Your lighting is great at the moment as all the gaps do a lot of justice for videos

Roy, you slay me!😂🤣 I'm still putting my forge together, but I'm going to have it portable to get it into my itty bitty backyard where I have a dinky concrete patio. Hoping to find larger space someday.

I really didn't get to pick mine. When I took up blacksmithing as a hobby. I cleared out my then 1 car garage workshop with a concrete floor and began to make a forge out of it. I have since put rubber padding everywhere I could to ease up on my feet. It has helped a lot. Rubber pads are a great addition to concrete.

My shop floor is pea gravel. Its easy to move around when needed and cheap. Don't get the most solid footing, but comfortable to walk on

Since you've started in your new shop shop you seem so much more relaxed......... and possibly to relaxed...... yes we like your dirt floor, please stop stroking it!!!!! LOL My "shop" is on a concrete floor because it's the back door of my house and it's wheelchair friendly. I did think about doing my blacksmithing a bit further away from the house but it would seriously limit me when I need to be in the wheelchair 😕 Big bonus with the wheelchair and the perch stool I use is the nice layer of rubber around the wheels and on the feet of the perch stool, I don't feel any rebound from anything!!!! 😊

This couldn't have come at a better time. I am right in the middle of planning to build a small shed to serve as my shop and I have been struggling with the flooring options. I think I have decided to start with dirt. I can always upgrade later if I hate it. I like dirt because it's cheap and easy to stand on ( I also have flat feet and ankle problems). We'll see how it goes. Thanks!

Always love all the info you offer and enjoy watching you work...the humor is a great touch! Thanks for all your work

I’m really loving all these videos on the move! It’s exciting! Good work! Keep it up!

Very funny. Good to see ya having fun.

Here in Texas , packed snow would be my first choice

I've forged on dirt, gyp rock, river rock, and now concrete. When I had my shop built a few months ago I was originally going to go with dirt and then later add white rock because it's readily available, cheap, and packs down pretty solid. The company I used to build offers concrete floors in their package deals. 4" fibermesh with rebar on 2' centers. I am very happy with that decision for the ease of , as you said, rolling equipment, tools, and stands across the floor. I too have very flat feet, but having worked on concrete for over 10 years, I am lucky in that my shin splints from my youth are nonexistent now. Keep up the great content, and loved the outtakes LOL!

Living in the desert southwest, I opted for 1/4 minus decomposed granite. It packs well, but is forgiving underfoot. Tire hammer is on concrete. I really like your videos, Roy.

I've been in my shop for about 2.5 years now. It is the bottom level of my barn. It is 3/4 dirt floor with 1/4 concrete section nearest the barn door. I find it very nice to work with as I have my anvil and forge on the cement but most other machines on dirt.

Good morning Roy, I have dirt floors with #2 crusher run tamped right in . I can see it now Christ Centered Ironworks calendar and Roy as the cover . Hope your day goes well .

I am a farrier by trade but I have modified a shed to become a blacksmiths shop . I poured a concrete floor simply because I wanted to build gates and lay them out on a flat surface . Also I like a tidy shop and concrete is easy to sweep and keep clean . I did think about dirt floor around the anvil but oh well it’s done now .

My shop, I have just completed building. The building is 18x32. It is a multi purpose shop. Not for just blacksmithing. I have the tractor parked in there primarily. I also have a lift for working on my cars and such. I have a concrete floor. Since it is not just for blacksmithing and for a multi purpose, it is better for me to have concrete since everything is moved around based on the job at hand. The coal forge I keep outside and the propane is inside. I eventually will be moving the blacksmithing to another building when I build it. I will probably go with crusher run for the floor.

Wow... I do believe that was the funniest ending of all your videos.

That was hilarious Roy. My main shop is concrete. The forging area is fine gravel. Though I plan on pouring about 6" of concrete in that area. Most of my tools are on casters so the gravel just wont work.

I love dirt vs Concrete. My last shop was a dirt floor. Current on is concrete. Rake in wood ash at the end of the day with a little water and it becomes a really nice floor. The ash kinda works like a poor mans cement, keeps the dust down.. In order of appeal 1. Dirt Easy on the feet. Easy to mount an anvil and leg vise by burying the stands. 2. Brick More work at start up and costs more. 3. Concrete Get lots of rubber pads 4. Crushed Gravel I've worked on all.

The outbuilding I built my shop in has an old brick floor. It’s a pain. A hammer drops to the floor and brick chips spall everywhere. Drop a small drift? Good luck finding which gap it found it’s way into. Need to grab something real quick? Watch out for the settled and uneven bricks.

When/if I ever get an enclosure, I'll start with just soil...ours is a very high sand content. It doesn't get terribly dusty. The anvil, will probably need a concrete base though. Very thought provoking video. 👍👍⚒️❤️😀

Calendar shot...? My shop is all concrete. It was built before I was blacksmithing. I thought about bringing some dirty dirt in😁

My shop has a dirt/ stone floor. I had to shovel 20 tons of stone by hand to get it all built up level. I like it, definitely packed in by now. It's about as hard as concrete now, but still can be broken up. I enjoy the old school vibe, mostly.

Gettin down & dirty in this one Roy well done, sent a shiver down my spine and not in a good way lol

I like working on dirt. However I build my small shop on a preexisting concrete slab. It does make moving my tools around in the shop easier.

I have been debating which kind of floor to go with when I build my shop. Since I have only ever forged outside I like the floors, However I also want a small machine shop someday with a mill and lathe, and precision equipment does not go well with dust and non level floors, I could split the shop of course, but would prefer not too. I also dream of a buying a power hammer in the next few years, and That will need special consideration as well. Thanks for the video, great tips and advice!

Love the video lol.. great way to toss in some comedy into the scene haha

Nice dirt

We used cement, it is a small shop, and seems to work well!! Wayne

you guys are doing great work keep it up :-)

YOU MADE MY SPIT MY DRINK ONTO MY COMPUTER SCREEN HAHAHAHA

Lol, Roy that ending was pure gold, I can hear yer Mrs. now..."Sorry girls he's taken".

Sir, the position in which you are laying is almost the exact position I sit in when heating my forge. Also in the dirt, because I work outside.

Funny I was just thinking about what kind of floor in my slab wood hut blacksmith shop am I going to use. Was thinking of dirt with crushed gravel tamped in???

MR. ROY, hahaha THE best cut away and outro of the year! That was completely un foreseen. Totally awesome opossum!! Ok so I have an implement barn 32x56 I can convert to forging area though it has a concrete floor 6in thick. The Mrs. Has already said I cant have the horse barn not can I have the cow barn or the hay barn. All of which have 6in concrete runners yet dirt floors. As such it has given me a proactive idea. My idea is to construct an addition to the implement barn. The perimeter of which will be concrete slab capable of supporting the machines and storage systems the forge will require while the central portion will be dirt/clay with the anvil in the central location with close proximity to the forge and Adam's Powerhammer. Perhaps this is the ideal design...perhaps not. Only time will tell. It's my conclusion that the perimeter hard surface will be best for the machinery while the foot traffic area will be best served by the dirt/ clay. That's my plan anyway. Let me know what you think. Always open to opinions of those who have actually worked there forges, especially if they have experience with multiple surfaces. 🙏Blessed days yall Crawford out 🧙‍♂️

Have course ruff exposed rock concrete floor now because it was in my barn when I inherited it wish it was dirt. My next shop will be

Yes, I do like your floor! That was hilarious! RODFL (Rolling on DIRT floor laughing!

Ummm..... Jess.... You might need to keep Roy better hydrated... He got a little on the creepy side at the end of this one. I'll be praying for y'all! Hahaha On a serious note, great information Roy! I will say though... You actually can add just a little bit of clay to the top layer of a dirt floor, tamp and compact it well, and it will compress and dry to a level that you actually can sweep it clean. My great grandparents' house had dirt floors and she used to sweep those floors selflessly clean. From the stories I've heard, it would actually puddle water unless you let it sit long enough to soak in.

I'm lucky to have a shared forging space that is biggish, covered, somewhat insulated (Canadian winters are cold...) and has a concrete floor. However, someone at some point in the past cut through the slab and excavated under it without supporting it to create a diy transmission drop or something. It's sloped now and needs to be refilled - but we aren't concrete experts and don't know the "proper" way to refill the sloughed cavern underneath so that one day it might be able to support a powerhammer etc. Right now I'd be too sketched out to operate a power hammer on a sagging slab....

In my new shop, the floor is Missoula red clay. I am tall and getting a bit crotchety with the years. A dirt floor is very easy on the foot and plantar fascia. The reason is, it is uneven and makes you unconsciously move your feet frequently which is important for foot health, Yes, you can buy expensive rubber pads that "ease foot problems" by mimicking dirt floors. Also, I can easily change the relative elevation of my anvil, not by messing with the anvil base, but by kicking the dirt away to raise the relative level or shoveling more dirt to lower the relative work surface. Saves the dack, don't ya know. Dropping hot iron stays where it falls and then, doesn't light the floor or rubber pad into billows of smoke. The red clay does turn black when glowing iron hits it. I have not found a problem with dust, except on my shoes, they turn red. By the time I walk back to the house, it is mostly gone. In my old shop with a concrete floor, I built a box around the anvil and forge using 2x6 fir and filled it with dirt, that worked well.

I'm thinking of making my shop w/a compacted course sand or pea gravel floor, as it would be softer on my flat feet, bad ankles and old back. but it seems to me that a straight dirt floor will, in time, just get so compacted that it would be almost as hard as concrete.

I have built tiny blacksmiths shop to get started and gain some practice. I chouse concrete floor, and it vibrates a bit. I think I will make concrete floor just under big mashines when I will build bigger shop

My new shop floor is 5/8 crushed rock compacted with 3/4" stall mats over the top great moisture barrier, very easy on the body. My shop needs to be portable for future move as well as I have been doing it a 4x6 area at a time. Down side it stinks when I drop something hot got to be quick. Its worth it hope this helps someone. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU AGAIN.📖⛪

Roy, When you laid down on the floor I saw small pieces of hay or straw, earlier in tour tours we saw you removing naked of hay. Would this straw be a possible fire hazard when you drop hot steel or the sparks from your fire or the sparks that happen when you strike the hot steel?

I'm on dirt/sand because I'm literally set up in a meadow. I have to pony proof all my stuff. They're great animals but they use everything as a scratch post. Anyway, I like dirt. I've been in a cobblestone shop and I really didn't like feeling every hammer blow beneath my feet.

Your hilarious 😂 thanks for the videos man

I’m going to use a dirt floor in the shop I’m building. Curious: what do you recommend (dimensions/type) for the pad for a power hammer? Don’t have one yet, but I have plans. ;-)

This video should come with a warning label I just had milk shot out my nose lol yes roy I love you floors lol god bless bud

I can just hear you wife having a good laugh at your ending of this video.

My custom built shed shop has a plywood floor. Roy you on that dirt floor lol.

I am planning to put in a shop with concrete floor. Sand land here is always dusty and does not pack well. Currently working on concrete porch with an inch or so of sand on top (mostly to protect the concrete in this temp location). Since this is a hobby for me, I won't be spending so much time standing on concrete - but one could also ask why go to extra expense for concrete floor for a hobby...Also, still trying to figure out how to feel about that ending..... :)?

The joke at the end was good

My first thoughts were: how much livestock moseyed through your barn in years gone by? Crusher dust is the easiest I know of on the feet. 4-6 inches packs down nicely. Cheers.

Yep. This video won the "Roy's creepiest video" award. Lol

How would you rate old style brick (round ish sides) vs dirt or concrete? I've heard that the unevenness of those are actually better than cement... But never heard any lore about it rated against dirt.

Careful when you start cushioning your shoes or switching to a softer floor. Studies have shown that you may unconsciously compensate by setting your feet down harder because you're used to more of an impact.

I like your floor!!! 😂😂😂

Would a 110 lb anvil made out c45 cast steel be a good starting anvil.

."chips and dust"? I assume you are referring to 5/8"minus gravel? I have concrete and its fine,but I dont do much forging,If im lucky I can get maybe and hour or two in the evenings of free time.If I didnt work 11 hour days at my store then I would be forging alot more and would want a dirt floor for the reasons you have expressed.

At 0:15 I died laughing. It was hilarious

You make me laugh on that dirt floor stuff

Another advantage of dirt floor is if you chew tobbaco you can spit on the floor

Two great reasons for a dirt floor: 1) It's dirt cheap 2) It never complains about the heat

Oh yeah, Roy you got lovely dirty dirty dirt. Oh it is so dirty dirty dirty dirty, dirt

A proper earthen floor can be mopped and never get wet

Mine started with concrete. Everything else I'm having to add lol

Yes I have to go there, you did that last part just for your wife😂

Not at all creepy. No......so.. what are your thoughts for the winter. That barn will be cold, cold. You won’t always be by the forge. There’s a lot a light shining through those boards. Michigan winter cold.

ahahaha :D

I’m going to use a dirt floor in the shop I’m building. Curious: what do you recommend (dimensions/type) for the pad for a power hammer? Don’t have one yet, but I have plans. ;-)