Using straw bales as furniture?

Question

I am thinking about using straw bales as furniture for seating, tables, and maybe even bedding. I am not looking to completely replace modern furnishings, but suppliment.

There are some concerns that I have however:

1. Can I just purchase straw bales from my local feed store or do I need something special?

2. What are the chances that the bales will decompose or rot?

3. Do I need to worry about residual heat from the curing process while these bales sit in my house?

4. How long should the bales last? Will they need to be replaced at a certain point? Is there anything that I can do to make them last longer?

5. Can pests be a problem (bugs, rats)?

Thanks for the information.

Answer 1

1. You want straw, not hay, you can probably contact one of the local farmers and get one cheaper than in a feed store.  

2. Bales may decompose over time.  However, in a dry house, they shouldn't rot.  You will have dust from the hay come out of the bales as you use them.  If  you've got allergies, this may not be good.

3. The bales you buy should be cured and shouldn't be giving off heat.  That typically comes from hay that is baled too soon after being cut.

4. Bales can last a very long time.  There have been houses build with them and then covered with mud.  They will last as long as any other building product in that case.  

5. YES DEFINITELY....mice or rats like to burrow in them.  There will also definitely be bugs that may have been baled into them, or their eggs which will hatch later on and infest your home.

Just out of curiosity, straw, hay can be itchy, why not use something a little more comfortable?

Answer 2

Fire hazard, bugs, bug eggs, dead animals, rats, mice, allergens, all things that you may encounter with hay in your house.  When they bale the hay, or straw, all sorts of critters dead and alive may get baled with them.

Answer 3

Alot of people are allergic to hay. (Including me) When I was little, and rode on a hay ride, I broke out in hives. So I'm not too sure if this choice of furniture would be the best idea.    =)

Answer 4

I really wouldn't advise bringing that into your home for furniture. As others have pointed out, there is the allergy concern, which may not be an issue for you so much as potential guests.

Just from working with hay at my place, I wouldn't consider using it as furniture. I'm not sure how they do it for furniture purposes, but I know with bales the twines can shift and lose some straw, or they can break altogether and you have a mess to deal with.

If you insist on going this route, I would advertise for square bales that are mold and dust free too. That can be hard to achieve (the dust part) but that should mean you get a better bale. I would also go private party than feed store to get a better price. And if you're willing to drive into the field and load the bales yourself, you may be able to save money there too. If the straw was baled at the right time and not tough, you should be ok. As far as the heat, I really don't think it matters when bales are done~~~from what I know there's always a chance of them picking up heat and there's the risk of spontaneous combustion.

The straw itself may last longer than the twine on the bale. We have straw in our barn that's around 15 years old and is still nice and golden, but very dusty.  

One of my FAVORITE memories from throwing bales last summer was bales that chirped. I kid you not. My hubby would toss me a bale with a warning that "this one's chirping" which meant that it had mice living it in. He would usually be nice enough to slam the bales that chirped against the ground before tossing them up to me, but occassionally one would slip through to me! So yes, there are mice and there are bugs and all sorts of things hiding inside of bales that you DO NOT want inside of your house at all.

Remember~~~after a very short while, it stops smelling so fresh too. I love the smell of it myself, but that newly cut smell sure doesn't last forever!

Good luck!