What material should I use to cover the walls of a wash room (wash rack) in a horse stable?

Question

We're re-doing the washroom in our horse stables and are looking for advice on what we should put up on the walls. Obviously the material has to be waterproof - so typically people use OSB covered by fiber reinforced plastic, but this is expensive and given that a horse could kick it and damage it, is this a cost-effective solution - or are there better ones?

Answer 1

I agree with the 2nd post.  they even make paints that coat like a vinyl.  I would call a paint store and get their advice.

Answer 2

The most expensive, but appropriate, would be wall mats.  Like the first poster said, but they do make mats specifically for walls.  You will have to have them custom cut.

Painting the wood is ok, but if the walls are plank, the water will still go through the spaces.

What about cutting ply-board to fit, covering with linoleum, and caulking the seams?  Inexpensive, you can get creative, and easy to replace if it gets damaged.

Instead of caulk, you could use wood moulding.

Answer 3

I agree with the second and third posts. Just wood that has been water proofed. We have that in our barn and it works great!

Answer 4

As I am sure alot of people could agree, wood does not fare well long-term when wet. Mold quickly invades and can severely shorten the life of your wash rack/stall. I would say use cement/concrete so that water cannot compromise the strength and soundness of your barn or wash rack. Cement can have disadvantages though -- it does not protect from drafts in the colder months.

Maybe a bit expensive, but a worthy investment that will eventually pay for itself. My idea is to somehow insulate between your barn wall and wash rack. Build a drain that lets the water escape to outside the barn at the floor of the stall. Getting rubber matting for the entire stall to me does not make sense.

Rather, obtain enough rubber stalls mats to go about four feet from the concrete/cement floor of the stall. This is so if the horse kicks, he doesn't hurt him or herself, and if s/he rubs against it, there won't be any scrapes or cuts because there will be a smooth padding.

Also, if you opt for the rubber mats on the walls but not the concrete stall, the rubber mats can prevent most of the water from permeating through the wood, that is, if they are fit tightly together. You can probably get more help on what supplies you'll need once you have a plan at a hardware store, like Home Depot or Ace Hardware. On construction/design of the wash rack, you could probably contact a horse property real estate agent, or a real estate agent specializing in properties with accomodations for horses. They might be able to give you an idea of what properties they have for sale, or already sold, that have a wash rack that is both stable and serves the purpose.

Hope I've helped! ;)

Answer 5

Have you ever seen those rubber mats that typically go on the floor under shavings in stalls? You could hang those on the walls, They are water proof, and if a horse kicks it, neither the horse nor wash stall will be hurt!

Answer 6

well i'm assuming that you have wooden walls for your wash rack and not cement ones since it's your own stable. OSB walls are typically good for surrounding a tack room or something that a horse wouldn't spend time in, seeing as how it's made of flaky wood chips and can easily be broken if kicked. like the guy above me said, you can cover the walls and such with the thick rubber mats that you usually would use in a stall, however those will look very odd hung up on walls.  Instead of trying to buy a waterproof material to cover the wooden walls, i would highly suggest simple going out and buying the best waterproof wood base and paint to cover it.  this will last and is waterproof so long as you do a good job applying it.  remember you must first put primer on your wood (just talk to a local hardware store, they'll tell you what you need, it's just like painting a deck to your house.)