Earthen floor

It is usually constructed, in modern times, with a mixture of sand, finely chopped straw and clay, mixed to a thickened consistency and spread with a trowel on a sub-surface such as concrete.

Earthen floors were predominant in most houses until the mid 14th century in Europe, and persist to this day in many parts of the world.

[1] In medieval times, almost all peasant housing had earthen floors, usually of hardpacked dirt topped off with a thin layer of straw for warmth and comfort.

In China, most cottages and smaller houses also had earthen floors, made of rammed earth and sealed with raw linseed.

In modern times, most earthen floors are often laid over the top of a subfloor of tamped gravel or cob or adobe, and then a mixture of clay, sand and fiber are mixed and leveled onto the subfloor.