Our landlady donated ninety-seven 24" x 24" x 2" concrete slabs, and we spent several weeks of the summer installing them in the shelter and extending outside to form a path behind the shelter.

This involved removing about a 3" deep spit of the original floor and levelling it before fitting the slabs, some of which had to be cut using an angle grinder.

The resulting surface has been a vast improvement over the packed earth floor, which was wearing away and producing a large amount of dust, particularly if the weather was windy. The shelter is now virtually dust-free, and the surface is stable and far better to walk on and work with.

Another advantage is that, due to having laid the path with a slight slope away from the shelter, and including a soakaway trench, the rain water no longer floods in. As the slabs for the path have each been laid on five mortar mounds, the water can also drain away under them.

Contrary to our earlier thoughts, we have found that any vessel that happens to find its way onto the floor, tends to bounce and not to break, allowing the vessel to be re-puntied and continued.