Whats the best kitchen flooring surface for a household with dogs?
thanks, mike
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I suppose it depends on the dog.
In my case a Greman Shepard (most recently) suggests acid stained and sealed cement. Or maybe Diamond Plate. Some throw rugs in front of the Range or Sink to make it more comfortable for the people.
Not to imply that my dog's not well behaved or wild in the house. She's a very well mannered dog. Regular grooming including dremeling the nails. But Hardwood has inevitably gotten scratches. Laminate & Ceramic (w/any kind of glaze finsih) are too slippery, Not a chance on Carpeting (Not due to the dog, but it being a kitchen).
So I've ruled everything out. Leaving cement which I've found pretty industructible.
Cement is out of the question,this is second floor over joists.The customers are thinking about cork. I suggested they look into real linoleum (Marmoleum) too. They have 3 dogs but also like the idea of a forgiving surface for the feet.
mike
"Not a chance on Carpeting (Not due to the dog, but it being a kitchen)."we had carpet in the kitchen for about 10 years. you have to take care, but what doesn't. took it out to redocorate, and it was getting old. people said no way, but...
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter WFR
You mean funniest to watch or most protective? ;)
Look at tile with more texture on the surface, usually it has an undulating edge too. I have some like this in our kitchen, which has two entrances to the livingroom. That means the kitchen is the back straightaway on the family oval raceway. As long as my kids wear socks with the rubberized lettering on the bottom, they rarely wipe out as they make the corners there.
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
You mean vinyl?
What is crx?
mike
Nope, I mean ceramic tile. The kind I have looks a bit like it was hand carved weathered rock. Lots of subtle indentations like a natural surface, got it at Home Depot. I have a different kind from Lowes where the surface has an almost sandy texture (it will go into the bathroom).
Just go to a Big Box or Tile store and start feeling up the merchandise, you will find what you are looking for.
Oh, and a CRX is the most fun you ever had with someone else... except its a car.
View ImageRebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
fatherhome,
It really depends on what your goal is.. If you want hospital cleanilyness then white ceramc tile is your only real choice.. if you like the lived in look of gentle patina then one of the hardwoods like White oak with a finish of shellac weathers well and is really easy to do and maintain..
For durability you need to go to granite and for real elegence go to marble..
In case you are afraid that these will be too expensive for your budget be aware that there are limitless choices available.. I've found Marble on sale for well under a buck a sq ft. and currantly have much of the house in Black walnut and that's cost me less than twenty cents a sq ft.
I like a white oak strip floor, but wont that get pretty nasty with 3 dogs?
Their focus seems to be a resilient floor that will stand up to wear from the dogs.
mike
Fatherhome,
The "trick" is really in the finish.. if you use a typical polyurethane or swedish two part whatever. you will find that the only way to repair damage that happens is to strip and refinish.. that's strickly a job for the pro.. dusty expensive and easily Damaged..
Shellac is one of the harder surfaces out there and extremely user friendly. Shellac is one just about every pill you swallow so it must be pretty safe stuff and I'm certain that you drink a little beer or wine so alcohol shouldn't be very scary. The only part of alcohol that could even be considered "bad" is the 2% or less they use to denature it so high school kids don't buy it for a cheap drunk.. My advice is not to not drink it and you should be fine.. A $22.00 can of bullseye shellac and three gallons of denatured alcohol can be slopped on by anybody in very little time.. inside a day all fumes are gone.
Now the critical issue how will it hold up..
OK but damage will happen.. when it does you get a rag damp with a little of the denatured alcohol and rub the scratch. face east and say abra cadabra.. poof scratch be gone! (the abra cadabra part is optional and you can face any direction that you want) ;-)
when the surface needs to be refinished don't bother a pro, wipe off the worst of the scratches with denatured alcohol and slop another coat of shellac on..
Finishing technique is extremely complex so much so that I think a slow 5 year old could do it.. Here's what you do..
Buy yourself a nice wide paint brush .. some big old house painter thing.. make sure the surface is smooth and clean. I use a slightly damp (with alcohol) old T shirt. Now as quickly as you can slop a lot of shellac thinned out three to one. with denatured alcohol covering the whole surface like you are in the Indy 500 of painting. Fast is more important than neat. It will dry in about 15 minutes and then you can lightly sand the whole surface with 220 grit sand paper..(I use an electric DA and can cover about 500 sq ft. in 15 minutes..) you can then put a second coat on or wait untill you have time.. timing isn't important. sand that coat with the same sand aper. Old here works just fine. the third coat and you're done as soon as it's dry.. I try to give it 8 hours before I walk on it but I've walked on it shortly afterwards with no problems.
Cautions here.. shellac reacts poorly with water so if you spill some wipe it up quickly or it will cloud up which means you need to use some alcohol to wipe off the old shelac and then startover..
Shellac blends like nothing else so one are that needs attention doesn't require redoing the whole floor.. just the area involved..
After a month or so you might want to wax it. I use old fashioned carnuba wax I rub it on and buff it in. I have a buffer I use for my boats and that's just fine.. wax every month or so and the finish will begin to take on this lovely patina that simply can't be faked with any semi gloss whatever.. Shellac has a wonderful depth and a visual warmness that will fool everybody as to what finish you selected.. Nobody will ever guess it came out of a $22.00 dollar can!
Any idea on how prefinished hardwood holds up? Supposedly it's extremely durable.
ownerbuilder,
Once it's scratched what are you going to do to repair it? Chances are the dogs won't tear it up.. I have a 150 pound newfoundland who loves to run and play on my floors, No matter what he refuses to trim his claws , but so far the only scratches in the floor I've put there myself moving furniture or wearing shoes with grit in them.. It doesn't bother me becuase once it's worth my time I can fix them in maybe 3 minutes.. can a prefinished floor do that?
" No matter what he refuses to trim his claws "
I have found that my pets will not groom themselves either, though the cats do try.
"Can a prefinished floor do that?"
I don't know. That's why I'm asking.
I used a moisture cured urethane on my oak floors. After 10 years no scratches. Benjamin Moore is where I got it. They told me it was used for commercial kitchens .
Ownerbuilder,
Sorry I should have been clearer. Prefinished floors are well done, probably better than the best pros can do. However the only repair of prefinished floors is to sand off the old finish and start over.. Thousands of dollars can exchange hands.
Now the bad part of prefinished floors is that often the "real" wood is only a thin surface coat. The rest is a sort of plywood. while that lowers your cost it makes refinishing all but impossible.. Only a tiny slip with a sander and the refinisher is thru the top layer and into the "plywood"
Not all prefinished floors are built that way. real solid planking can be prefinished and then you don't have that limitation..
Now if you simply want to sign a check, chances are few floor finishers will want to do shellac..I am not sure why. I've seen several shellac finished flors hold up well and I have mine as proof.. I suppose that given the variety of refinishes they go with what is most commonly accepted.
But as absolute undisputed King of the lousy paint jobs I can tell you shellac is a breeze to do a great job with.. You simply can't make a mistake and trust me, if anybody is capable of making a mistake painting/refinishing it's me! Maybe the don't want to use it because it's so easy to use and easy to repair they would lose business?
Frenchy,
Thanks for the additonal post. My wife and I are spec-ing out a house to be built in the mountains of Arizona, and are looking at flooring options. I don't think I would consider and "engineered" floor for the reasons you mention, but was considering prefinished solid wood because I could install it myself, and am not up to sanding and finishing the floor.
Like anything else, I'm sure the durability of the finish depends on the manufacturer. And, if you start with a floor with some character already in it, a few scratches woudn't ruin the floor.
Again, thanks.
Prefinished hardwood could work well. I sugest to get the distressed variety with scratches and knots already in it ( i.e. "distressed"). If and when they scratch it take a stain stick (available at any hardware store) or marker and color it in. Looks just like the rest of the floor.
teach the dog that the kitchen is off limits..
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I have three dogs, from 30 to 85 lbs, hardwood floors (4" wide red oak), finished with tung oil only. Moving furniture has caused most of the dents , but some minor nail marks.
"Whats the best kitchen flooring surface for a household with dogs?"
You might want to consider that dogs running across hard, slick surfaces can injure themselves. Their paws lose their grip and legs start going in all directions.
Buic
I gotta admit, I have a dog that's afraid of glossy floors (visually) won't set foot in the kitchen. also won't go in the dining room when the sun hits the floor just right. used to think I had a wierd dog...now I'm thankfull I don't have to worry about the damage aspect. just find some wierd dogs like mine and you'll be all set."it aint the work I mind,
It's the feeling of falling further behind."Bozini Latini
Tile w/ dark grout
Have you ever considered a cork floor? I have a large neo mastiff who weighs almost 100 pounds, and she's slipping on the linoleum...Thought of hardwood, but found out about cork. It seems to be pretty indestructible, (from what I've read).... I've seen a few samples, and when I stick my fingernail into it, it gives then bounces right back. It stays warm, and is comfortable to walk on. If anyone has any experience working with this material, please share!!!