I’m going to put a hardwood overlay on stairs that my two dogs will run up and down about 1000x each day, sometimes with muddy paws, snow on their paws, etc.
How do you think poly will hold up? Sorry Frenchy – I won’t do shellac; it doesn’t do well with moisture.
I’m going to pre-finish the overlay pieces, so feel free to get suggest some wild stuff – I could have them done by a finisher. Catalyzed lacquer? I just have no idea.
Edited 2/26/2008 7:39 am ET by Biff_Loman
Replies
Overlay with 3/4" plate glass. All finishes are rated on the Sward hardness scale from 1-10 and glass is a 10.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Why not use a professional floor finish instead of cabinet and furniture finishes?
http://www.bona.com/global/
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Good thinking.
Nothing stands up to dogs. I know, they have been members of the family too including the 116# Boxer at my feet.
Carpet works till the dog(s) are out of your life. Tile is tough, even Tyson can't beat up on the floor tile. I don't allow him to get active on the Santos Mahogany floor but there are still a few claw marks.
He's our kid (we don't have any) but he may be the last larger dog if not the last dog period. That will be a very hard adjustment.
I'm sticking with the hardwood idea. . . Having it beat up doesn't bother me, just not destroyed, ya know? Keeping the dogs off the stairs for days while the finish dries isn't an option.
We've got a 60 lb golden retriever/standard poodle cross. Wonderful pet, obedient, friendly, relaxed, eager to please, doesn't shed at all. And his little friend is a 15 lb cocker spaniel/mini poodle cross. She's sensitive.
I've been impressed with how Street Shoe performs under our Newfoundland. It has the quick cure time you seek. Very tough.
Canine nail care will probably be as important as finish choice. We walk at least a half mile nightly on sidewalk which works as a big emery board. When the nails are cut they need to be rounded to minimize scratching. If it's sharp to the touch, it's sharp to the floor.
Edited 2/26/2008 1:50 pm ET by cynwyd
cynwyd
How bigs your New foundland? Mines about 150 and when he's on his hind legs he looks down at me..
If you go to 86920.13 You'll see my floor with shellac and how well it's held up.. Now walnut is a softer wood than oak or maple and there are some pictures of the wood actaully dented from the toe nails but look carefully nd you'll see the shellac is still in place..
My dog (buddy) loves to get up on that bridge because he can keep track of all those coming or dogs next door. You should see how excited he gets too. As old as Buddy is you wouldn't expect to see him as active as he is.. I mean jumping and running etc..
Ben is a 5 year old we got from Newf Rescue. He's small, only 105#, but has the disposition that 25 years of previous Newf ownership led me to expect.
Saturday night we, with Ben, went to a Pennsylvania SPCA fundraiser at a fancy hotel in downtown Philadelphia. The district attorney pledged to continue her office's aggressive pursuit of animal abusers. Ben let out a good bark, the room broke up and the DA thanked him for his support. The SPCA's development director said Ben had the best laugh line of the night.
I'm 6' and when he stands we're eye to eye.
RobWes,
Something to think about.. people with pets live longer and healthier than those without them. Dog owners live longer than cat owners..
Hey, with the puppies now, I have 10 dogs! Do I live 10x longer?
I betcha I have a stroke 10x faster...LOLSpheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Sphere,
I don't think it works that way <grin>
Biff Loman
OK, you are correct that shellac doesn't hold up well in constantly wet conditions.. Please explain to me how that is a bad thing in your circumstance?
You know your floor is going to be torn up.. That's the price you pay for pets. So since you are going to have to repair the finish frequently wouldn't you want one that is easy to repair?
Any finish other than shellac will require sanding and far longer drying time..
Something more utiliterian such as rubber treads or carpeting runners held in place by those brass rods used in Victorian houses would be far more durable. IF that isn't acceptable then I would make repairing the finish as easy as possible rather than hold out for some magic finish that is fractionally more durable but requires a massive effort to repair..
Bill
I would use poly. Minwax makes a floor poly. $50/ gal.
Do a search on Waterlox. Some very good comments. I haven't used it.
Rich