Flooring With Dogs

[SLOBuds]

Two questions:

1. If you were to put down a new floor that was expected to stand up best for a home with dogs in it, what would you put down?

2. If you were to put down a wood floor, which one would you put down to stand up best to dogs in the house?

Thanks

 

[Tororider]

If you have the choice, my guess is polished cement would stand up the best. Not sure how easy it is to put into a house after the fact though.

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

A lot depends on the size and energy level of the dogs. Tile is great for clean up and will last forever - at least as far as dog damage. Pre-Finished hardwood plank flooring stands up reasonably well - but more dependent on the dogs. We have two large dogs and in seven years they have not scratched through the finish, but they have made some indentations that are noticeable depending on how the light shines. Engineered flooring will probably stand up equal to plank, as far as the dogs. Laminate flooring may be an inexpensive choice as well.

Drawback to both surfaces - for the dogs - is they can slip and injure themselves much easier than on carpet, for example. As the dog ages, especially on the tile they may have more trouble getting up from a sit or down due to slippery surface.

Accidents are relatively easy to clean up on the tile and not bad on hardwood as long as it does not have a chance to run into the cracks between or at the end of the planks.

 

[dave1949]

I would say ceramic/porcelain tile hands down for question #1. Like Cinder S. says, a slick tile can be a challenge, especially for breeds which have a lot hair between the toes. There are all sorts of tile surfaces to choose from however from smooth to textured. Tile doesn't have to be waxed either. Just renew the grout sealer occassionally. I would stay away from the softer mexican-style tiles.

A good commercial quality ceramic or porcelain tile is pretty expensive, but it should last forever with very low, inexpensive maintenance. If you haven't looked at some tile floor design ideas, you may be surprised how nice it can look. An area rug also works well with tile giving the best of both worlds.
Dave.

 

[salopez]

Through body porcelain! its hard and colored all the way throug, so if something does happen you won't see it anyway!

DAL Tile makes some through body's that are pool deck rated, and hav little dots you cant see that have really high traction even wet. this is what we put down and never had a problem with the dogs or us slipping! 3 bucks a square give or take so its not bad.

 

[CurlyDave]

This may be an unpopular thought, but I have found that a medium/good grade of carpet holds up pretty well to dogs, can be cleaned relatively easily, and is much less expensive than any of the alternatives.

I can have my carpets cleaned twice a year and replaced every 5 for less than the cost of tile or hardwood.

 

[Bird]

A lot depends on the size and energy level of the dogs.

We have some laminate flooring in the living room because my wife liked the look. And our chihuahua really looks funny when she gets in a hurry, spinning her wheels for lack of traction.:laughing:

But generally, I agree with CurlyDave. We bought a Hoover Steam Vac at Sears about 6 years ago and it's still working pretty well for our carpets and both our daughters borrow it periodically, too. So it's been a long time since we had a pro clean the carpets.

 

[dave1949]

A lot also depends on the size of dog, the outdoor surroundings and how much time your dog(s) spend outside. If you have a breed of dog prone to drooling, that's something to consider also. A dog shouldn't have fleas, but it happens and carpet harbors fleas making them that much harder to get rid of.

In fresh snow, our dog can haul in LOTS of water in the form of snowballs matted in the hair on his legs. Ditto if he gets soaked in the rain. Also plenty of mud and driveway grit in Spring from paws and belly hair. Carpet would be a disaster for us. On tile, it's a non-issue. Sweep and mop, it looks like new.

I don't think there is one correct choice for everybody's situation.
Dave.

 

[Bird]

I don't think there is one correct choice for everybody's situation.

I certainly agree with that. Kinda like not one correct tractor for everyone's situation.

 

[forgeblast]

3 dogs here, one with nasty nails since they didnt cut them before we rescued her and they grew long.
we put down oak flooring in our great room. excellent at holding up, easy to clean.
put down tile in the mud room. holding up also. one thing i did notice is that one of their nails must have chipped out a bit of grout, so i have to re grout a small part. easy to clean also.
laminate is also in the house, they have no traction when they hit that, it holds up, but any water/liquid spills need to be mopped up and not left standing, easy to clean.
we use a mop, and have a dyson animal vaccum that is one outstanding machine. i was and still am impressed at how well it works.
so oak, tile, lam, get a dyson.