Best dog and water resistant flooring?

Posted by Keith Williams on August 30, 2006, 12:46 pm

> > I'm looking for opinions on what kind of floor to install in our new
> > place. We have a dog and a fish tank, so I'm looking for options that
> > would stand up to dog claws, possible dog mistakes, and minor
> > (sometimes major) spilling of water from the fish tank.

>
> There is some bamboo flooring that is supposedly very tough.
> It looks like, and installs like, regular wood flooring.

Bamboo is cheaper and much easier to install than wood flooring. I
don't think I'd use it (or hardwood) in high traffic areas if I had
a large dog though. It will scratch, just like hardwood.

--
Keith

Posted by lgohring on August 30, 2006, 1:28 pm

Even after my vet trims Molly nails they still click on the floor.
I have lament (sp?) flooring I love it. Nothing seems to hurt these
floors except excess water. I'm talking sitting water and a large
amount.

I have dropped can goods on it and nothing. No scratches from her nails
either.

Posted by D. Gerasimatos on August 30, 2006, 8:18 pm

I think the best dog is probably a German Sheperd.

Glad I could help!

Dimitri

Posted by Les Hilliard on August 31, 2006, 2:59 am

> I'm looking for opinions on what kind of floor to install in our new
> place. We have a dog and a fish tank, so I'm looking for options that
> would stand up to dog claws, possible dog mistakes, and minor
> (sometimes major) spilling of water from the fish tank.
>
> We've had real hardwood before (finished onsite), but the dog scratched
> it up real good with his nails. We've had laminate before also,
> however, any water left standing for any significant amount of time
> caused the seams to swell. Now I know in a perfect world I shouldn't
> have to worry about standing water, however, I don't wanna have to deal
> with replacing parts of the floor in case one of these days there is a
> puddle of water that sits there for a day or two.
>
> I'm currently looking at vinyl plank flooring. It's like vinyl tiles,
> however, it's made to look like wood. One company that makes it is
> www.karndean.com . Anyone have any experience with this kind of
> flooring? I'm guessing it totally water proof, how about scratches
> though?
>
> Any other suggestions I should look at?
>
> Thanks,
> Harry
>

        I used to have several aquariums including a 55 gal and several 20
gals. Before I set them up, on the carpet, I took those inexpensive vinyl
runners and placed them under the stands and made sure they extended out
from the bottom of the stand a good 6-8 inches all around. The edges of the
vinyl runners stuck up a little bit but it was nothing a few well placed
staples didn't fix.
        In effect I had a waterproof surface 6-8 inches around the aquarium
which was easily cleaned. I had quite large fish in the 55 gal and they
occasionally splashed so hard that they'd knock the lid up a little bit and
some water would run down the outside of the tank. Add to that my
occassional overslop while cleaning and/or filling the tank. I have had
water leak down the back of the tank in the past, down the stand into the
carpet and underneath the stand without leaving a visable puddle so I've
learned this little trick from experience. The runners also helped with
this because the water never had a chance to soak into the carpet. With the
runners underneath and around the stand, the carpet was well protected and
my dog could enjoy watching the fish from the comfort of a carpeted floor.
Even with wood, tile, or vinyl flooring, the runners can help protect the
surface.
        If you go with carpet, all you have to worry about is the dog soiling
it once in a while which if you have him/her housetrained well shouldn't be
much of an issue.
        If you go with hardwood, tile, or vinyl laminate you have to look at
upkeep, slipping and sliding around, and constant waxing and/or sealing but
it is much easier to clean little messes.
        I have even seen new houses, while being built, the owners planned
where they wanted to put their aquariums, had tile laid there with a
generous border, and carpeted around the rest. Mind you, this is a spendy
way to do it and unless you plan on keeping the home for a long time, it
detracts from the resale value a little bit since prospective buyers might
not want areas of tile here and there mixed in with the carpeting.
        Personally I prefer carpeting. It's easier to walk on, comfortatble
to sit or lay on while playing with the dog. and warmer in the winter.
But, it's your house so you get to decide your preferance. I just wanted
to add a couple of suggestions that I've used and seen used. Ultimately, I
suppose you will have to go with what you and your wife can live with
asthetically. Hope my suggestions help.

--
Les Hilliard & Nikki the Super Shih-Tzu

Posted by Harry Muscle on August 31, 2006, 9:27 am

Thank you for all the responses, suggestions, etc. so far.

I know laminate stands up to dogs claws very well but generally not
water. However, I came across a really good article yesterday that
compares all the different brands of laminate flooring, including how
they stand up to water
(http://www.ifloor.com/articles/lam/lamwars2.html). So I'm leaning
towards getting laminate, one of the brands that scores a 4 out of 5 in
water resistance. It would be almost impossible for the dog to scratch
it, most water spills should be fine, and if I do get water damage it
would be possible to fix since the floors click together (ie: no glue).
Plus the one I'm eying seems to be cheaper than the vinyl stuff which
was my other possible choice.

Thanks,
Harry

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