Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on February 16, 2014 at 8:51am

Thanks Linda! Laminate and wood are much easier to clean than all the carpet too! A quick sweep and then I have a large flat mop that I dampen the pad and wipe it up:)  You can see any clumps of fur and pick up easily with a damp paper towel. For my pups I bought a large piece of laminate and my fence and crate went on there...it worked well. Same way with wood floors that have polyurethane on them. If you do tile it needs to be sealed. I like medium/mid colors for grout as the real dark can show spots as well as the light.

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Permalink Reply by Linda on February 16, 2014 at 9:47am

Jane...I want easy to care for, not getting any younger and the back doesn't like vacuums. I have an old Fuller Brush (remember them?) carpet sweeper and that actually does a good job for daily cleanups when they blow their coats.  I also know by the time we hit TN we mostly likely won't have Max (fluffy) and Katie..maybe...so a young energetic corgi will be sharing our home.  A wet swifter does a great job in the kitchen for muddy paw clean up and man, will it be a bad mud season this year with the 3+ feet of snow that is out there now.

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Permalink Reply by Jenny, Tucker, & Zoey on February 18, 2014 at 11:57am

I have real hardwood, but it shows scratches in the polyurethane from the dogs running about. What about that tile that looks like hardwood? 

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Permalink Reply by Dora & Rocky on February 18, 2014 at 12:32pm

Prior to my hubby flooding our new home a month before our wedding, we had these beautiful engineered hardwood floors that I swear were scratch resistant and gave our little guy great traction (first pic). After the flood, the contractor wasn't able to find matching ones to replace the ones that were damaged in the flood so he had to replace the entire main floor. The replacement ones, while decently scratch resistant, did not have great traction so when our little guy is taking corners at high speeds, he tends to claw quite hard at the ground, resulting in scratches. :(

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Permalink Reply by Renee Krajcar on February 18, 2014 at 4:04pm

He is beautiful and thanks for the info.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on February 18, 2014 at 6:30pm

Looks like the top pic is lower gloss finish than the bottom.   Both look lovely.

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Permalink Reply by Dora & Rocky on February 19, 2014 at 12:23pm

Beth - Yes! The original had a matte look to it and I absolutely loved it. The new ones has a bit of a gloss finish to it (which is probably why Rocky doesn't have much traction on it) but we had to go with these ones because they were the only ones that matched the closest to our cupboards and furniture. :( I'm still learning to like these new floors. LOL

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on February 18, 2014 at 1:40pm

Smooth flooring is the easiest to vacuum or sweep, and the worst surface for canine feet.  With all the nonskid throw-rugs required for the dogs, it is much more difficult to vacuum, although the inevitable spills are easier to clean up.

Smooth flooring might be downright dangerous for dogs.  A slip could cause a really serious leg injury jumping on/off furniture.  They just skitter around on it.

I removed our horrible old wall-to-wall shag carpet, installed harwood oak in one room myself, had it sanded and Swedish-finished.  This was before dogs.

Although hardwood is easier to vacuum, a BIG part of the job is removing and shaking out the 12 nonskid throw rugs stationed at strategic places around the house -- the very small house -- not counting the 25-30lb. living room area rug which requires special care for my back's safety when I shake it outdoors, ineffectually.

I'd expect a short wall-to-wall carpet would be best for the dogs, easiest for cleaning, best for any downstairs neighbors -- MAJOR CONSIDERATION.

I do need some bare floor for yoga and some other things, but I now wish I had short wall-to-wall carpet and a good vacuum that actually sucks.

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Permalink Reply by Denis J. on February 18, 2014 at 2:57pm

The hardwood we have upstairs is scratched by the dog, the cats and anything that falls on it.   

The laminated flooring for the basement is that "Click flooring" do it yourself and it's the best.   No scratches yet and it's where we play tug of war, fetch or just having a long nap and flinging his toys.   

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Permalink Reply by Beth on February 18, 2014 at 3:09pm

While I agree hardwood scratches, unless you have ever lived in a house with an old dog or puppy and wall-to-wall carpeting, and realized the smell of urine never EVER comes completely out, you can't fully appreciate how awful carpet is with dogs.

We have a room sized area rug in our living room. A couple hundred dollars, replaceable every few years.

Jack does not slip on hardwood. Maddie never did til we started her on seizure meds and now she skitters a bit. Keeping nails and foot hair short is a big help.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on February 18, 2014 at 3:10pm

Oh, and our hardwood at 7 years is only scratched in two spots: one where we foolishly let them play with a slinky and two where Jack runs back and forth at the area between the hall and living room rug.

Keep in mind that the laminate can't really be refinished. Hardwood can be.

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Permalink Reply by Renee Krajcar on February 18, 2014 at 4:13pm

I think I am stuck between a good hardwood and the tiles that look like wood.. However the tiles that look like wood scare me some because they are slippery when wet.  I am clumsy (slide down my cellar stairs at least twice a year) and he slides on the floors we have now.   Carpet is out only because we have a remnant now and the cat is destroying it and driving me insane with her constant clawing.

 You are all a wonderful wealth of information.  Since I am a slow decision maker input is welcome and useful for me.  THANKS A TON!!!

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