OT: New flooring suggestions

DuckDogDr · December 2016

Had a leak develop .. Have to rip up my floors from my kitchen to my dining room.. And replace the sub floor.
So in doing this.. My question is to I put down real hard wood or the ceramic that looks like wood. I like the idea of the ceramic being waterproof (spills and wet dogs )
Im a low maintenance kind of guy. If my gf sticks around there are
4 dogs between us.. My 2 swim all the time and come in muddy from the swamps . Two are geriatric and I'm worried about them slipping and falling / blowing out knees .

my current problem.. Previous home owners put the floating laminate over linoleum and particle board.. And as you can see sub floor is already rotten

nolaegghead · December 2016

Personally I like real wood (not laminate) in kitchens. We have ceramic tile and often when you drop a pot or something hard and heavy it will chip the ceramic. Next kitchen renovation I'll probably do wood or slate, where chips don't matter.

evie1370 · December 2016

Laminate I think is easier to care for than real wood, but I have real wood and it is easy too. We have 2 dogs that can track and I just clean with a steamer-gets the job done quick and easy and I swear it is cleaner than any other method.

Agree with Nola that ceramic chips and breaks easy, I have experienced that first hand.

Eggcelsior · December 2016

That picture is great. Looks like your standing in the door with a machete to make sure you cleaned up all the blood with the Clorox.

caliking · December 2016

I'm a fan of oak hardwood floors. Easy to care for in my experience. Plus I prefer the timbre and feel of hardwood over other products.

saluki2007 · December 2016

Hardwood looks nice, but with big dogs it will get scratched to hell in a heart beat. We just built a new house and our entire first floor is polished concrete. Very easy to maintain and the dogs can't scratch it.

Eggcelsior · December 2016

saluki2007 said:

Hardwood looks nice, but with big dogs it will get scratched to hell in a heart beat. We just built a new house and our entire first floor is polished concrete. Very easy to maintain and the dogs can't scratch it.

yeah, this. I'd go with wood over anything else(Have oak floors now) but whatever you do, don't finish with a glossy sealer. Shows scratches much more readily. I'm not going to refinish mine until the dog dies, unless we go a totally different direction with a matte finish.

ryantt · December 2016

Why not put down LVT, easy to install and also water proof. I put it down in my daughter bathroom and it was so nice to work with.

jlsm · December 2016

Polished concrete looks great. My vote.

DuckDogDr · December 2016

@nolaegghead I would stay away from the slate. My ex had that in her den and kitchen.. Hers was porous and she has a little **** ass dachshund that would pee on everything ... Impossible to get the smell out .. Just retained it

@saluki2007 could I put the concrete down being my house is over a basement?

nolaegghead · December 2016

I had about 1200 square feet of slate installed at a renovation at work and it's sealed as tight as a drum. But yeah, it's one of the harder floors to clean. PS - F your ex's dog.

DuckDogDr · December 2016

@nolaegghead I agree the dog and her .. She is a miserable soul

nolaegghead · December 2016

lol!

Dobie · December 2016

I have ceramic through out and with big dogs it works, cleans up easy no wear. I have a single level with a concrete foundation though, there's more too it when you have a subfloor when going ceramic. Wouldn't do wood with the dogs though unless you want to refinish often.

HarveyLytle · December 2016

If you do go with real wood make sure that you do not put down prefinished. Install the honest to god hardwood that has to be sanded and finished. That way the sealer is over the joints. No way to seal the joints on prefinished. Water will get into the cracks and make the same mess you have now.

Mickey · December 2016

Have oak hardwoods thru out the house (not baths). Would do again. House 16
and 70 lb poodle 12.

saluki2007 · December 2016

@DuckDogDr Yes you can put it over a basement. Because I have a full basement and the sheer size of the 1st floor (approx 2,900 sq ft) I went with ICF and 2 steel beams to support the floor with minimal posts in the basement. I think I have only 2 posts down there and it's a non-finished basement.

For what you are going to do that would not be needed.

Lit · December 2016

i put porcelain tile down and am happy with it so far. Our daughter has thrown several pound block and hit it with a wooden Malloy and it's fine no chips yet.

Dobie · December 2016

Whatever way you go save some extra material for repairs if needed years later. Replacing a tile isn't a big deal for the most part but matching the flooring after the fact can be near impossible.

theyolksonyou · December 2016

This is in my wheelhouse.

Hardwood is expensive, will dent and scratch and is definitely not waterproof.

Laminate is scratch resistant, easier installation, but not waterproof.

Ceramic/porcelain is more expensive than laminate, but much more difficult and expensive to install and subject to crack/break should you drop something heavy.

Luxury vinyl tile very easy to install, scratch and dent proof and the newest introductions are waterproof. The older styles are waterproof, but the seams will allow water to the subfloor. You can get wood or stone finishes hat are very good. It does require an underlayment that will cover subfloor defects/blemishes that will transfer to the face otherwise. For complete waterproof to the subfloor, look for a product called SolidTech. Brand new introduction, maybe hard to find in a retailer. Go to Mohawk's web page and look. BTW, if you find a display with a QR code for a digital sample, scan it and they will push you a coupon for a local retailer.

Finally, there is a rigid LVT with the same properties or a product called WPC that maskes subfloor defects, requires no underlayment, but is subject to dent and is not waterproof.

I wish I could reccomend carpet cause that's what pays the bills.

onedbguru · December 2016

Do real wood.

Fake still looks fake.

OT: New flooring suggestions

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