FLOORS THAT ARE GOOD FOR DOGS & KIDS? SAY WHAT?

Floors that are good for dogs? Is there such a floor that can hold up? Yes! There are multiple options. These floors are also good for destructive or excited kids and spouses. Today, I am specifically focusing on our kitchen. As part of my new year’s resolution I am finishing what I have started. That means the kitchen! Ben and I started our Phase 1 kitchen renovation last year. So far we have painted cabinets, installed countertops, and painted the ceilings and walls.

One big project left is the floor. We have been going back and forth on what flooring would be the best for our dogs. Our kitchen is a busy place. We spend a lot of time there and it’s a heavy traffic area for humans and dogs. We all eat and drink in the kitchen, our dogs go in and out of the backyard from our kitchen, and it’s generally where we end up making the most messes.

Ben and I have been thinking about this kitchen floor for awhile and we just can’t decide what to choose. So…out comes the pros and cons list for all of the floors. All of these floors are good for your house but not all will be the best for our kitchen and our dogs.

Here is what we are starting with. We have a cheap, textured, whiteish ceramic tile with dirty tan grout. It was installed over a linoleum floor by the previous owners. DON’T EVER DO THIS. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Go directly to DIY jail. Here’s why. The linoleum is slippery. The tile is rigid. See where I am going with this?  When you install something rigid over something slippery and the slippery thing starts to move the rigid thing stays rigid and breaks/cracks. This is what is happening to the tile. The grout is coming out and the tile is cracked. We even had a foster dog try and dig out the loose grout!

Here is the criteria we are using to evaluate the floors:
-Durable against scuffs & dog nail scratches
-How easy it is to clean the floor?
-How easy is the floor to install?
-Easy to demo when we replace the whole kitchen (Phase 2)
-Looks good with the rest of the house
-Value vs. Price

Hardwood Floors (Wisconsin Birch)
What is it? Non engineered hardwoods are true full wood planks that are sealed after installation. Check out my blog posts about our hardwood floor projects Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Pros:
-We can continue the hardwood floors that we already have in the house and it would look very cohesive
-If the high traffic sealer is applied then it’s super friendly to dog nails and scuffs
-Hardwood is pretty easy to install once you have done it before
-Its super easy to clean with mostly water and a little Murphy’s Oil Soap
Cons:
-The installation has multiple steps and can be time consuming and you for sure need knee pads
-Demolition of the hardwood would be very difficult because of the nature of hardwood installation. Its permanent! This floor would lock us in for the layout of our dream kitchen
-Hardwood floors can be very expensive and it would be a shame to tear it out when we renovate to install our dream kitchen. That doesn’t seem very sustainable

Ceramic/Porcelain Tile
What is it? Tile is clay that has been ground up, stamped into the rectangle or square, etc, and fired in a kiln

Pros:
-If you purchase a good quality tile and not the cheapest bargain bin tile it will hold up for forever
-Tile is easy to clean with mopping
-Dog nails will be no match for tile since it’s clay fired and super strong.
-A dark grey tile like the one above with matching grout would look great in our kitchen and enforce the Scandinavian vibe
Cons:
-Ben and I have never tiled before and it will be a learning process for both of us. It could take some extra time and money to make sure it’s done correctly.
-Demo will be very difficult. Tile is so strong and it’s meant to last forever. It will be dusty and messy to get it out of the house
-Tile can be expensive depending on what pattern and size you pick.
-The bigger the tile the more level the floor needs to be and that could take some extra time to make sure that it’s perfect.

Laminate Planks
What is it? Like laminate countertop the flooring is the same concept. A wear layer of resin, photo of wood or other image, and a backer (cork, or plywood combo)

Pros:
-This type of flooring is really easy to install. Some options don’t even need nails. You can click them together using a mallet and cut the pieces to size.
-An added bonus to layered together floors is that it has a base layer that makes the floor soft. It would be easy to cook in a kitchen with this floor since your feet would never get tired.
-Since it’s easy to install it will be easy to get up when we do our big kitchen renovation. We might even be able to use it again somewhere else in the house.
-Laminate is one of the most affordable options
Cons:
-I’m not sure on the long term wear of the floor. I think if the resin wear layer is heavy duty enough this floor will be fine. If its the bargain brand I believe this material is subject to scratches or divots if the wear layer isn’t thick enough
-Most of the laminate flooring has a wood look and I am not sure if a wood look bumping up to the real hardwood floors will make the laminate look really bad. The pic above is close to our hardwood but that may not be a good thing.
-Since it’s a click together floor there are a lot of joints that have the potential to get water in them. Cleaning is a little more difficult and I would want to make sure we took some time to make sure all of the joints are tight

Photo by HOLAH Design + Architecture – Look for traditional kitchen pictures

Marmoleum planks (Click together)
What is it? Marmoleum is a stacked product just like laminate flooring. The top layer is linoleum, middle fiberboard, bottom cork

Pros:
-Marmoleum is a product that has been used in many midcentury houses so it would fit in with our house and return it to it’s midcentury vibe
-Marmoleum is made from resin and linseed oil and will hold up to all of the dog nails that could run across it. I scratched the dog nails all over it and you wouldn’t even know
-The click together option would be really easy to install, similar to the laminate flooring. It will also be an easy demo and we may be able to reuse the floor somewhere else.
-This flooring backer is really soft and would be nice to stand on just like laminate flooring
Cons:
-This flooring is more expensive than laminate flooring, hardwood, and close to the price of tile with grout
-Like laminate flooring this is a click together installation which has a lot of joints and will make cleaning more difficult
-If you choose the glue down version it will be hard to demo when we want to do our amazing kitchen so we would have to go with the click version

Photo by NEXT Project Studio – More modern kitchen photos

LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile-Glue Down)
What is it? This product is a vinyl wear layer, picture of wood or stone, and a flexible backer on the bottom

Pros:
-This product has so many options. It comes in tons of patterns, colors, and sizes
-We could find a pattern and color that would look great in the house next to the real hardwood
-This product is really affordable and easy to install and you don’t need any special tools to do it
-This product has similar construction to laminate flooring with a printed paper over a resin so if the where layer is thick enough the dog nails will not be able to scratch the floor
Cons:
-It’s a glue down product and will be difficult to get back up when we are ready for the new kitchen
-I don’t like the idea of glue that isn’t very sustainable
-There are a lot of seams to worry about so making sure the joints are really tight will be important for cleaning.

Photo by Hello Kitchen – Browse contemporary kitchen photos

Cork (Plank)
What is it? Cork is a natural material made from the cork oak tree. The planks have a sealed cork top layer with a backer like a composite wood or plywood

Pros:
-This stuff looks amazing! This is one of the coolest floors I think. The natural color is beautiful and the pattern is very streamlined.
-I like that it’s made from a rapidly renewable material
-Cork would look great in our house. A lot of cork was originally installed in the 1960’s and it can be used in a cool new modern way
-Cork is pretty affordable and it would be easy to install because it comes in plank form and you tap it into place just like laminate or marmoleum flooring. That would mean that it would be easy to get up again too
Cons:
-I have a residential sample form our local big box store and the cork started to flake off when I made the girls scratch their nails on it. It might not be durable enough for our big dog nails. I think it might hold up for small dogs and kids shoes. If I can find a commercial cork floor that has a stronger sealer that might be an option

So What do you think?

Based on the list I think we are leaning towards the Marmoleum click floor. Here’s what it might look like in our kitchen. It’s a little more expensive but I think it could be worth it and buy us some time with nice flooring before the Phase 2 remodel.
What do you DIYer’s think? Who has a kitchen floor that they love that has held up to dog nails, crazy kids and spouses?