<p>We also have hardwood in the kitchen, and I really like it! We’re going on 20 years now and every couple of years I have a light sanding done and refinishing with poly. Never had to do the whole thing down to bare wood yet. And I had 3 boys and a dog for many of those years traipsing through the kitchen.</p>
<p>If you guys are saying you can have hardwood in the kitchen and have a finish that protects it from water, what about pet accidents? We have very old wall to wall carpeting. It wasn’t in great shape to begin with and then we got the dog … A dog that refuses to be trained. There are at least a few accidents a week. The carpet is now revolting and we HAVE to replace it … I dont want to look at it, much less have any company over. But we don’t want to spend the money to get hardwood and then have the dog ruin it. We were thinking of wood laminate … Would that be the best way to go? Is there a way to have hardwood with a semi -trained dog? </p>
<p>And, yeah, I know you’re saying “train the dog!” but believe me, we have tried. And are still trying. She 's either incredibly dumb or stubborn. And, no, I can’t give it away. God knows I’ve thought about it!</p>
<p>I have to say,it’s great to hear from so many of you with this flooring choice. I would have thought that it would be rare. I was pretty depressed about replacing our old ceramic tile (which we installed by ourselves, by the way,probably 25 years ago) because I thought that our choices were limited to more ceramic tile, vinyl, Pergo,Or something rare and exotic and out of control pricey. We can definitely handle wood. Is there any problem with expansion/contraction of the wood, leaving spaces which trap food particles or whatever else falls on this high traffic area? Our rustic dining room floor changes with the seasons, but it’s not big deal. In a kitchen, it would be a problem.</p>
<p>SansSerif,
In your situation, I would look at two options: marmoleum ([Residential</a> Flooring Forbo](<a href=“http://www.forbo-flooring.us/Residential-Flooring/]Residential”>Residential floor coverings | Forbo Flooring Systems) )and vinyl. Both can stand up to water. </p>
<p>Laminate would not work in your situation unless you can clean the mess immediately every time as water can damage it.</p>
<p>Sansserif: my sympathies on your dog’s training. Have you taken the dog to the vet to make sure she doesn’t have a bladder infection? </p>
<p>As for the floors, I have found my finished-in-place polyurethaned oak floors to be just fine with puppy accidents, whether it is urine, feces, or vomit. I clean up promptly.</p>
<p>All of you are a better housekeeper than I am. I have a beautiful random width oak floor that is being damaged by my dog. Housekeeping was never my strength but I am amazed no one else seems to have trouble with hardwood floor in the kitchen.</p>
<p>Yeah, the problem is cleaning up promptly. We don’t always see it right away. We also have cats, and while they are litter trained, there is the occasional furball … If we’re at work, it’s not going to be cleaned up until we get home.</p>
<p>I have oak throughout my whole house, except bathrooms and laundry room and put in per-finished oak to match when I redid kitchen and added great room off kitchen & dining. Love it (though the dogs do put scratches in it when I let their nails get to long, but I anticipated they wouldn’t remain pristine.) I also use the Bona sytem - just spray in on and run the special mop over it and you are done.</p>
<p>Sanserif, I have a new rescue dog who I’m having a hard time training also - it can take a lot of time. I crate her when I am not home and heap praise and treats on her when she makes outside. No accidents in over a week - that I know of. However, my middle dog has a bladder infection just diagnosed earlier in the week and even though she is on meds she isn’t getting better. The vet said she may also have a stone, so I have to call tomorrow and see what needs to be done now. She just peed, not two minutes ago, on my family room rug. I don’t think she even knows she is doing it. :(</p>
<p>It’s much easier dealing with pee on a hardwood floor which has a good finish then carpet. My area rug in family room will probably have to be replaced because of dog’s bladder infection. :(</p>
<p>“If you have an automatic ice maker, buy a water sensor at the hardware store.” - That sounds like a good idea. (For years ours did not work…so we ignore it. Then one day it turned on in slow leak. We had to a kluge with duct tape, vacuum hose, and trash can before we found the shutoff valve). Where/how do you install it? </p>
<p>HINT - Put pads on the legs of chair and bar stools. That will minimize scratches near table.</p>
<p>Emilybee, we crate her when we’re not home, give praise and treats, etc. The problem is that she never gives any sign that she needs to go. We’ve gotten to know her usual patterns and take her out at the same times every day. But some days she breaks from her pattern, and we won’t know that because she doesn’t sit by the door or anything that might give us a clue. For instance, we took her out at 9pm. Then she just peed on the rug at 10 pm. Doesn’t usually happen … But we can’t predict when it will.</p>
<p>We have the occasional “dog problem”, too, so I was hesitant to put in hardwood 4 years ago, but it’s worked out fine. The polyurethane seems to block out all the moisture. There is one small area that borders the back door, where one board is slightly warped. Replacing a single piece may cost me $100 or less.</p>
<p>My sister has engineered wood floors, which are a big mistake if your pet has accidents. Because they’re not sealed, the urine gets between the boards.</p>
<p>Sans, it took my middle dog (also a rescue) more than a year to finally start scratching at the back door and my newest doesn’t give a signal either. </p>
<p>When I am home I let her out constantly (unless she is sleeping next to me on the sofa.) Neither of these dogs bark at the door to go out.
Is your dog a little dog? Imo, they are much more difficult to train and it takes a lot of work. </p>
<p>Another trick when you are inside the house is to keep the dog on a leash with you holding it all the time, so if the dog starts to go you scoop them up immediately and take them outside. Yes, it is a pain, but it seems to work. </p>
<p>My big dog is normal and barks to be let out.</p>
<p>Mine sniffs at the door when he has to go. Barking will be nice.</p>
<p>Little dog. Little stupid dog. Little stupid neurotic dog. Barks when she hears a doorbell. Barks when I pet the cats. Barks when she hears a car outside. Barks whenever the mood strikes her.</p>
<p>Doesn’t bark when she needs to go. </p>
<p>Yes, I’m venting here. My floors are very unhappy and I’m sympathizing with them. ;)</p>
<p>Sansserif: if you don’t like your dog (and it sounds like sometimes you don’t), you might want to consider consulting with a dog behaviorist. They can help you develop a training plan that helps with your problems. (Is it possible you’ve been punishing the dog for going when you’re near? If so, that may be why she gives no warning.)</p>
<p>We have had hard hardwood flooring in our home for the last 20 years. It is my favorite flooring, especially with pets. We have always had Swedish finish on our floors. It does require the family to move out for two days but the finish is rock solid. Pet accidents sit on top for a fair amount of time. We get to them right away, usually… :)</p>
<p>dmd - I’m venting here and I can understand your response. But believe me, I’m nice to the dog. For some reason, in fact (and it drives my daughter nuts!) the dog loooooves me. Follows me everywhere. Sits on my lap. Sleeps next to me. I know that punishment doesn’t work, and that this 15 month old dog is really just a baby in many ways. She’s definitely not scared of me. When she does go outside, I praise her to the skies. The rare times she’s used throw through a party. lol She just never seems to get the connection.</p>
<p>But I’m glad so many here seem to think messy pets and hardwood floors can co-exist. I guess the key is to get the right finish that will protect the wood.</p>
<p>When we started to think about a kitchen renovation I was first attracted to travertine floors, but started to look at hardwood because the kitchen would be open to the family room. They also looked good with my cabinets and are easy to stand on. However, I was also concerned about upkeep, scratches, spills and being able to get them as clean as a tile floor. </p>
<p>I’m now sold on them. I think the type of finish makes a difference, whether it’s for resistance to water and spills or ease of cleaning and durability. Our floors were site finished several years ago using a water based poly called Bona Traffic. They do get a lot of “traffic”, including animals, furniture moved around, rolling luggage, water and dirt tracked in, etc. and look brand new. Easy to stand on and nothing seems to touch them, even spills or drips that aren’t noticed right away. They are incredibly easy to clean and maintain on an every day basis. I am another fan of Bona’s hardwood cleaner system. </p>
<p>Really big floods could be a problem regardless of the kind of floor - even tile could be loosened or its subfloor damaged by standing water. Several dishwashers have leak guard systems now - the Bosch actually pumps out water if it detects a leak. Water sensors are probably a good idea for anyone with an instant hot or dedicated ice machine.</p>
<p>This has been very helpful as we are considering putting hardwood in our family room and we have pets too.</p>
<p>For those of you trying to teach your dog to signal about needing to go outside, you might want to try this: we hang a strip of bells on the door knob. Whenever, we go out, we hit the bells. It took our dog about a week to start hitting the bells on his own. It has been a big help to us.</p>