Tile vs Vinyl Flooring & Puppy Puddles

14 years ago

I need a new living room floor. I have a lot of dogs because I do rescue. All are housebroken but accidents happen sometimes. I also have a little girl who uses pee pee pads and misses sometimes.

I like the look and color of the tiles better than the sheet vinyl and this IS my living room, so I want the best I can get. Can tiles withstand the occasional small puddle? Large puddles would be a rarity but could happen. With dogs (like kids) anything can happen...and does...

I'm at the looking point since I can't do anything until I get my tax refund. But any thoughts by someone who knows about this would be helpful. :)

Thanks,

Jane and the Hole in the Wall Gang

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Comments (7)

boxers
14 years ago
I don't think you can beat sheet vinyl as its a continuous piece. Tiles have lots of seams that may or may not be affected by moisture. Have you considered the solid vinyl strips sold at Home Depot or by Karedean? Wal Mart uses these as does a lot of grocery stores. Some of the patterns are extremely realistic and think they would be a good option for you.
boxers
14 years ago
I don't think you can beat sheet vinyl as its a continuous piece. Tiles have lots of seams that may or may not be affected by moisture. Have you considered the solid vinyl strips sold at Home Depot or by Karedean? Wal Mart uses these as does a lot of grocery stores. Some of the patterns are extremely realistic and think they would be a good option for you.
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JaneGael
Original Author
14 years ago
I think sheet vinyl is probably my best bet. I'll have to try to find something I like. Thanks for the response. :)
desertsteph
14 years ago
"or by Karedean? Wal Mart uses these"

boxers - where does Walmart use these?
echoflooring
14 years ago
Karndean requires maintenance and is not what you want. I bet wal mart is done with it as it is a nicked up, scuffed up mess. karndean requires a sealer. Read the fine print. My stores all quit selling it..too many complaints.... Go Vinyl.
blessedbe
14 years ago
Jane, this is sort of the situation I'm in as well. I do dog rescue sometimes (take them off the street as opposed to working directly with a group). I don't have any fosters right now, but my 3 are all small dogs who use pee pads too. THey don't always hit the pad. I have an original 1946 wood floor that is getting slowly ruined. The seller of the house put an oil finish over it instead of a sealant, so now every drop of water off a muzzle, my shoes, or the dreaded puddles, turns into a huge white stain. I also don't have any insulation under my floors and even in Georgia it gets awfully cold in the winter. I'm thinking about painting my floors with a durable porch paint. I hope that if I fill in the cracks with paint it will cut down on the draft and be easier to clean up. Really though, I don't know if that's feasible.
JaneGael
Original Author
14 years ago
I found out that I have to have a sub-floor laid over my hardwood before I can put down vinyl. Ouch! So, I've decided to refinish the floors myself. I'm going to rent a sander and have at it. It can't look worse than it does now and I can't find any sheet vinyl that I like. The only one that comes close is a wood grain. So why spend all that money only to end up with fake wood on the floor?

Blessedbe, I thought about painting mine too but I know it will get scuffed because I have to move furniture around to sweep. I think refinishing a bit would be easier than repainting.

To fill in the cracks go and get a tube of clear bathtub caulking and carefully squirt it into the cracks. A flooring site I was on highly recommended this and I'm going to do it because it sounds perfectly logical. It will fill the crack but still allow movement for the wood to adjust to humidity or dryness.

You are Blessed indeed for taking in strays. Almost all of mine came from GA because of the over-population and horrible pounds where they kill them in gas chambers. I can't believe that's legal in 2010... :(

Tile vs Vinyl Flooring & Puppy Puddles

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boxers

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Tile vs Vinyl Flooring & Puppy Puddles

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desertsteph

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