I just told my daughter that I was thinking of having my kitchen floor tiled with ceramic tiles. I have only had vinyl floor covering up to now. The thing is, as well as having my own, I look after other people's dogs when they go on holiday etc, and sometimes there are accidents and quite often the "accident" happens near the edge of the flooring and so gets underneath the vinyl. Obviously it gets cleaned but it isnt an ideal situation and so I thought that tiling would solve the problem as the edges would be sealed. My daughter suggested the new water resistant laminate would be a cheaper option, but wouldnt I have the same problem with that? Its not sealed around the edges, is it? What do you have on your floors? Is tiling the best option? I would appreciate your comments.

I'd say go with tiles -

Upside - easy to brush, mop, hygienic, they are only slippery when wet and dogs don't usually run through the kitchen do they?, if they are light coloured you can usually see anything you may drop easy enough.

Downside - drop any breakables and they usually shatter on impact, coldish feel, drop anything pretty heavy on them and depending on quality they can chip.

Hope this helps.

> Downside - drop any breakables and they usually shatter on impact

Thats another thing daughter said!!

Was also thinking about the dogs slipping but someone told me best to buy tiles with a rough surface?

Must admit the thought of cold floors does put me off but would think the benefits would outweigh the unbenefits lol (cant think of the word!, must be tired) Thanks sian.

The problem I find with my kitchen tiles is no matter how many times I mop the grout looks dirty in the areas that have had accidents on. On the plus side they are very hardwearing.

My grout is dark brown so don't have this problem.

Well with the most lighter tiles the grouting is grey, I have slate tiles and the grout is light but goes dark in the areas that have got wet over time, my mother also has the same problem. Maybe there is grout out there that resist more water.

I've tiles and no problems.  Under my wise (many years dog owning) mothers' instruction, I chose a color similar to the dried version of our garden soil. That may sound mad ... but it's actually very practical!  Because I also have visiting dogs to stay, I invested in a steam cleaner which sorts out any nasties and the grout problem mentioned earlier.

You can get non slip tiles & if you invested in underfloor heating cold feet are a thing of the past. My dogs often end up sleeping on the tiles despite having beds. Choose the colour carefully. My utility room already had terracotta colour tiles laid which have stood up to heavy dog wear very well. 

Smooth ceramic is a no go for me - dogs can't cope with the surface and slip and slide. The oyster quartzite slate has been brilliant though. Hardly see any dirt and the rough texture means no slipping :)

I have cork tiles down - after 20 years they're looking a bit worn, but they're still waterproof, nonslip, warm underfoot and surprisingly forgiving to dropped crockery!

We've got tiled flooring, terracotta coloured and they have worn very well indeed. No underfloor heating here right now, but that would be ideal.
A family member has light coloured stone flooring with under floor heating. Not sure how she does it but it never shows up the dirt and she has 2 Lab's.

A family member has light coloured stone flooring with under floor heating. Not sure how she does it but it never shows up the dirt and she has 2 Lab's.

We have  light cream real limestone paving slabs throughout with underfloor heating ( old barn) and also 8 dogs running around with access to all rooms and amazingly it never shows any dirt. If the dogs run in with muddy paws we allow it to dry then it sweeps up leaving a clean cream floor again. I do mop daily because I FEEL it should be dirty although it looks the same after mopping as it did before. ( just a hygiene thing) but the paving is fantastic. I must admit I was worried about how it would stand up to a gang of dogs but it is sooo easy

Right, so the right decision on colour is important and the grout too. You see I wouldnt have thought of that. Nobody has mentioned the water repellant laminate yet, but I think the area around the edges would still be vulnerable. Under floor heating!! Is that very expensive?

I have brown Grout.  An issue I didn't expect is the capillary action of the grout lines.  You do need to seal along the unit edges otherwise a we may travel along the grout under the cupboards.  Use washable non slip rubber mats or runners in the doorways.

If you can, get non slip tiles, not rough surfaced as they will be harder to keep clean. 

I got cheap budget ones that now have some chips (if you can get ones that are the same colour/pattern right through chips won't show) so they are very slippy when wet, but the dogs manage better than I do.

> An issue I didn't expect is the capillary action of the grout lines

Mm thats an interesting one. Another thing I need to look at.

Right, goodness, am so glad I posted. I could have spent a fortune and bought totally unsuitable tiles.

The poster who mentioned cork tiles. Cant get my head around those as cork is a porous material. I assume it is treated with some sort of water repellent?

> Use washable non slip rubber mats or runners in the doorways

Good point thank-you.

We have porcelain tiles they have a sort of natural stone finish and colour, my grout started as a light grey colour but it is now brown well brownish not difficult to achieve just a few months of mopping seemed to sort it. Dogs manage fine but I do use a runner at the main door used by the dogs as I am worried about torn cruciate.

> my grout started as a light grey colour but it is now brown well brownish not difficult to achieve just a few months of mopping seemed to sort it.

We bought brown grout from the start LOL

We bought brown grout from the start LOL

Did not know such an animal existed :-) Did remember to ask the chap to lay them pavement style something I have never regretted but I was not into grout at the time.

In the first couple of weeks we broke loads of cups and glasses but you do learn not to leave them on the edge of the table, another thing that shocked me was the amount of damp and general excretions that land on the floor that I was totally unaware of when we had fitted carpets, shudder at the thought.

I have tried most flooring and now have tiles and I would not change for the world, they are so good.

Ah now the pavement style would stop liquids travelling as easy.

they do Floor grout in grey and brown quite cheaply.  Now for the walls I have chocolate coloured grout (expensive) in the kitchen because of the dogs from floor to 4.5 feet high.

Yes, the pavement style means liquid only moves in one direction.

We are just about to have the bathroom done and I am not having tiles at all, some click together tile look alike on the floor but they have a vinyl finish and I'm using the sheet material on the walls so no more attacking the grouting with a toothbrush (not mine always use the OHs) ;-) must say the motorised ones do a better job than the hand powered ones.

>The poster who mentioned cork tiles. Cant get my head around those as cork is a porous material. I assume it is treated with some sort of water repellent?

They often come ready-sealed, but I sealed the whole floor after laying the tiles just to be certain that the joins (I'm not the world's greatest tiler!) were sound.

It's eco-friendly too.

There is another Upside  - dogs' love lying on the cool tiled floor during the hot summer days (when we have any!).

Yep major plus for my breed.

In a previous house we had cork flooring from Wicanders

It doesn't look like cork - unless you choose that style
It's very forgiving of dropped items
It's non slip
It's warm
It's sealed against water

It wasn't cheap but after dogs, cats, kids, and a variety of kitchen spills it still looked as good as new when we sold the house!  I definitely choose it again

> the pavement style???????

I'm not totally stupid (just half way there!lol) but do you mean off set rather than tile laid against tile in straight lines.

> In a previous house we had cork flooring

will have a look at that. Thank-you. Like the idea of warm!!! Living up t' north and being extremely old anything warm is a positive move. lol

Another cork question!!

One of the many reasons I am looking at tiling the floor is that on one occasion, a visiting dog objected to being shut in the kitchen whilst I went out and tried to dig his way out. The vinyl floorcovering was ripped and have had to cover it with rugs ever since. Would cork  cope with a digging dog??

Definitely not. But you could simply replace the damaged tile/s.

do you mean off set rather than tile laid against tile in straight lines.

Yes, off set like bricks.

> Definitely not. But you could simply replace the damaged tile/s

Hopefully it wouldnt happen again but good to know there is a solution if it did!!

We had the waterproof laminate in our kitchen/conservatory.  A fault with the dishwasher just three months after putting it down and it was ruined. We didn't realise there was a leak to begin with as the water had gone down underneath the flooring and didn't appear to the naked eye until the underlay for the laminate couldn't soak up any more water and a puddle appeared.

Tiling the area cost three times as much as the laminate but our insurance company agreed to pay for the tiles as it would prevent a similar claim in the future. Originally they said they would pay for the equivalent amount it would have cost to replace like with like and we would pay the difference but as we put the tiles down ourselves they paid the full amount as they then didn't have to pay the installation .

I don't have underfloor heating and don't really find them cold at all in the winter - in fact I would like to have them all through the house but the cost would be prohibitive.

Our tiles have a beige background and a textured surface with the grout being beige as well. The only downside of the tiles is that the dog hair has to be swept up very regularly to prevent hairy dust bunnies gathering under sofas and kitchen units - by the end of the day you can definitely tell a Golden Retriever is in residence :-)

Didn't think of cork when doing the kitchen floor. Very envious,  as when ever I've seen it, not only looks great but as someone who doesn't like wearing shoes it warm to walk on. Do you find that the dogs nails scratch it or damage the finish? Lucky you, wish we had thought of it!

Living in Spain, it is standard to have tiles throughout the whole house.  Great for dog accidents, spillages etc, but flippin´ cold in winter and very unforgiving if you fall on them.  (OK, I´m not so young so these things do happen).  I´ve never had a problem with any animal slipping on them, only me!

> very unforgiving if you fall on them.  (OK, I´m not so young so these things do happen).

Yes, that is definitely something to think about. I'm in my sixties and not ready to start falling over yet but this is quite a big investment and I want to get it right! Didnt think about the cold either. I am veering towards cork at the moment but wondered about accidents getting in between the tiles? Of course, with ceramic tiles there is the grouting to stop it (especially pavement style lol) but what happens with cork. I realise that each tile is sealed and then they can be varnished over but can anything seep between the tiles? Asking basic questions out of total ignorance so please excuse!!

If you've varnished over the whole surface the varnish will have seeped into any gap in the tiles and sealed it.

> If you've varnished over the whole surface the varnish will have seeped into any gap in the tiles and sealed it.

Oooh this sounds good. Just need to put digging doggies into crates when I go out!! lol Will start looking around for a local supplier and get some samples.  Many thanks to all for your help. This has really been invaluable to me as I dont have money to burn and need to come to the right decision. xxxx

We've got tiles in our hall and kitchen, sorry not sure what kind, but with the new puppy it is fantastic not to be mopping up damp patches on carpet - one squirt with the disinfectant and it's all clean! I would never go back to carpet. We have wood floor in the lounge and dining room, so the only carpet is upstairs, where they don't go very much.

Oooh this sounds good. Just need to put digging doggies into crates when I go out!!

Don't think they would stand normal dog bed making either not that I have them my self but have seen the result of people walking on them in heeled shoes.

We've got the kitchen floor tiled, dark grey almost black rough tiles, not slippy and grey grout, so no dis-colouring.

We are planning to tile the downstairs hall, the dogs sleeping area, and I will be on the lookout for similar tiles to the ones used in my kitchen, they are a porcelain tile, I've dropped bottles of wine on mine, yes the bottle breaks, but the tiles are unmarked.  Had a really sore tounge from slurping it all up though lol!!

> have seen the result of people walking on them in heeled shoes.

Mmm, I wonder if it depends how much varnish you cover them with!

> I've dropped bottles of wine on mine, yes the bottle breaks, but the tiles are unmarked.  Had a really sore tounge from slurping it all up though lol!!

lol

We have cork in some rooms and tiles in the more heavy wear areas. The cork has been down 30 years and still looks good. The floor needs some preparation first, such as plywood fixed to the floor boards with screw nails. The key to a good cork floor is the initial sealing if you buy unsealed tiles. The stuff to use is BOURNESEAL. this is expensive and it is best to use several --up to 5--- coats. then you can ignore it for years. The other tile is like Wicanders previously mentioned which is much more expensive as it is ready sealed. The issue of spills between the joins is a real one. So buy unsealed and coat them yourself. We recently got the decorator to lightly sand and reseal and the floor came up like new. One snag is that you cannot easily get under the floor to fix pipes once it is down.
Tiles are more hard wearing and more suited for heavy traffic. Slate tiles are nice.
Louise

annieg3

Whatever you decide do, talk to your supplier about 'sitting water'.  Most usual kitchen spills will get cleaned up immediately by the person that caused them but dog or cat accidents may not be noticed right away.  Seepage between tiles, or round the edges of the room could be a concern if not sealed adequately, also most natural stone or slate tiles are porous and will stain so also need to be sealed.

Good luck with your decision.  I think there should be a decorators guide to living with dogs - good floors, wipe clean walls, hair resistant carpets.  We could keep someone busy for years!

I seem to be just swinging from one decision to another at the moment. It is really difficult. If it wasnt so expensive a job it would be much easier. I contacted a local firm I had never heard of but who specialise in cork flooring. This was his reply:-

"The cork flooring that I supply is of a floating floor type i.e. the cork is mounted on a HDF backing sheet and these sheets lock together gluelessly. There is a sealant that can be applied to the joints but even with this I don't think the flooring would perform well with prolonged wetness, its probably better to use ceramic tile or even sheet vinyl(cushion floor) "Regards, Keith Simmonds (Hedgehog Designs)

Am now wondering if this is a different method from the usual cork flooring. Knowing nothing at all about it is a real problem.

> I think there should be a decorators guide to living with dogs - good floors, wipe clean walls, hair resistant carpets.  We could keep someone busy for years!

They would make a fortune! lol

My cork floor from Wicanders was tiles stuck to a new well prepared concrete flooring, each tile sealed by the manufacturer but then finished by us  I loved it, it never caused us any problems and I would have it again.  However, a persistant digger or chewer might cause damage and, perhaps,  a very wet sloppy drinker might be a nuisance!

In a different house we fitted natural slate tiles, beautiful, practical, but chilly.  Ideal for dogs but not great for the children as everything broke on contact!

In both cases the sub floor was new and I do think this makes a difference.  I would never go for a floating floor in a kitchen or bathroom but your choices may be dictated by what you currently have.  In many ways a tiled floor makes sense in your situation and there are so many choices.  You can also use rugs in some parts of the room (eg dining area) if you want to reduce noise and improve warmth.  Another option could be to look at underfloor heating if you are thinking of a full revamp...

> In many ways a tiled floor makes sense in your situation and there are so many choices

Yes, I think you are probably right. As you say, rugs could be strategically placed. I think the answer is to find a supplier who understands exactly what I need, and take it from there. My daughter's friend built my conservatory and he has an army of different tradesmen. I will give him a call and he will hopefully recommend  someone who is willing to listen to what I need. 

Thanks again. This has been invaluable and I hope it has helped others thinking of doing something similar.

We built a new kitchen extention last year and put down  creamy coloured porcelein tiles with under floor heating and dark grout....................Fantastic :)
It is a lot warmer generally without the under floor heating , but when it is on its brilliant. The tiles are in three sizes very sort of rustic looking.
I cant say enough about how pleased I am, I am not naturally houseproud, meaning I will avoid sweeping and cleaning where possible.
It is not the cheapest option, BUT will certainly last like nothing else.

Karen

just to throw something else into the mix have you looked at karndean flooring?  It is waterproof, pee proof, poo proof, dog vomit hasn't stained mine and it has a long gaurantee.  If I hadn't already put the slate tiles in the hall and cloakroom I would probably have gone for Karndean throughout.