We are moving from the Willamette Valley in Oregon to Eastern Oregon. We are trying to plan a house that is easy mantainence but warm and cozy feeling. I am particularly interested at this point in flooring. I have always loved wood and have it throughout our current house. However, we are avid dog lovers, and will always have at least two in our lives, I suspect. They are very hard on the floors.
I am wondering about some kind of stone floor with warming from below. But, I have this fear that I will feel like the living room is cold, not inviting. I am also concerned about cost, installation, mantainance, etc.
Could you use stone throughout the whole house, or would that be too much? Anyone have experience that they can share with me?
Thank you.
Aunt Kalei
Replies
hi kalei
i say GO FOR IT. having all stone/tile floors is great. just a few things to consider. radiant heated floors are fantastic when done right. if your using electric pads, have them custom fit or chose carefully where they will go. gaps of 6 inches or more can be felt through tile. so make sure where you might stand or rest your feet are covered. stone is great because its bullet proof, easy to clean, dosent dent or scratch. if your worried about it looking cold then use area rugs to help break it up. kitchen runners, under dining area, living rooms entrances ect... also choose a warm looking stone and grout. the heating pads are expensive to buy, cheap to install but as soon as you walk on them i highly doubt you will regret them.
as for wood floors with dogs. you can do that too. just dont choose a high gloss floor. use satin, or matt finish. choose something that looks good worn and expect scraches. also, choose a flat fitting floor nothing with grooves. fur and dirt dosent get traped as easy. dont choose a cheap product either. choose something that can be refinished a few times. good floors wear, cheap floors wear through. every time i put in a new floor the customers love it until it gets its first few scratches then after several months they love the lived in wear look. wood floors hate lots of moisture so i recommend to all my customers to put tile in entrances so they have a place to take off there wet shoes or wipe down wet pets before going onto the wood. also with pets make sue there eating area is fully matted with moisture proof mats. spilled water and food can damage the finish and wood. most people only put the bowls on a mat then the dogs eat there daily and really wear that area leaving an unworn patch unde the mat.
anyway, thats my 2 cents worth. hope i helped.
Tmaxxx
Urban Workshop Ltd
Vancouver B.C.
cheers. Ill buy.