Comments on Painting the Roses White: Decisions, Decisions!

I agree with Dayka. We have one dog and while our...

2010-05-09T07:20:06.403-06:00

I agree with Dayka. We have one dog and while our hardwood floor may have a few minor scratches, it's nothing significant in my books. The big advantage with hardwood is you can sand it down in a few years and voila, new floor. I also consider it an investment...depending on the value of your house/neighbourhood buyers would "expect" hardwood and will pay a premium for it (and some will "deduct" for laminate), so you can consider it an investment in your house. One ky thing to consider is the finish -- we used a satin finish (vs. gloss) which will help reduce the visable surface scratches. I've been hearing/reading that the hand-scraped (more rustic looking floors) are the trend of the future (vs. glossy floors) which would work in your favour as doggy scratches would only enhance the look :). One last thing to consider... I would suggest an area rug in the area where your dog(s) typically lie/sleep. I've found most of the scratching occurs when the dog is trying to get up/lie down (because he/she can't get a grip on the hardwood). Using an area rug will help him/her and will reduce the scratches.

I agree with all of those against the dark floors....

2010-05-08T23:37:18.707-06:00

I agree with all of those against the dark floors. I have them in my own house, and they get so dusty that I clean them every day and then have to do a once over again if I know guests are coming. EVERY speck of dirt shows!! However, I do have real wood, which I think is awesome and it feels so sturdy. If you do go with real wood, remember you can always have them sanded and refinished if you change your mind about the stain or if the floor gets dented and scratched over time!

I love white or light colored painted floors. The...

2010-05-03T20:11:10.163-06:00

I love white or light colored painted floors. Then throw some fun and colorful rugs on top and enjoy. In Canada, people usually take their shoes off at the door which helps in keeping floors cleaner.

Update your blog missy!...show us your new floors....

2010-04-14T17:12:55.172-06:00

Update your blog missy!...show us your new floors.
Love your annyoing sister
Xox

Just recently stumbled on your blog! I vote for da...

2010-04-07T16:20:17.864-06:00

Just recently stumbled on your blog! I vote for dark- we have dark floors and while it's true that they do show dirt, everyone who sees them loves them. I think it will definitely help with resale.

Check out Lumber Liquidators, they have great pric...

2010-03-27T15:57:04.030-06:00

Check out Lumber Liquidators, they have great prices.

where are you my dear?? We all miss your blog upda...

2010-03-25T19:04:39.260-06:00

where are you my dear?? We all miss your blog updates! I vote for espresso!

How is the floor coming along?? I hope you are doi...

2010-03-12T20:50:03.573-07:00

How is the floor coming along?? I hope you are doing well!!

Kelly

I just stumbled upon your blog. I now won't miss ...

2010-03-03T11:09:44.934-07:00

I just stumbled upon your blog. I now won't miss anything as I am a follower. I love your style!

I really do not like laminate so I would choose ha...

2010-02-16T15:22:14.529-07:00

I really do not like laminate so I would choose hardwood or engineered. I think it raises the value of your home much more than laminate and I know tons of people who have hardwood with pets and say it's not a big deal at all. It has a warmer feel too. From what I've heard, you don't want to put a high gloss sheen on the floors b/c that's where the tiny knicks show up from the dog's nails.

As far as color, I love the look of the dark but I wouldn't want to have to clean them every day. Light or medium would be my choice. Good luck with your decision! Can't wait to see what it looks like!!

i've gone with all different shades of flooring ,...

2010-02-12T09:58:43.016-07:00

i've gone with all different shades of flooring , and i think it just really depends on the space (especially what kind of light the room gets).

my only recommendation, based on your info, would be to purchase the thickest (and probably most expensive) grade of flooring you can afford. especially with laminates, it really makes a difference.

kelly

We have medium brown southern yellow pine floors a...

2010-02-04T20:33:22.554-07:00

We have medium brown southern yellow pine floors and 1 large dog. I literally clean our floors almost every day - muddy paw or foot prints, hair, etc. Fortunately, our house is small. Like another person that posted, our floors have gotten scratched alot from our dog and every week or two, I'm on the floor filling in the color. I think we need another round of sealer on our floor. I love their look and feel and I believe the floors are cleaner overall, but wood is work especially with a dog.

I love the darkest colour!

2010-02-04T14:44:46.153-07:00

I love the darkest colour!

I totally get your indecision. Tough choice. W...

2010-02-03T06:51:56.850-07:00

I totally get your indecision. Tough choice.

We have three dogs; small, medium and very large (170 lbs) and very sheddy. Two rough boys to boot. (I chose to install medium solid hardwood (Butterscotch by Bruce at Lowes). Don't regret a thing. The floors are holding up beautifully from the dogs claws and boys rough housing and it doesn't show every bit of dust or hair.

My sister on the other hand has dark engineered flooring and only one cat and one quiet little girl. Her floors show everything and are badly scratched after only 5 years.

I love the look and idea of the dark floors too, but I think it might be a bit trendy. Medium is classic and will never go out of style.

Good luck!

I have a large dog and also the laminate wood floo...

2010-01-31T16:58:49.008-07:00

I have a large dog and also the laminate wood flooring. Scartching is minimal and also remember, if your dogs ever has accidents, the wood can be stained from it, b ut hte good laminate flooring won't stain.

Also, I have an all white house like you. The classic white and splashed of color I uese really pop b/c our floors are in the medium dark t- dark color.

I personally love the very dark color floors, but agree it shows everything, so maybe going to a medium shade would be great.

i vote medium color! it is classic, will go with c...

2010-01-28T12:13:10.809-07:00

i vote medium color! it is classic, will go with changing decorating tastes, and will be best for re-sale in the future. as far as type of flooring, i don't know much about that. we have hardwoods and two humungo dogs, and they are fine. when we had some carpet removed and all the floors refinished, they recommended putting this specific kinda of clear varnish on them to make them easier to maintain (as opposed to my parents' waxed hardwoods, which they had to wax on a regular basis) and stronger against wear. before refinishing, the exposed wood was still in pretty good shape too, and it had been around for 50 years! i'm glad you're able to take what others may see as disaster and turn it around into an opportunity :) good luck making your decisions!

Hmmm... this is a very timely cunundrum! As I typ...

2010-01-28T00:23:34.885-07:00

Hmmm... this is a very timely cunundrum! As I type, I am admiring my newly installed solid, wide-planked, hand-scraped, medium tone hardwood and it is gorgeous! Like so gorgeous, I would makeout with it if I could (is that weird? Maybe, but it is that gorgeous!). My original vision was a very dark solid floor but as I do not sweep every day and it shows so much dust, not to mentions scratches that our two huge black-haired dogs would no doubt leave, we went with a medium tone and I could not be happier! Since it is handscraped, the scratches will blend really well and just contribute to the overall character, which is perfect when you have dogs and a baby! We considered laminate but when you see laminate next to real-wood there is really no comparison. If I were you, I would go with a hand-scraped engineered, that way you don't have to pay and you'll have the richness of real wood! Good luck and I can't wait to see pics of whatever you choose!

Lucky you!! Half of my main floor is natural wood....

2010-01-27T19:12:28.350-07:00

Lucky you!! Half of my main floor is natural wood. I have raised 4 kids and a few dogs with no problems- dust-wise or dirt wise. You do have to refinish occasionally. I've always done a satin finish- again, to hide scratches and dust. Last year we replaced our living room carpet with a medium stain hardwood. It's beautiful, richer than the natural. I would never go dark since I love light and dust is so constant here in the desert.
My initial plan in building the house was to paint the wood- Now that I have conflicting stains- (not too bad, since it's in another room)-I'm thinking about it again. A traditional black/white check, maybe. I'd probably go navy instead of black, a little softer....
The great thing about real wood is that it's 3/4" think and you can sand it dozens of times. Engineered is super thin and will not last against pets and kids...
My take on laminate- not warm. Slippery. But it sure looks good!
Good luck!

Yay for the blessing in disguise. Sometimes things...

2010-01-27T03:00:17.437-07:00

Yay for the blessing in disguise. Sometimes things just work out!

We had this very same dilemma, and while medium is probably the most sensible...I love really light and really dark! I LOVE light floors so much though, that I am putting my vote in that direction!

Hope you are well, and so impressed you just took it all in your stride!

Good on you for seeing the light at the end of the...

2010-01-26T22:43:59.425-07:00

Good on you for seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! With dogs, I would suggest laminate. As for the color: we have incredibly dark floors in our house and while I love the look of them more than anything, they are ridiculously hard to maintain. As stated by others, they show EVERYTHING!!! Every clump of kitty fur flying by, every speck of anything. I would go with a medium or light tone if you're looking for practicality.

To be honest, I have very dark wood floors and I h...

2010-01-26T16:22:35.985-07:00

To be honest, I have very dark wood floors and I have a dog and four kids and we see ALOT of dirt, dog hair, muddy paw prints etc.....not too mention the dust shows up on it pretty good too. I love how it looks, but they are a major upkeep. Always sweeping and mopping. That is a tough choice, but I wanted to let you know, that dark does not equal less dirt showing.

I have a problem with being practical. I absolutel...

2010-01-26T13:04:01.718-07:00

I have a problem with being practical. I absolutely love dark floors as well as white floors and though they're probably the worst at showing dirt, I'm weak in the knees for them.

I'd vote dark or white because they'd look so sleek and sexy, but you might hate me if they're more work than you're ready to commit to.

Love how I didn't really help?

Hi! Congrats on your rain! We had rain in our ho...

2010-01-26T10:04:41.703-07:00

Hi! Congrats on your rain! We had rain in our house and got a new bathroom and living room. I wish it would rain again so I could get a new kitchen and flooring. Just wanted to put in my 2 cents about the flooring and dogs and kids, we have a Mastiff. She's large. Ok, she's ginormous. I also have a daughter and 4 sons. We have light laminate flooring and I have to say I hate it. It shows footprints and hair big time. Our dog is a fawn brindle, so we have light and dark hair. When I bought the flooring I was told it wouldn't scratch. It does. There are lines all over the floor, little scratches to scrapes to chunks. I won't buy laminate again. We're looking at flooring now and I will get real wood. I figure at least it can be sanded down and refinished. I like the look of reclaimed wood so maybe then the lines won't bug me so much. The dog doesn't scratch the floor though. I keep her nails pretty short so I rarely even hear them on the floor. The scratches are from us and furniture. IMO, get the real thing. :)

I think you should go w/ the dark floors. That's w...

2010-01-26T09:29:10.075-07:00

I think you should go w/ the dark floors. That's what I would pick for myself lol. And I would go w/ real hardwood if you can. I have a dog and he doesn't scratch them or anything. Can't wait to see what you decide!

I would say that unless it's a high-quality lamina...

2010-01-26T09:16:53.989-07:00

I would say that unless it's a high-quality laminate (mannington), go with either engineered or solid. It's much better for resale value than laminate, and can also be refinished, which will add life. I have bamboo floors and they bruise easily--much easier than wood, but I'd still do it all over again. I get tons of compliments, and they look beautiful. A good solid or engineered wood should stand up to a dog's claws. You floor will probably get scratched over time anyway, but I think it gives a bit of character. In terms of color, I personally LOVE the dark floors, but the medium is always good too. I'm sure whatever you decide on will look stunning--can't wait to see it done (sorry for the long dissertation).