I'm getting hard maple hardwood flooring installed on the entire main level of my house in a few weeks. I currently have a pale taupe carpet that is the bane of my existence and it's time for it to go. It was the cheapest grade of carpet the builder could find, I'm sure. Add to that 5 cats and constant vacuuming (though twice yearly steam cleaning to freshen it up) and them using it as scratching posts, I've had enough.
My only concern about hardwood is.............(it's prefinished hard maple)....what will happen if one of the cats horks up a furball and I'm not there to wipe it up immediately (which will almost always be the case, considering I work during the day and sleep during the night LOL)? If there's any bile/stomach acid in the hork, will it ruin the finish in that spot of the floor? What about just the fluid itself; you're obviously not supposed to get wood floors wet and you're supposed to wipe up spills immediately. Am I going to be in for some big trouble?
I'll obviously have to figure out what to do with their 2 water bowls. As the entire main level will be hardwood (which is where their food and water bowls currently reside), I can't really start moving the water bowls to my basement or upstairs, I don't think that would be fair to them....but the 2 youngest have been known to get rowdy and go tearing through the house and accidentally knock over the bowl. This mortifies me! Suggestions? If this were to happen while I was at work or asleep, I'd be screwed.
The only thing I can think to do is..............get one of those plastic or rubber shoe/boot mats, the type with the 1 inch lip/rim on it.......and perhaps use a smaller water bowl such that if it DID entirely spill, the water would be totally contained by the lip on the mat. Won't look all that attractive but I don't think I have any choice.
What do others here do?
My Dad thinks I'm crazy for having hardwood put in the kitchen, he was just here to preach to me about how stupid of an idea that was, should have been tile. I opted to go with the hardwood because my house is small and I think a room doesn't look as small if you have the same type of flooring throughout (my house is more of an open concept). He warned the dickens out of me that I am going to regret it in the kitchen, that I'll have ruined it in a month, that if I spill anything on it that it will stain instantly, etc etc. I think he's totally exaggerating. Any new showhome I've looked at has had hardwood in the kitchen so it can't be that stupid if an idea? Any input from those with prefinished hardwood in their kitchens? The color will be a sienna/cinnamon stained hard maple (had to choose this color as it matches wood on foyer stair railing).
thanks for any tips or input :-)
Lisa
My only concern about hardwood is.............(it's prefinished hard maple)....what will happen if one of the cats horks up a furball and I'm not there to wipe it up immediately (which will almost always be the case, considering I work during the day and sleep during the night LOL)? If there's any bile/stomach acid in the hork, will it ruin the finish in that spot of the floor? What about just the fluid itself; you're obviously not supposed to get wood floors wet and you're supposed to wipe up spills immediately. Am I going to be in for some big trouble?
I'll obviously have to figure out what to do with their 2 water bowls. As the entire main level will be hardwood (which is where their food and water bowls currently reside), I can't really start moving the water bowls to my basement or upstairs, I don't think that would be fair to them....but the 2 youngest have been known to get rowdy and go tearing through the house and accidentally knock over the bowl. This mortifies me! Suggestions? If this were to happen while I was at work or asleep, I'd be screwed.
The only thing I can think to do is..............get one of those plastic or rubber shoe/boot mats, the type with the 1 inch lip/rim on it.......and perhaps use a smaller water bowl such that if it DID entirely spill, the water would be totally contained by the lip on the mat. Won't look all that attractive but I don't think I have any choice.
What do others here do?
My Dad thinks I'm crazy for having hardwood put in the kitchen, he was just here to preach to me about how stupid of an idea that was, should have been tile. I opted to go with the hardwood because my house is small and I think a room doesn't look as small if you have the same type of flooring throughout (my house is more of an open concept). He warned the dickens out of me that I am going to regret it in the kitchen, that I'll have ruined it in a month, that if I spill anything on it that it will stain instantly, etc etc. I think he's totally exaggerating. Any new showhome I've looked at has had hardwood in the kitchen so it can't be that stupid if an idea? Any input from those with prefinished hardwood in their kitchens? The color will be a sienna/cinnamon stained hard maple (had to choose this color as it matches wood on foyer stair railing).
thanks for any tips or input :-)
Lisa