Expert: Richard Taylor, AIA - 8/5/2005

Question
Dear sir,
I'm planning to renovate part of my house. I plan to pull down a few walls to create a large open space. Therefor, I need to recoat the floor. At the moment the floor is coated by tiles. I'm looking for a suitable coating with the following characteristics: very hard surface - should not be scrached by heavy people rolling their chairs over animal hair (I have 2 dogs with medium length fur and 6 cats. one of the cats is a persian.) or grains of sand/soil, smooth, easy to clean - not sticky, will not crack by weight or fall of heavy objects ( I don't plan on dropping heavy weights but, it happens), light coloured (not black or red) - preferably several shades that can be combined in to a pattern, water resistant and ESD resistant.
I'll appriciate any suggesions, even if they only partialy fit the bill.

Thanks,

Aviva

Answer
Aviva:

Thanks for your question!

You've got a lot of materials to choose from for this situation, depending upon what "look" you're after.

If you're looking for a wood floor, I'd suggest bamboo - it's a relatively new product, but it's extremely hard and durable and will easily meet the requirements you've stated.

Cork is also an excellent choice for durability and ease of maintenance.  It's a little harder to find, but most flooring stores should be able to find it for you.

If you're thinking of a more "commercial" type of floor, try Vinyl Composite Tile (VCT).  It is easy to install, comes in a huge variety of colors and patterns that can be mixed and matched any way you want, is easy to clean, and is extremely durable.  Any flooring store will be able to help you with this choice.

Hope this helps!

Richard Taylor, AIA
Richard Taylor Architects, LLC
www.rtastudio.com
www.betterhomedesign.blogspot.com