If you could build a Newf friendly basement...

[bugaboo]

Hi everyone,

We have two Newfies, 4 and 3 years old. We’ve recently moved and will be finishing the walk out basement in the next year or two. What’s your favorite flooring option that is Newfie-friendly? I want something easy to clean but also relatively easy for the dogs to have traction on.

We are in a super rural location. Minimal flooding risk because of terrain (unless a hot water heater were to have a problem or similar) but lots of dirt and dust tracked into the basement.

Since we will probably have geriatric dogs in a few years and another Newfie puppy eventually, I want to be able to clean up accidents easily in addition to being able to wipe up drool/tracked in dirt.

Also, do you have any built in Newf friendly features that you love? The basement has already been plumbed for a wet bar and bathroom and we’re thinking about making the wet bar plumbing into a feeding station and toying with a walk in dog shower too...or would it be wiser to put a shower head outside because of dog hair and plumbing not mixing well? For the feeding station I’m thinking of putting laminate onto the wall as a backing so it would be easy to wipe, and a tap for refilling water bowls plus some food storage situation...other ideas?

The basement opens up to the outdoor dog area. They can get upstairs via stairs inside or outside or by walking up a gradual hill to the front of the house. I think they would spend lots of time in the basement if they could since it’s where our son likes to play, even when they get older and start to slow down.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Bugaboo

 

[ElvisTheNewf]

Maybe a combination flooring - carpet tiles for traction but then laminate for a cool spot to rest? As Elvis has gotten older we've put down yoga mats and carpet squares all over our tile and wood....but he kicks them out of the way to lay on the cool stuff.

I think a walk in shower sounds heavenly for long-term newf ownership and wish we had one where Elvis could access it.

 

[Angela]

Downstairs I have tile which they love as it is cool. Upstairs I have vinyl which looks like hardwood, with various scatter mats as they get older.
I would have loved to have a shower area big enough for them but never got around to fixing it, so the bathtub has to make do!

 

[bugaboo]

Thank you both!

How hard is it to keep the tile clean, especially the grout? And does vinyl have better traction than laminate?

Yeah, a walk in shower would be ideal if I can find a good drain cover to trap fur...

Both of our dogs seem to much prefer not resting on carpet, but a combination might work with the floor plan. Good thinking.

 

[Angela]

I have a steam cleaner for the tile but I made a mistake and had light grout so it has to get scrubbed, a darker one would have been better. Don't know about laminate but the vinyl is "dull" finish.
I forgot to mention that I do have hot and cold water outside so can bath the dogs outside in the summer.

 

[mcme]

Yes, if you go with tile, use dark grout. I have off white tile with light grout as nearly all homes in South Florida do. It shows drool marks badly, and the grout gets dirty in spots Dublin likes to lounge. He likes it because it’s cool, and doesn’t have trouble with slipping as long as I keep his paws trimmed. Our first Newf was terrified of all hard floors, though, and would have hated it.
I miss the dark gray tile I had in my previous house. It didn’t show every drool mark!

 

[blphome]

Many flooring products include something called the coefficient of friction as a measure of slipperiness. You can ask the tile/flooring sales person to get that from the manufacturer.


Our basement is unfinished and the things I like most as far as dog care are concerned at the "slop" sink with hose threads on the faucet so we can connect a hose for bathing in the winter. There's also a floor drain where I put a square of fiberglass mesh to catch hair so it doesn't clog the pipes. Finally I wish we had installed a higher capacity circuit breaker so we could plug in the high velocity dryer in the basement. When we had the house re-wired we had higher capacity breakers installed in all the kitchen outlets so we run an extension cord into the basement.


Your idea about cleanable wall panels are a good one if your going to bathe them down there.


Good luck...sounds like a great space for a Newf!

 

[shellyk]

We have a dark wood grain looking ceramic tile in our kitchen that actually has more traction than wood. We used dark grey grout and our Newfs love to lay out on it. The other thing we like in our family room is a doggie door that allows them easy in and out access to the fenced yard. We can close it at night when every one is in for the night.

 

[victoria1140]

We have tiled floors and heavy duty machine washable rubber backed mats.

Perhaps a water station would be nice.in our next house lm tempted to install a basin or toilet just for them to drink from .

If it's a basement may be worth thinking about how they can get up/down stairs for access.
Also fire exits

 

[bugaboo]

Wow, thank you everyone! All excellent ideas! My dogs love tile but I have been nervous about the grout cleaning. Googling about dark gray options, I see that is actually quite pretty to go that route!

Fiberglass mesh is a brilliant idea for fur catching...

It’s a walkout basement and our house is on a hill, so there is a door directly to the backyard from the basement and we can walk around the house and up a hill to get upstairs if they start to have hip problems.