Kennel Flooring Options: A New Face In Kennel Flooring

Probably the first thing you will run into if you are considering kennel flooring options will be rubber flooring. Now rubber flooring is frequently found in kennels as well as doggie day care facilities. Such flooring is superbly easy to put down, as no adhesives are even needed to install. Such rubber flooring is often sold in 5mm x 48″ x 50ft rolls, or in ¼” or 3/8”. Thus as you can see there are different thicknesses available, but all in 50ft rolls. The negatives to such rubber kennel flooring options are that it is superbly easy for the dog to chew on the flooring. Next, nothing stops dog urine from running under these rubber flooring mats. Since the subflooring is undoubtedly concrete, the concrete itself will have dog urine entering into it, as concrete is a porous substance. The rubber flooring will have to be pulled up, and properly cleaned each time the dog urinates on it, or there will eventually be a terrible stench coming from the urine soaked concrete, and it will be impossible to remove the odor from said concrete over time.

Next if you keep looking at kennel flooring options you will find vacuum-formed, but very high density especially designed thermo plastic panels as kennel flooring options, and these are equipped with interlocking tabs so that you can make one large perfectly interlocked kennel floor. At least this material is definitely difficult for a dog to chew, but the subflooring is still going to get ruined as pointed out above. There are, however some rubber flooring options that when utilized for dog agility courses do make sense. This type of material gives the added benefit of better traction, shock absorption and joint protection for the dogs, as well as their trainers all while running and jumping but utilizing it for kennel flooring is not recommended moisture will find its way beneath the floor flooring.

Occasionally I run into someone who has chosen garden pavers as a kennel flooring option. There are a number of reasons why this is a bad idea. First they tend to settle into the ground making your flooring become very lopsided. Next weeds will be inclined to grow in between each one, and finally they will hold moisture such as urine, thus you will have to remove them and place them elsewhere after a tedious cleaning job.

Finally we arrive at concrete. Concrete is great for as far as dog kennel flooring options, however the concrete needs to be sealed properly. The best seal for this kind of flooring is Silikal. You see it forms a total unbreakable bond to the concrete, so that no dog urine, no small bits of fecal matter can ever penetrate it. It retains the dog’s warmth when laid upon, cannot be chewed off, and is totally without VOCs, thus it is entirely safe for your canine. One of the additional reasons why this is superlative flooring for a kennel is that it is both skid resistant and slip resistant too!

Best Flooring Resistant to Dog Urine Provides Kennels Better Options

Whenever flooring is being discussed, the question frequently arises asking, “Can the best flooring resist dog urine?” It is an excellent question as man’s best friend sometimes either has accidents on good flooring, or is being kept in a kennel where dog urine unfortunately has to be cleaned off the flooring found in there.

Often those asking that question have hardwood floors, and either have a brand new untrained puppy, or an older dog whose memory wanes so it forgets where it needs to “go.” Dog urine stains are unfortunately relatively easy to spot on hardwood floors as the moisture and the uric acid certainly are easy to tell once dried. Not only does the dog urine leave a stain, but also it unfortunately leaves a horrible scent. Now granted if you “catch” the dog urinating on your wooden floor, it’s pretty easy to clean that up without leaving a mark, but dogs know better than to urinate on your wooden floor, thus they tend to “hide” the fact that they are doing it, so you won’t find the damage until it’s too late.

So back to “can the best flooring resist dog urine?” Apparently the answer is definitely not wooden floors, not even well treated ones.

Moving forward with “can the best flooring resist dog urine?” we run into tile. Tile flooring is simply beautiful and dogs even like to run on it and it is known that tile systems will never have breakdowns of the product that allows dirt, watery products, mold and bacteria to grow underneath it, or will it? If the entire floor was tile, there would be no infiltration of dog urine, but unfortunately tile also means that there must be grout involved, and grout will allow dog urine to get under that tile. And then too, in addition an odor problem develops under tile. Along with that odor comes the break down of the grout due to the acidic nature of pet urine. It is only a matter of time before the grout becomes a serious issue in need of tile repair or replacement.

At this point, the question of “can the best flooring resist dog urine?” is being questioned with the sound of a plaintive whine being heard in it, thus we hurry past all manner of sticky tiles, rubber mats, and even urethane products. Though there is a possibility that some urethane products might have sufficed, the VOCs they put out may very well make our pet ill, or worse yet make us ill. VOCs are Volatile Organic Compounds, and none of us want to breathe that!

At last the question is asked one more time, and this time we come up with an answer that is accompanied by a wide smile. Silikal! We shout out loud, and the interested eyebrows go up and we rush to continue. Silikal seals off completely, there is nowhere for dog urine to go, thus it can’t make those awful smells. Go check it out; you’ll be very happily surprised!

A Thin Cement Overlay System Able to Handle Any Hardship

When you are looking at flooring and you hear thin cement overlay, you may turn your nose up at it, figuring that the word “thin” is actually defeating your purpose of wanting to thoroughly protect the cement/concrete that will be under that thin cement overlay. However, what you do not fully comprehend yet is that a thin cement overlay is comprised of cement, various aggregate such as calcium carbonate, silica or sand, and in addition a polymer.

Polymers are what will give this overlay strength. What is a polymer, you may ask? Basically it is acrylic glue. This is what will allow this overlay to thoroughly and completely bond to the substrate, which is your existing concrete or even wooden floor. Now, the overlay will have its performance highly improved, will allow it to be flexible, and of course gives it increased strength.

Now, the overlay will also probably be given a number of additional chemical additives so that the overlay functions how the installer wishes. In other words, helping along its leveling properties, as well as drying properties, and anti-foaming properties as well. In addition there will be dozens of further formulations, so that the texture is what you desire, and the colored elements match what you have chosen as well.

In the business of applying a thin cement overlay, there are different means of applying it. Some installers will speak of a micro topping, a broom coat, a scratch coat, or a squeegee coat, but all of those are actually a type of skim coat. Basically they are used to resurface or bring forth new coloring to either drab or slightly damaged concrete. A skim coat may also be sprayed onto the existing floor.

Then there are self-leveling overlays. These are utilized more on slightly more damaged concrete or where the floor is not exactly level in spots. Generally people are ecstatic with those, as they get a brand new floor that dries in about 4 to 6 hours, and it can then be lightly stepped upon.

What they’ve obviously not heard of yet is Silikal. Silikal can be a self-leveling overlay with a vast difference from the other products we’ve listed. You see Silikal goes on very quickly, and in addition it cures within one hour. That does not mean gingerly walking on it either, you can if you so desire drive a car over it, or even a forklift!

Protective Floor Products A Foot Away

There are so many protective floor products that it’s difficult to know where to start. For instance looking under protective floor products, one might even find baby mats that are slipped under a baby’s high chair. They’ve got a point, after all it is a protective floor product!

Yet, not the kind we needed to cover in this article. What we are talking about here is some sort of product that will help protect cement flooring. Thus one finds products such as a pigmented yet water-based epoxy primer. Being a primer, one can easily understand that more needs to follow. Such primers dry quickly, usually within 60 to 90 minutes. Dry in the business means “lacquer dry” which simply means that it is dust free. The primer must dry quickly because the cement will be re-coated at least once more. Once thoroughly dry then a colored product can be applied on top of this primer.

Now, when looking at protective floor products, one inevitably hits the various offerings put up by rubber flooring. Generally these ads for these products tout the fact that you would not chip the concrete with a 25 lb dumbbell if it was covered with rubber flooring. They then go into the fact that if your kitty has an accident on rubber flooring, it will not be impossible to clean, but the very opposite is true. They then talk about the stain and the smell that would remain if you’d carpeted that space instead of using rubber.

The problem is, of course, that rubber can have liquids seep under it and then you have such problems such as mold, mildew and other growing things, including that awful smell that may have been occasioned by the cat’s lingering and very odiferous liquid mistake. They lack explaining that one has to “know” that kitty urine has seeped under the rubber!

Chances are that next in your exploration of protective floor products you will light upon various water based polyurethane hardwood floor coatings. You will, of course, require a base coat, followed by a durable totally clear finish topcoat. It is unfortunate that the totally clear finish topcoat will unfortunately yellow with age in a pretty short time, and thus the flooring will require stripping as well as another polyurethane coating applied.

Finally we come upon a product that has been around for many years, and has managed to please all those who have utilized it for those many years. The product’s name is Silikal. Silikal is an industrial flooring manufacturer who offers the very highest quality industrial and commercial floors and coatings.

Concrete Pool Deck Coatings & The New Trend in Design

Numerous swimming pools exist in motels, hotels, various clubhouses, and many other places where the public may utilize the pool. Having the proper concrete coatings for pool decks had definitely become extremely essential. Thus one of the principal fashions to be seen in outdoor flooring design is utilizing a highly decorative pool deck. These concrete coatings for pool decks now are not only colored and textured, but they become an actual draw to the pool. Thus the concrete coatings for pool decks accomplish a lot more than to simply make available a safe and sound, slip-resistant deck that can be utilized for more than sunbathing and barbecuing. Today, interior designers pay just as much concentration on the pool decks as they do the interior design of the rest of the property.

After all, at present decorative concrete has beckoned to interior decorators to creating lavish pool decks that can actually complement the exterior of the building, and even meld with the remainder of the outdoor environment. In the present day concrete coatings for pool decks can now appear to be an exotic and conventionally expensive material such as wood, imported stonework, or slate as desired by the decorator.

Disregarding the fact that these decks are in actuality cement pool decks, the amazing variety available in order to design a truly exceptional, fully functional and exceedingly affordable pool deck is easily attainable. One has only to look at Silikal’s ideas about concrete to ascertain that fact.

Once treated with Silikal, a pool deck has an exceptionally durable surface, one which has even the benefits of being non-skid as well. Compared with a wooden deck, which requires constant sanding as well as resurfacing the benefits are easy to understand. These amazing concrete coatings for pool decks are actually currently created at a small portion of the costs that will be incurred by wooden decking. The very flexibility of a Silikal pool deck will please your designer immensely.

Once a designer has worked with the outdoor lighting, perhaps has added pergolas or trellises and arbors, and maybe cabanas, the entire scheme will begin to take shape. Adding deck planters, even matching concrete benches or even a romantic gazebo, and your pool deck will be the talk of the town! In addition be sure and utilize the same designer to add a matching spa to your Silikal swimming pool.