Selina,
 
I hope you don't mind, I am posting your question to the FML and
answering it so all who are interested can read my response... See
below...
 
>From: Selina
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: flooring questions
>
> hello Mark
>
>I read your message to the FML regarding flooring [...]
>the kids often pee on the floor [...]
><I> would like to install hardwood [...] what do you recommend?
 
The problem with the kind of hardwood that you nail in is that it changes
shape with humidity, and no matter how tight you install it and no matter
how well you seal it initially (with glue or a polyurethane), the seals
will break.  With ferrets that do not make it to their litter boxes, you
will either need to lay plastic on the floor and fence in where they
play (not too pretty), or be diligent and clean up their messes fairly
quickly.
 
While there are ways to train ferrets to avoid centers of the room (by
making it smell wrong, for instance) for ferrets who simply can't help
it, that won't help anyway - so let me suggest 2 things:
 
1. Use an engineered flooring.  There are kinds that are made with
hardwood but are designed to be installed by laying out a thin foam mat
them to float on, and then you glue the pieces together with a sealent.
They are GREAT because when properly installed ferrets cannot hurt them
and they require very little or no maintenence.  They also have types
that look just like hardwood of various types.  I used this in a room
and it is good as a ferret room, play room for kids, or a laundry room.
Remember to calk around the edges (even if you are adding molding) so a
mess doesn't get in under the floor on the edge.  The calk will flex with
the wood so won't hurt anything.
 
2. Go ceramic tile.  You need to make sure your sub-floor is strong
enough for this (and may require an upgrade), but it is an ellegant
solution.
 
This stuff never absorbs smells and the grout is sealed to make a perfect
ferret haven.  That is why ferrets who are sick or are recovering from
surgery do well in bathrooms - messes are easy to clean up (and they have
nothing to climb on).  This may not seem like the best idea initially,
but if your whole house has hardwood (not including the bathroom and
kitchen), adding a ceramic room can have ellegent design results.  Also,
Ceramic holds heat well and if you ever want to add radient heat below,
your room will hold heat well and cost less than traditional heat
systems.  The problem with radient heat in hardwood floors is that
hardwood is a good insulator, so most of the heat stays in the rafters
below the actual room, thus wasting energy... but I digress...
 
Good luck, and if you decide to go hardwood - I'll let you know that my
ferrets currently live on a hardwood floor and everything is fine.  OH -
and don't forget to lay down some carpet or small blankets in front of
the litter boxes - with hardwood, after a ferret goes to the potty, they
sometimes drag their butt on the ground, and hardwood can give them an
inflamed tush.  If this happens, put a soft thing down where they wipe
their butts so they won't get an infection.
 
Mark H.
[Posted in FML issue 4929]