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]