Poly coat to wood floors=doggie trouble?

Question

I'm ripping out wall to wall carpet from the adjoining living room and dining room in a house I just bought last year. The setup--into my house through a front door leads direct to the dining room. You can turn right here into the living room (that leads to the stairway up) or you can go straight ahead through the dining room and into the kitchen. The kitchen has a back hallway, leading to a backdoor to the yard.

I have 3 dogs of varying sizes and ages. The dogs stay downstairs only, using the rear exit for going to the yard.

If I am going to sand the floors and then poly them,how do I give 24 hours of drying time, with access to the doors for the dogs to go outside? If I am polying the dining room, no one can walk on the floor--dogs can't get to and from living room, I can't get to the upstairs. This one room is the contact for access and exit to all areas of the house. How do I cut it out for 24 hrs? I'm thinking of just pitching a tent in the back for the 24 hrs w/dogs.

Answer 1

Although I do not usually recommend water based finishes, in your situation I -might- consider using one. They are extremely fast drying with little to no odor. You could quite possibly walk on your floors in as few as 4 hours. Please bear in  mind that only a very high quality water base poly would hold up with your dogs, if you go this route.

Another possibility would be the use of a moisture cure urethane. They  can also be very fast drying (4-6 hrs) allowing same day use. Moisture cured polyurethanes are one of the strongest finishes available and would  be an excellent choice with your dogs. The odor is -quite- objectionable (there are low odor formulations available) and they are notoriously difficult to apply, even for the most skilled professional.

In the end you will probably have to camp out or stay at a friend or a relative's house. As a dog owner who has been in your situation, I realize not many people welcome three dogs, even if it is only overnight.^

Answer 2

Camping out would be a solution.  We did this a long time ago and had to put a ladder up to get into the bedroom from outside because there was no other way while the hallway dried.