Dog owners-Your floors still look great & you own this type of floor...

[heidica]

We need to replace the carpet and want to put in a "hard floor" because of the dogs. Damage by the dogs on the new floor is a concern and I wanted to find out the experiences of other DISers who also have dogs. I would also be interested in what brand of floors people have out there that are holding up well to the dogs. Also, do you have radiant floor heating & how do you like it? (We live in the Northwest and cold floors is also something we need to consider).

(I posted a similiar question over the weekend, but I'm doing it again in poll form to see if I can get some more responses)

 

[poohandwendy]

In my experience, Pergo is a good choice. My friend has a Great Dane/pitbull mix and a Boxer and they have not damaged her Pergo floor at all. OTOH, our Cocker Spaniel and our late Golden Retriever scratched the heck out of our hardwood floors.

I would definitely pick Pergo/Wilsonart (sp?) over hardwood.

 

[nhrenee]

Our tile floor in the kitchen is GREAT as far as the dogs are concerned. Nothing hurts it and it doesn't show the dirt. The cons are: anything breakable shatters if it hits the floor and if you don't have radiant heating (we have a woodstove in the basement ) it is cold on the feet during the winter.

 

[drgnfly30]

I've had carpet, hardwood & laminate (Pergo & Armstrong)... the laminates have held up very well with the dogs... the hardwood scratched very easily under the nails of my three pooches.. While the Armstrong laminate held up w/ the dogs, I've had other durability issues with it.. I plan on replacing it with Pergo when I get the chance..... Brand does matter...

 

[makinorlando]

Love my tile! I have tile in the majority of my home, including the MB and MBath. These rooms plus the FR all have entrances from the pool, so tile was the only way to go. We have 2 dogs and 3 cats, and tile is so easy to sweep or mop each day to keep the hair and dirt under control.

 

[poohandwendy]

I just wanted to add another thing about the Pergo. The friend I mentioned is also the owner of the salon I work in and she has Pergo all through it (it's a whitewashed oak look, very light color). We have literally spilled containers of bleach, hair color, nail polish...even nail polish remover, on it and it holds up like you would not believe. (Obviously, we cleaned these spills immediately...but even still). It's been 7 years and it still looks fabulous.

And no, I don't get anything from the Pergo company for boasting their product, LOL

 

[arminnie]

I just wanted to add another thing about the Pergo. The friend I mentioned is also the owner of the salon I work in and she has Pergo all through it (it's a whitewashed oak look, very light color). We have literally spilled containers of bleach, hair color, nail polish...even nail polish remover, on it and it holds up like you would not believe. (Obviously, we cleaned these spills immediately...but even still). It's been 7 years and it still looks fabulous.

And no, I don't get anything from the Pergo company for boasting their product, LOL

I had Pergo installed when I lived in CA and loved it. Before I bought it I took home an sample and did all sorts of stuff to it like put nail polish, bleach, etc on it. That convinced me that it would hold up, and it did.

I had real hardwood floors (from the 40s) in a previous house. My cocker spaniel scratched them all up. I have a ton of tile now. It holds up but the grout is awful looking, and I sealed it too. I am now in the process of using grout "recolorant". It works, but boy is it a pain to apply.

 

[beckmrk04]

OUr hardwood floors in the bedrooms are scratched to heck, but we put armstrong wood laminate in the kitchen, and they are wonderful!!

 

[Maryr1]

I have both Pergo and hard wood in my homes. They both have held up well,but I will say that I get my dogs groomed regularly including nail clipping.If I had to choose between the 2 I would say the pergo probably looks a little better after 8 years but the hardwood feels better under foot.I would definetly get radiant heat in the floor if I had the chance. I don't have it in either house but have experienced it and LOVE it. Can't wait to put a new bathroom in so I can get it! I just put a Pergo floor in a friends bathroom for him-I did 99% of it myself-and it was really easy. He had to cut the final pieces for me to install as I am afraid of power saws! It came out lovely and if I can do it ANYBODY can! No joke.

 

[Disney Doll]

Hardwood with a water-based acrylic finish.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

If the space is in the kitchen, I say Tile. The fact that my slurping dogs makes a mess just by taking 1 drink out of his bowl has made me convinced that Tile is the answer for the kitchen.

As far as Pergo, I know there is a water issue. But I think I am convinced to replace my crappy laminate with it. Whatever the builders put down in my house stinks.

When the light reflects off the floor, you can can see all the nail marks. It looks like a skating rink that needs the Zamboni to come in quick.