flooring with dogs> laminate or hardwood?

[muffyn]

I am trying to remember which flooring is good if you have dogs . menaing it doesn't tear up from scratches. laminate or hardwood?

lowes had an ad with laminate for 59. cents a square foot & hardwood being 2.99 a sq foot.

I know there have been threads in the past but don't seem to find them. any current impressions from you guys?

(also looking for some real fancy wood flooring for another room, if you have seen this, looks like really cool wood planks with what looks like 'round' old nails(kinda bolt shaped) in the ends for decorative purposes. I saw it many years ago in a store that has now closed)

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

We put in Pergo flooring. When we sold our house, the couple who bought it were excited about the Pergo flooring because they had 2 huge dogs.

Well fast forward 2 years later - we were at a friends BBQ in that neighborhood and the couple who bought our house were there. They asked if we wanted to see the changes they'd made to the house so we said sure and went over.

That Pergo flooring didn't have 1 scratch on it that I saw. It held up great. At that point it was going on about 8 years old.

 

[pal-mickey]

We were told that hardwood was better than laminate for dogs..This is a LIE!!! Our hardwood floors are all scratched up. It upsets me everytime I look at them because it wasn't cheap.

I would definitely do laminate if I were you!

 

[finz2left]

We have had laminate a few times -- for a reason -- A 65 pound muttkid and a 60 lb chowchow .

The Costco laminate cost us around 1.00 a sq. foot when they had a coupon (each year 3 or 4 times) and it is flawless!

 

[Tiggs14]

Without a doubt laminate...we have two big dogs and two young boys we wouldn't even consider hardwood.

Make sure you get a good quaility laminate though the cheap ones won't last.

 

[labdogs42]

Yep, laminate. My Labs scratched the heck out of my oak entryway, but even they can't scratch the laminate we put in the rest of our downstairs!

 

[eliza61]

We were told that hardwood was better than laminate for dogs..This is a LIE!!! Our hardwood floors are all scratched up. It upsets me everytime I look at them because it wasn't cheap.

I would definitely do laminate if I were you!

Really? What type of wood did you get? Some wood is considered "soft wood"
Pine, spruce and fir are popular floorings that are "soft" so they show dents and scratches more readily.

Oak is a hardwood and is great for flooring We have 2 dogs and have had our floors for 3 years now. Actually the hallway floor has been in the house for 13 years and we;ve had the dogs for 7. It still looks fabulous. Next summer we are ripping out the bedroom carpet and replacing it with hardwood.

Laminate is less expensive but it looks fake IMO.

 

[semo233]

WOW! I thought for sure that people would answer hardwood. I do not have laminate floors, save for a large walk in closet. The key to keeping hardwood looking great is to have someone come in and buff and put down one coat of polyurethane as soon as it looks dull. Do not wait until there are deep scratches! I tend to do this about every 3 years or so in my kitchen, which is the room that gets the most abuse.

 

[soccerchick]

ceramic tile

 

[Pigeon]

I've had oak floors and a dog and it wasn't a happy combination. Laminate is great with dogs provided you get decent quality. The really cheap ones chip and don't hold up.

 

[tlh0726]

Last house I had I ripped out the carpet and put in laminate flooring.
When I built the current house I put oak hardwood flooring throughout the entire house.
I love the look and feel of the hardwood but the laminate wins hands down on the durability.
Can't beat the price on the laminate either. Plus you can save some money and install it yourself.

 

[JennSaint]

We built our house 4 1/2 years ago and put oak flooring in our entire downstairs including the kitchen. 6 months after we moved in we got a dog. We have very distressed looking floors now thanks to the dog! Good thing I love country/colonial style decor! I would say if you don't want to see scratches then don't put in hardwood flooring.

 

[tileman]

Tile with Epoxy grout

 

[pal-mickey]

Really? What type of wood did you get? Some wood is considered "soft wood"
Pine, spruce and fir are popular floorings that are "soft" so they show dents and scratches more readily.

Oak is a hardwood and is great for flooring We have 2 dogs and have had our floors for 3 years now. Actually the hallway floor has been in the house for 13 years and we;ve had the dogs for 7. It still looks fabulous. Next summer we are ripping out the bedroom carpet and replacing it with hardwood.

Laminate is less expensive but it looks fake IMO.

I'm not sure of the type of wood, but it was supposed to have a special coating on it to protect it. The sales person totally lied to us about the flooring.Within a few months I could see all kinds of scratches. I guess we should have done our homework better before listening to a sales person. Needless to say I would never frequent their store again. And for those of you in the Scranton/ Pocono region, it was Giant floors.

 

[dfchelbay]

We have Pergo from Lowes. It's beautiful, easy to clean, and for dogs is the best choice. I would never consider hardwood because we have three small dogs, and the area with the Pergo is where they go in and out of sliding glass doors to the back yard. Another thing that's not good for hardwood is water. Wet dog paws, shoes, snow etc. will warp and ruin a hard wood floor. With Pergo, the water will sit on top and can be easily wiped away.

 

[Poohbear5]

We just put in another pergo this weekend, our 3rd room in the past few years. The product is much closer in appearance to hard wood than the previous two rooms. It's actually a rustic pattern that looks somewhat worn but the guys all loved it. i can't believe how much it looks like real wood!

 

[yoopermom]

We have a light colored laminate and our umpteen dogs' nails do not leave a mark. My parents have a "barnboard" type (light/dark) laminate, and it REALLY doesn't show anything. My only issue with it is that our old rescue dog has some neurological issues and "sees" the laminate as one big vast hole that will eat her up, so when she's in we have to make "walkways" out of carpet runners for her because she's afraid of the laminate. Otherwise, we love our laminate!

Terri