Flooring ???

[hummingbird]

Need Some ideas on types of wood or laminate flooring that are durable enough for dog traffic.
Thanks,
Brigitte

 

[KodysGrandma]

Laminate did NOT work for us. Tile holds up find but several of the dogs (we have 13) including the Newf have trouble with it because they slip a lot. We has some runners down but you can't cover it all up. I'm not sure there is a perfect answer.

 

[Wayne A]

I'm glad you posted this as we are in the same situation.Chloe destroyed the carpet while going through the house breaking stage and we are thinking of doing laminate through the whole house.There is so many grades some guaranteed for 35 yrs.My brother did his living room two years ago and he has 97 lb Golden (Not over weight just big strong male).I'm amazed every time I go there as there isn't a mark on it.

 

[dfwmiket]

We have tile in kitchen and bathrooms, and laminate (pergo) thru the rest of the house with various 5 x 8 throw rugs. So far, the pups are doing ok. They like the cool floor and avoid the rugs.

-Mike

 

[911Newfs]

I've worked with New Home Builders who have used laminate, solid wood, and engineered wood flooring. The engineered wood really held up to the high traiffic and abuse in the model homes. If I ever replace our flooring, I'll go with the engineered wood due to it's durability.

Laminate is melamine-infused paper on top, wood chip composite on bottom. Not exactly what you would call real wood. Solid hardwood is real wood, from top to bottom. Engineered wood, too, is real wood. It is a sandwich of 1/16" to 1/8" of finish wood on top and non-finish plywood underneath. So, what you're looking at is 100% genuine wood.
It's actually better to have plywood underneath. The middle layer of plywood is laid cross-ways to the finish layer, providing additional strength to the flooring.

The top finish layer is pre-finished, which means that it's already sanded and sealed. As soon as the floor has been laid, you can walk on it.
By contrast, unfinished solid hardwood must be sealed, and this requires waiting time before use.

Engineered flooring is more expensive than laminate, yet provides better value in the long-run because it can be periodically sanded to revive the wood grain and erase scratches.

Whatever specie of solid hardwood, there is an equivalent specie of engineered wood flooring. Engineered Floor Buyer's Guide

Source: About.com

 

[janices]

I have Berry Floor down with a non-smooth surface. It's a high end laminate flooring with a limited lifetime warranty. Rest is porcelain tile and linoleum flooring.

I checked engineered wood and they all can't be sanded and refinished. If can be depends on thickness and can only be sanded 1-2 times usually. Basically do same as laminate which is replace out the bad section.

 

[Ksullivan]

I have carpet, but in the kitchen, and baths have a laminate that looks like hardwood floors (everyone really thinks it is), it is a rough finish. I just love it!!
We have friends that have real hardwood floors, and none of them like it. I had it years ago, and hated it, but thought they may have a better finish, but evidently it isn't much better.

 

[Blacknewfs]

Our new house has laminate flooring in the family room and bedrooms. I absolutely despise it. It's slippery, the hair balls fly all over the place, the dust is unbelievable, it's awful, awful, awful. It will be removed as soon as our old place sells and we have the money to put in a stone floor.

Natural stone flooring is my first choice, followed by good hardwood flooring. None of this laminate crap!

 

[nsmarlis]

I agree with Sandra about laminate. A friend offered last year to put it down for me as I had shabbly (& dirty) wall to wall carpeting. The laminate is very, very slippery. And what''s the point of not having carpet & then having rugs & runners everywhere. I used to play fetch in the house with Gracie after supper. I'd throw a stuffy & she'd chase it down & bring it back. Not anymore as she was crashing into furniture & the wall. She still brings me a stuffy after supper every now & then - it's a little sad. We then play "hide the stuffy" & she hunts it down.

 

[Charlie'sMom]

Yeah, we have laminate in the new house, and Charlie is slipping a bit on it, but ... I do need to trim up in between his pads, so it might be better once I get the hair trimmed.

My parents natural slate floor was simply amazing for the dogs ... when we build our next house we will be doing slate flooring throughout.

 

[Thule's Mom]

I have laminate in the living room/hall; carpet on the stairs and on the bedroom level; tile in the bath and porch and I put a high quality vinyl in the kitchen/dining area.

The laminate serves its purpose in that it's easy to clean. I have a 5 x 8 washable rug in the living room and a runner in the hall.

Carpet is not my favorite, but on the stairs it can't be beat for the animals. One thing about carpet, it's easy to replace.

I like ceramic tile; it's a good choice and I don't find it slippery and Thule likes it cool. But, after all that - I absolutely love the vinyl. It's dark; simulating slate and I just love it. It's not slippery so Thule is good with it.

If it was possible, I'd have a natural stone or slate over a wood floor.

I don't think I'd have natural wood; the engineered floor is good, but is it slippery? It's very expensive.

 

[victoria1140]

we bought special non slip porcelain tiles, they have a grit like finish and are great as definetly no sliiping even when wet. tried wood flooring before and the tiles are here to stay

 

[Highlife]

We just ripped up all the old carpet in the living room, dining room, and hallway. We also ripped up the old linoleum in the kitchen. We replaced all the floors with a heavy sheet vinyl product that is slip proof and absolutely waterproof. The vinyl looks like ceramic tile and most people can't tell the difference. The dogs like the cool surface and they walk on it fine. I was skeptical and nervous about the change but it is really dog friendly and looks great.

 

[Thule's Mom]

We just ripped up all the old carpet in the living room, dining room, and hallway. We also ripped up the old linoleum in the kitchen. We replaced all the floors with a heavy sheet vinyl product that is slip proof and absolutely waterproof. The vinyl looks like ceramic tile and most people can't tell the difference. The dogs like the cool surface and they walk on it fine. I was skeptical and nervous about the change but it is really dog friendly and looks great.

I was really surprised (pleasantly so) with mine too. I think I prefer it to ceramics.... no grout lines to clean.

 

[Wayne A]

Lots of great info here.Thanks Keep it coming.

 

[Highlife]

Yeah...no grout lines which I hate! I just bought a steam cleaner (the shark) which you can use to clean the floor. It is eco friendly and uses no chemicals and is safe for all flooring. Just remove the pad at the end and toss it in to the wash with some soap nuts. What I don't do for my dogs

 

[noblenewf]

I have to agree with everyone else about the laminate. We have Pergo in our family room. HATE IT. The dogs slip constantly...and PUPPIES SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO SLIP ON THIS TYPE OF FLOORING. PERIOD. I also have carpet, hardwood and tile. Honestly...I think tile is fine if it has a texture to it...ours has a stony-gritty texture. Works perfectly. Hate carpet. And hardwood is fine too...it does end up scratched but honestly I like the worn look.

I would NEVER have laminate again. If you have it, get more than throw rugs. Get a huge area rug to put over it so pups & dogs don't slip.

So bad for their joints.

 

[911Newfs]

I checked engineered wood and they all can't be sanded and refinished. If can be depends on thickness and can only be sanded 1-2 times usually.

Engineered wood floors are manufactured two ways, one having a more expensive "Sliced" cut where the hardwood wear layer is sawn like regular lumber; this shows truer look of the wood and finer graining. They can also be "Rotary" cut, which the veneer hardwood wear layer is peeled off the log using big lathes. This peeling method shows dramatic wilder graining.

Some brands of engineered flooring have a thin wear layer that can only be re-coated and cannot be sanded and refinished new again once they get worn. They have an average lifespan of between 30 - 40 years depending on traffic.

The engineered wood floors that have a very thick wear layer can be sanded and refinished new again, up to 4-5 times if needed, which adds to their appeal. These thicker wear layers should last 60 - 100 years before needing replacement depending on the amount of wear and tear the floor will get.

There are many surfaces to choose from (some are handcrafted, distressed and/or scraped). So, depending on the type of surface finish, they can be slippery.

 

[Thule's Mom]

Yeah...no grout lines which I hate! I just bought a steam cleaner (the shark) which you can use to clean the floor. It is eco friendly and uses no chemicals and is safe for all flooring. Just remove the pad at the end and toss it in to the wash with some soap nuts. What I don't do for my dogs

Me too! But not the shark .... it's the H2o... exactly the same I think.

Does anyone have any experience with CORK flooring? I've been curious about it's durability.

 

[R Taft]

We had timber......We now have rough slate and finished concrete. the last ten years with this have been bliss. We just have scatter rugs.