Need help in choosing a dog-friendly flooring for the house

5 years ago

Hi houzzers,

It is likely that we would need to put in a new flooring for entire house of 1,355 sqft. That would be living room, kitchen and bedrooms. Being a smaller house, I thought of going with lighter color floors. I started looking at Pergo's waterproof laminate selection as I believe it would hold up to 2 active dogs, who are also sloppy drinkers. We had engineered hardwood floors in our last house and it was pretty scratched up by our 20lbs dog (he hates any gardeners). I'm hesitant with wood tile floor as we are usually barefoot at home, unless it's cold, then we would have slippers on.

Do you know what flooring is this in the picture below? I really love it. Do you think Pergo's Wheaton oak might be similar in color? I can't seem to find the laminate flooring in this color, or maybe it was the lighting in the store. Appreciate any recommendations/ comments you may have! Thanks!

Featured Answer

salex

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

We have Coretec Plus as well. We got the Noce Travertine because it has a combination of warm and cool tones, and best of all, it never looks dirty! We have a 95-pound Kuvasz who has not left any visible marks anywhere on the floor.

ETA: He may not look that big, but those drawers are three feet wide, for scale.

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Comments (32)

Nicole Glynn
5 years ago
We put it Engineered Bamboo when we bought our house last year.

I have an 2-year-old, 85lb (a Great Pyrenese) dog who runs and jumps and slides all over my house. The floors look brand new, not a single scratch on them. They've also held up very well to several liquid incidents, including some dog urine that sat several hours when we first brought her home from the shelter, cat vomit, a roof leak (in the middle of the night, so it sat a bit), a burst dishwasher drain, and an entire stock pot of chicken broth spilled on them. No warping or bulging or damage of any kind.

She dribbles a lot of water around her bowl when she drinks, we keep a large mat under her dish and dish towels handy to wipe up stray drips as needed, hasn't been an issue.

Floor were easy to install (did about 700 sq ft in a single weekend), and feel great underfoot. I've also dripped my fair share of wall paint on them and it scrapes right off with a fingernail.

I believe this is the one we got, there's lots of colors available: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Home-Decorators-Collection-Strand-Woven-Distressed-Dark-Honey-1-2-in-T-x-Multi-Width-x-72-in-L-Engineered-Click-Bamboo-Flooring-HD13004A/205112454
Carina thanked Nicole Glynn
beachhouse1286
5 years ago
I would recommend the new Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring. Smart Core makes a great product (similar to this:https://www.lowes.com/pl/Vinyl-plank-Vinyl-flooring-Flooring/4294608591) My husband I have 2 active dogs and LOVE it. We also live in the Pacific Northwest and deal with large quantities of rainfall, it has been truly perfect for us so far. Textured to feel like wood and not cold at all underfoot.
Carina thanked beachhouse1286
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Carina
Original Author
5 years ago
@ Nicole Glynn @ beachhouse1286 Thanks so much for your recommendation! I will look into those options!!
PRO
Lyons Design
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
For an active house with pets or children. I always recommend Wide Plank Vinyl flooring. Drop n Done, Easy Plank, IT, EZfit, or Flex Plank have amazing color palettes and usually come with a 25 yr.- lifetime residential warranty. Not only are they very easy to install, they are antibacterial, anti-mold, water resistant, can be used with integrated in floor heating, stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter plus feel fantastic on bare feet! Super easy to clean and if one piece gets damaged you don't have to lift the whole floor to repair it- Like laminate flooring. You just take out the damage piece and replace it with a new one. Always keep a few flooring pieces in case of future repairs! Not to mention if you have a flood the flooring can all be lifted, dry out sub floor and then just lay it all back down like nothing even happened. Can't do that with any other flooring material. Pricing can be similar to a medium grade laminate or engineered flooring.

http://xlflooring.ca/
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
5 years ago
Vinyl plank is awesome we have had 3 large breed dogs going in and out of a free run dog run for years in our walk out with vinyl plank it still looks like new 11 yrs later easy to just damp mop when it gets muddy.We did ours in the walk out with Dri- core underneath and a very affordable vinyl plank that had no backing just each plank sticks to the next one
User
5 years ago
If you do some searching around, there are tons of threads about this. Not to give you grief for posting the question :) - just mentioning it in case this doesn't get much response and you want to do more reading.

I have 2 small dogs. I went with engineered white oak in my new construction b/c I was told engineered is harder and will hold up better.

2 small dogs are destroying it. They are young so love to run and play, and the scratches are mounting up. I keep their nails trimmed with a dremel too, makes no difference. We recently bought a vacation home with "real" hardwood floors, and they're wrecking those floors even worse than the engineered....so I guess I was given correct advice.

My next floor with be LVP, due to my dogs. You will undoubtedly get some people who will come along here and sniff in derision that LVP is "plaaaastic" and they will only have the real stuff. Different strokes for different folks. For me, I'd rather have fake stuff that looks decent than good stuff that looks like I ran a wood chipper over it.

It all comes down to what each of us personally values in a world of imperfect choices.
Carina thanked User
User
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
The only impervious floor to pet damage is porcelain tile.
Carina thanked User
Carina
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you for all for steering me to the right direction! It sounds like LVP is the recommended option here - is there a preferred brand for LVP? I was at the Lumber Liquidators looking at their LVP and I steered away from it as I could damage the LVP plank corner with my nails. I was trying to inflict damage to the LVP similar to what my 20lbs dog had done with a laminate flooring 5 years ago - while there were no scratches on the laminate, most of the corners of the laminate plank were chipped away of their top veneer/ color. The sales rep recommended the EVP instead.

@ Lyons Design - Thanks for your recommendation! I was trying to see if XL Flooring have a retailer here in Los Angeles, CA so that I can go check out the flooring but it seems like they don't. The search result in the website didn't come up with any. Would you happen to know if they sell to California?

@ patriceny - I think we might have the same breed of small dog, the westie! Yes, there might be similar threads on this topic but I thought it would be useful to find out what folks are looking at or have installed more recently. For e.g. laminate flooring has vastly improved from 5 years ago & there's LVP and EVP that resembles wood floors. I've never had vinyl flooring and I'm trying wrap my head around the thought if that.
User
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Westies rule. :)

I had a wood-look laminate in my prior home that held up beautifully to dogs. Quick-step was the manufacturer, and it had beveled edges so it fooled a lot of people who thought it was wood planks. I loved that floor and it only had a few minor dings due to things which should ding a floor. (I dropped a sugar bowl, which broke and dented the floor. Things like that.) I don't have any issues with water so can't comment on the wood-look laminate and water though.

The only thing I didn't like about the wood-look laminate is that it would sometimes pop as you walked on it. Not a major concern but still, could sound like someone was popping bubble wrap. During humidity changes I used to walk the perimeter of the floors to get the popping out of the way. It was weird.....

I'm still doing LVP (or EVP) the next time I replace a floor.
Carina thanked User
Carina
Original Author
5 years ago
@ patriceny - Indeed! My westie do try to rule the house and likes to do things his own way. Does yours?

Okay, I catch your drift with the LVP/ EVP. Researching into vinyl flooring leads me to... https://www.houzz.com/products/coretec-plus-ivory-coast-oak-3824-sq-ft-prvw-vr~53083578 - this probably comes close to the picture above!

https://coretecfloors.com/resource-center/
suseyb
5 years ago
Look for a stone plastic composite rather than a wood plastic composite. It will be a harder product. Also look for something with a thick wear layer. Something like 20mil or above.
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User
5 years ago
I have 2, a 3 year old girl and a 9 month old boy. They are fabulous dogs. They're your typical terriers, so yes strong-willed and a little hard-headed at times.

The girl wasn't too bad as an only child, but the puppy has brought out the playful side in her. They love to race through the house like the happy crazy nutjobs they are....and I feel bad stopping their fun just because they're scratching the floor!
Suki Mom
5 years ago
We put Coretec Pro Plus LVP in our new house because of dogs! It is great!

2 sample pieces - not installed
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PRO
Debbi Washburn
5 years ago
We sell a lot of the Coretec Plus XL flooring.... the customers love it!
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Suki Mom
5 years ago
Sweet doggie salex!
flopsycat1
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago

We have 24”x12” porcelain tile in our vacation house. Two forty pound dogs. Try as they might, not a scratch on the tile. Water, humidity, tracked in dirt- not a problem.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
5 years ago
Salex he looks a lot like our Pyrenees who weighs 105 lbs but still a puppy. I love my laminate on my main floor and the vinyl plank on our walk out basement floors we have also 2 goldie Xs so all the flloors get a great workout and in 11 yrs no scratches that i can see.
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lesleycurl
5 years ago
I put a Pergo performance product throughout my house as I have a 70-pound Retriever. Four years later, the floors are holding up well from a dog-use perspective.
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Carina
Original Author
5 years ago
@ Patriceny - love your westies! The same happen when I brought home my doodle and the doodle enjoys getting the westie to chase after him everyday! Guess it’s better to have them play in the backyard to minimize the scratches/dents, or wear booties?

@ salex - aww.. what a big fluff ball he is! So sweet & gentle looking!

Here are my pups, a 20 lbs westie & a 45lbs doodle. They are foremost on my mind when we design our home and backyard.
Ally De
5 years ago
Carina, they are beautiful. I love their happy eyes.
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User
5 years ago
What beautiful dogs!!! Yes, I think they are worth it. :) Scratches and all.
Carina thanked User
nanj
5 years ago
We have two Golden Retrievers and are renting a house with laminate in the basement. My issues with laminate are: 1) seems slippery for the dogs and 2) it is "clicky" sounding when they walk. I keep their nails trimmed but you can still hear their nails clicking on the floor when they walk.
Carina thanked nanj
PRO
Anglophilia
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I’ve had various sizes/numbers of dogs and cats over the past 52 years of adult life, and all have lived quite nicely with site-finished hardwood floors with high gloss finish.
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PRO
Lyons Design
5 years ago
@ Carina- I have ask my rep for XL Flooring to see where a rep or Dealer is in your area. Will let you know shortly!
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Fori
5 years ago
Linoleum (like Marmoleum--not vinyl) holds up pretty well to dogs although it is probably more expensive.

I currently have oak which is not holding up great and stone tile (an especially beefy impervious slate) that is invincible but it's still tile which you don't want for understandable reasons. Slippery is a thing! If my dog sits on the tile, his front legs slowly slide out from under him and he gets laughed at. (This tile isn't slippery to anyone else though--socks, slippers, barefoot, skates are all fine. It's just the dog.)
Carina thanked Fori
Carina
Original Author
5 years ago
@ Lyons Design - Pls skip that - I just found where the dealers are, thanks again!
Carina
Original Author
5 years ago
@ maecom technology - Thanks for your recommendation! I will look into them soon.
Carina
Original Author
5 years ago
@ patriceny- Absolutely! :) Dogs are family!

@ Fori - Lol Same here, my doodle always slide when he sits on the tile floor. So a 'sit' command ends up in a 'down' position. It happens on smooth hardwood floors too!

@ nanj - Thanks for reminding me with regards to the clicking sound from their nails touching the laminate flooring! I wonder if the new laminate flooring still has that hollow sound.

@ Anglophilia - Solid hardwood floors are always so beautiful. Would love to have that if budget allows!

At this moment, we are looking into laminate or EVP (Engineered vinyl plank) flooring for the main areas of the home. Tile flooring for the bathrooms.

In my research yesterday, we found it hard to take in that the 12mm EVPs from Coretec actually cost more than laminate and engineered hardwood flooring. I ordered some complimentary samples from Coretec through their website, hope to receive it soon for comparison.
PRO
Lyons Design
5 years ago
@ Carina Closest Rep for XL Flooring would be:

Spectrum Flooring Source

29891 Juan Caspitrano, CA 92675

Rep: Jim

714-493-0408

Good Luck!
Express Flooring
5 years ago
Hi, Carina, I would recommend you the vinyl flooring. There are four primary considerations to remember when looking for pet-friendly flooring options. No matter what choice you ultimately decide on, we have to keep these qualities in mind when shopping. Resistance to scratches Resistance to damage Pet traction Pet comfort Vinyl flooring is best for Your dog in my opinion because dogs love the cool surface during the summer and the warm surface during the winter because vinyl can accept radiant heating coils underneath. Most importantly, your dog's slick pads and claws do not ice-skate across the floor. Vinyl flooring has just enough grip for your dog to feel comfortable and safe when trotting across it.
Ashley Lathrop
4 years ago
Hi! What did you go with? We want and LVP in this shade. Did you find something?

Need help in choosing a dog-friendly flooring for the house

salex

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