# Best Flooring Option



## mysugarbears (Aug 13, 2007)

I'm getting my house measured for new flooring this week and am trying to figure out what type of floor would be best. At first i thought i wanted laminate, but now i'm not too sure. I have been reading reviews on laminate and the reviews weren't really that good, people where having problems with buckling and or swelling. I'm now trying to decide what would be the best pet friendly flooring for the main part of the house. I have 4 dogs and 2 cats and one of the cats is very elderly 16-18 years old. I'm looking for flooring that will hold up to scratches and possible accidents.


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

Funny that you should be asking about this because I'm doing the same thing.

I have tile in the main part of the house and it's wonderful for the girls. It keeps them cool in the summer and is easy to clean up (just in case). You have to make certain that you seal the grout.

I have 3 rooms with carpet. The master bedroom, the guest bedroom and the office. I HATE the carpet I chose. It looked so much better in the showroom than on the floor.

2 years ago when Jerry was out of down, I accidentally locked Tilly in the master bedroom for the day and when I got home, she had destroyed the carpet. So I chose carpet that I liked and had it laid, but only in the master bedroom.

I had a similar situation a few weeks ago and accidently locked Tilly in the office for the day. Again, ruined carpet, but a good reason to change the flooring.

So, I thought about changing to carpet again but the one I now have in the master bedroom. But that's not really what I wanted, so I started looking at tile (my original tile was discontinued 3 years ago), laminate, wood and cork. After a lot of research and thought as well as staring at a piece of tile, a piece of laminate, a piece of wood and a piece of cork -- and making all of my friends, neighbors and co-workers stare that the same pieces, I have decided to continue with the tile.

Luckily I found a tile that is very, very close to the original and I've decided to do a border and then lay the tile on the diagonal so that it isn't very noticeable that the tile is slightly different.

My decision was based on the easy of clean up and wear and tear. I've had laminate in another house and also wood and I've found that for me, tile is the easiest.


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## mysugarbears (Aug 13, 2007)

Thanks Lynn, i am somewhat worried about tile being too cold in the winter (even though i live in FL i'm in the NW part and it gets cold in the winter) or the tile being too cold looking. My house is an open floor plan and the kitchen and great room are sort of a French Country design and need something that's warm looking. I think i'm going tile hunting this week and hopefully i'll find something warm looking. I do like the sound of tile with the ease of cleaning.  
Boy do i know all about destroyed carpeting, when i got Chelsea 2 months after getting Chloe the two of them went on a chewing spree of the carpet i had holes from where they were eating the carpet.


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## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

QUOTE (MySugarBears @ Jul 6 2009, 04:38 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=801600


> I'm getting my house measured for new flooring this week and am trying to figure out what type of floor would be best. At first i thought i wanted laminate, but now i'm not too sure. I have been reading reviews on laminate and the reviews weren't really that good, people where having problems with buckling and or swelling. I'm now trying to decide what would be the best pet friendly flooring for the main part of the house. I have 4 dogs and 2 cats and one of the cats is very elderly 16-18 years old. I'm looking for flooring that will hold up to scratches and possible accidents.[/B]



oh my, dont' tell me that. I just installed laminate on 3 bedrooms. BUT I do think it holds up to scratches because a friend has it in her house and her dog is large, a mixed shepard/akita and very hyper and skittish, restless and has run about on that floor to no end. AND no scratches that I've noticed, I haven't heard her complain. Probably depends on your climate too.

I am not too sure about spills thou especially in the seams. Guess I am taking my chances but the pets aren't left on the laminate without supervision, unless the cat was to get sick etc.


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## luvmyfurbaby (Feb 11, 2007)

Debbie there are tiles that look just like wood. We have tile thru-out. Throw rugs in a country motif looks wonderful. http://www.trendyfloors.com/_e/dept/01-001..._by_Emigres.htm


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## Kissi's Mom (Apr 21, 2006)

I have hardwood floors everywhere but the bedrooms and baths....I HATE it!! My husband was having a horrible time with allergies so we replaced the carpet in our bedroom (excuse me...I mean Kissi's bedroom) with laminate and I love it. I wish I could afford to do all the floors in the house with the stuff. My sister-in-law just had laminate put down in her kitchen/hallway...she has an older cat with some health/potty issues so the installer used a special glue to seal the seams so she doesn't have to worry if Essie has an accident. 
Good Luck.
Linda


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## I found nemo (Feb 23, 2006)

I have wood flooring no carpeting, I just can't stand the smell if you get a stain or something on it. . I also love Porcelain , it's so easy to clean and looks gorgeous.
Good luck on whatever you decide.


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## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

I have laminate in two rooms and would NEVER do it again. It does not stand up to water, it scratches very easily and if you drop something heavy it dents the floor badly. You can't scrub it with anything and if you use a damp mop need to dry it immediately. I have the top of the line "Cottage Home" by Pergo so it's not cheap laminate. I don't dare put my Christmas tree in my living room anymore because the year I did some of the water leaked and destroyed an entire section, I had to have that section ripped up and replaced. 

If you want wood,get wood not laminate. It really isn't that much more expensive. 

I just put Karndean tile down in my kitchen, dining room and hallway and love it.


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## harrysmom (Sep 28, 2007)

I'm also deciding on new flooring. I have carpeting in my living room and dining room, but with all of Harry's
meds, he does have some accidents, and the carpet has definitely seen better days. I am considering Pergo. 
My sister has Pergo in her kitchen and she loves it. I also love the look of it. My brother-in-law told me that this
month's Consumers magazine rates Pergo and other "wood" flooring options...
so I am going to get the magazine and read up on it. I'll also have to ask about the special glue... I also have 
2 older cats. 

Keep us posted on what you decide to do and how it goes!!!!!

Debbie


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## dwerten (Oct 6, 2007)

I like the large tile with tiny grout. Hard wood will show scratches and if not sealed real well will show scratches and will be damaged more by pee. The laminate is easiest to clean with vinegar and water and i have had mine 4 years no problem at all with buckling. I bought the top of the line wilson art as it is very thick pile and used a padding below it. I love it for ease of clean as i do not like to use cleaners and vinegar and water is pet friendly. With tile the prob is the grout as vinegar is acidic and if you do a color grout it will discolor it. Also tile is really hard if they jump off couch or something i felt easier to hurt than laminate. I hate carpet but as far as jumping off couch etc is much safer. It is tough as i had the same issue and researched alot and went with the laminate. Ask around for the best installer as the buckling and stuff has to do with who installed it. The nice thing about laminate is if a piece gets ruined if say pee sits on too long you can cut that piece out and replace it. I would not put laminate or hardwood anywhere like in kitchen or bathrooms where it can be water damaged though


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

I have had laminate for over 10 years and I just love it! I've had no problems with it - it stands up to anything, has never scratched or dented. BUT, I had it professionally installed - didn't even attempt it ourselves. Mine is what was at the time top of the line Wilsonart. I've heard people who did it themselves had problems with it and I've also heard people have problems with Pergo. If I had to do it over, I'd do it again for certain.


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

I have laminate in my bedroom.... I wanted something to stand up to any peeing, etc. I think it is an Armstrong product that was professionally installed. I've had it about 6 years with no problems at all. I have an area rug that pretty much covers most of the floor anyway.

I want to replace the carpet in my great room, too, so this thread is right on time for me.


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## Hunter's Mom (Dec 8, 2008)

we have hard wood in every room but the two baths and the ktichen/hall. I love it. In the downstairs bath/kitchen/hall we have 12x12 tile with 1/2 inch grout lines and it looks great. The upstairs bathroom is smaller so our tile is 6x6 with 1/2 inch grout lines. We didn't have our floors done, they were in when we moved in but the wood floor was not properly sealed (at least in my opinion) and there are scratches from Hunter. My only complaint is you really have to stay on top of the cleaning each week because dust accumulates and makes little dust bunnies much faster when there is no carpet and despite what they say, many push vaccums are not made for tile and wood - the blowers just blow the dust around


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## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

and the little dust bunnies can turn into tumbleweeds


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## dwerten (Oct 6, 2007)

i use one of those micro fiber mop looking things and get all the dust first then use a vacuum it cuts down on the dust 


QUOTE (Hunter's Mom @ Jul 6 2009, 11:04 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=801671


> we have hard wood in every room but the two baths and the ktichen/hall. I love it. In the downstairs bath/kitchen/hall we have 12x12 tile with 1/2 inch grout lines and it looks great. The upstairs bathroom is smaller so our tile is 6x6 with 1/2 inch grout lines. We didn't have our floors done, they were in when we moved in but the wood floor was not properly sealed (at least in my opinion) and there are scratches from Hunter. My only complaint is you really have to stay on top of the cleaning each week because dust accumulates and makes little dust bunnies much faster when there is no carpet and despite what they say, many push vaccums are not made for tile and wood - the blowers just blow the dust around [/B]


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## dwerten (Oct 6, 2007)

yes heard no pergo too so i did top of the line wilson art -- it was not cheap but it is holding up great 


QUOTE (maggieh @ Jul 6 2009, 10:32 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=801662


> I have had laminate for over 10 years and I just love it! I've had no problems with it - it stands up to anything, has never scratched or dented. BUT, I had it professionally installed - didn't even attempt it ourselves. Mine is what was at the time top of the line Wilsonart. I've heard people who did it themselves had problems with it and I've also heard people have problems with Pergo. If I had to do it over, I'd do it again for certain.[/B]


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## jadey (Nov 2, 2006)

my parents put in new tiles in one area of their house, and their bathroom. they put electric heaters underneath the tiles. im not sure whats it called but i think this is what they did floor heater.


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

We thought about putting the electric heaters under the tile but didn't. Jerry gets cold when he's here, but I walk around barefoot just fine -- and it snows some here in the winter.

You'll be fine in Florida (even NW Florida) in the winter. I did use throw rugs the first year we were here, but they just became big "pee pee pads" it seems and also some were "chew toys".

I'm sure that whatever you choose, it will be beautiful.


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## wooflife (Aug 8, 2007)

I re-did my house about 2 years ago and got rid of the carpet. 

I chose to do hardwood - but purchased Bruce pre-finished harwood. The pre-finished wood holds up much better than existing hardwood with a polyurethane finish. The finish they put on it does not scratch easily and a lot more durable.

I would not recomend tile but if you want it, use large tiles with tiny grout lines. Grout can and will hold smell. I use to keep Izzy in my bathroom when she was a puppy and I was gone and I had to re-grout the floor. 

Also, I put laminate in my kitchen. I used a Columbia laminate that when put down looked like slate tile with no grout lines. It's gorgeaus stands up to scratches and water. The water bowl gets knocked over a couple times a day and I don't always catch it right away. I have had no damage from this. 

My husband and I have put laminate in my house and in his mom's house and in my experience the quality of laminate that you purchase has a lot to do with how it holds up over time. 

I hope this helps. 

Leslie


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## wooflife (Aug 8, 2007)

QUOTE (Jadey @ Jul 6 2009, 11:50 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=801703


> my parents put in new tiles in one area of their house, and their bathroom. they put electric heaters underneath the tiles. im not sure whats it called but i think this is what they did floor heater.[/B]


Radient floor heating - I watch a lot of HGTV :blush:


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## jadey (Nov 2, 2006)

QUOTE (WoofLife @ Jul 6 2009, 01:46 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=801727


> QUOTE (Jadey @ Jul 6 2009, 11:50 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=801703





> my parents put in new tiles in one area of their house, and their bathroom. they put electric heaters underneath the tiles. im not sure whats it called but i think this is what they did floor heater.[/B]


Radient floor heating - I watch a lot of HGTV :blush:
[/B][/QUOTE]


 my husband says its too dangerous if I watch HGTV. i get too many ideas to try out. But my parents got the floor electric idea because when they lived in korea, they had heated floors etc.

opps i forgot to add i think you will be fine in Florida without it. This was only for the bathrooms and basement area, we live in virginia it gets pretty cold in the winter. Also with the grout i agree i would do large tiles with tiny grout lines. There is a certain grout i think you can get that wont turn color even after accidents.


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## mysugarbears (Aug 13, 2007)

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and feedback. Whatever flooring i decide on it will definately be professionally installed, my husband and i are not that handy when it comes to things like that. Lol. I did order some samples from the site that Maggie (LuvMyFurBaby) suggested. http://www.trendyfloors.com/_e/dept/01-001..._by_Emigres.htm If i do decide to do tile, i have been looking into having the Epoxy Grout used instead of regular grout.


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## dwerten (Oct 6, 2007)

what is epoxy grout ? 

at the vet specialty hospital they had colored concrete it was really cool looking and my friend did her counter tops in colored concrete that may be our next floor lollllllll with a drain just hose it down and be done lol 



QUOTE (MySugarBears @ Jul 6 2009, 02:30 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=801756


> Thank you everyone for your suggestions and feedback. Whatever flooring i decide on it will definately be professionally installed, my husband and i are not that handy when it comes to things like that. Lol. I did order some samples from the site that Maggie (LuvMyFurBaby) suggested. http://www.trendyfloors.com/_e/dept/01-001..._by_Emigres.htm If i do decide to do tile, i have been looking into having the Epoxy Grout used instead of regular grout.[/B]


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## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

QUOTE (LuvMyFurbaby @ Jul 6 2009, 08:09 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=801616


> Debbie there are tiles that look just like wood. We have tile thru-out. Throw rugs in a country motif looks wonderful. http://www.trendyfloors.com/_e/dept/01-001..._by_Emigres.htm[/B]





omg Maggie I love that tile. Debbie I would do tile


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## luvmyfurbaby (Feb 11, 2007)

QUOTE (dwerten @ Jul 6 2009, 07:59 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=801837


> what is epoxy grout ?
> 
> at the vet specialty hospital they had colored concrete it was really cool looking and my friend did her counter tops in colored concrete that may be our next floor lollllllll with a drain just hose it down and be done lol
> 
> ...





> Thank you everyone for your suggestions and feedback. Whatever flooring i decide on it will definately be professionally installed, my husband and i are not that handy when it comes to things like that. Lol. I did order some samples from the site that Maggie (LuvMyFurBaby) suggested. http://www.trendyfloors.com/_e/dept/01-001..._by_Emigres.htm If i do decide to do tile, i have been looking into having the Epoxy Grout used instead of regular grout.[/B]


[/B][/QUOTE]

Epoxy grout = is a hardener similar to glue Regular grout = cement & gravel

QUOTE (Matilda's Mommy @ Jul 6 2009, 08:34 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=801845


> QUOTE (LuvMyFurbaby @ Jul 6 2009, 08:09 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=801616





> Debbie there are tiles that look just like wood. We have tile thru-out. Throw rugs in a country motif looks wonderful. http://www.trendyfloors.com/_e/dept/01-001..._by_Emigres.htm[/B]





omg Maggie I love that tile. Debbie I would do tile
[/B][/QUOTE]

I had to look hard to tell it was tile.


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## lindad (Sep 17, 2008)

I am curious does anyone have cork flooring and what do you think? We too are looking to redo all the flooring in our home this year and I was curious about the cork flooring for the bedrooms. 

Also does anyone else have bamboo flooring and what do you think?


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## 2maltese4me (May 8, 2006)

Love my hardwood floors...we've had them for 15 yrs and wouldn't have it any other way. For me...they are the safest and easiest with pets.


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## LittleDogLVR (Oct 24, 2007)

I just installed Laminate in 2 of my bedrooms and purchased the material for the 3rd.

We Love it.......

Bruce Exotic Wonders: Brazilian Cherry 12mm Laminate With Attached Pad L3031 


It has a real deep rich color, nothing like what I could get at the local Home Depot or Lowes.

It installs nicely as long as you follow instructions and is priced nicely at 3.09 a sq foot at Efloors.

I was hesitant from ordering on line and bought it locally for my first install, after seeing the product
and how easy it was to install I bought the rest through efloors.

Its been a couple of months since the first room, love it love it love it.


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