[IleneA]

I am redoing the floors in my house and am considering laminate planks for the main floor. My problem is that I have two very, very large house dogs (drool, nails on the floor, etc.). I think tile is the best but I worry about falling, dropping things and it being cold in the winter. Does anyone have an idea of what would be best for my situation?:confused1:

 

[DangerMouse]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I like the idea of using cork, but you could also use vinyl tile squares that are thick and grout-able. They would be a bit warmer and shatter/scratch resistant.

DM

 

[Happybg81]

I have laminate by Pergo and a very large boxer and have had no problems.

 

[jsmith48]

I've had laminate in my house before, and my dogs scratched it up very badly. I wouldn't suggest it at all.

 

[SuperFloor]

You can always put in a handscraped laminate. The grooves and "chatter" will help hide tiny dents created by the dog nails.

As far as drool goes, no matter the flooring type, it should always be cleaned up quickly. It's not a good idea to let liquids sit on flooring.

 

[tpolk]

You can always put in a handscraped laminate. The grooves and "chatter" will help hide tiny dents created by the dog nails.

As far as drool goes, no matter the flooring type, it should always be cleaned up quickly. It's not a good idea to let liquids sit on flooring.

i thought drool was part of the patina, is in many southern bars

 

[Dudester60]

Even though I'm not a lover of too many laminate floorings, laminate is much stronger than real maple hardwood floors, and will take the abuse 10 times more than any hardwood flooring out there. I have friends that own a couple of great danes, who live inside the house almost 24/7. Yet they're floors are in prestine condition after more than 10 years of having the dogs walk, play, drool and barf.
I also know someone who is a barber, and he use to have hardwood flooring in his shop, but the hair would always wear the finish off in the area he stood and cut. He added floating floor to his shop, and the floor is still like the day he installed it, with a nice shine. So floating floors have their purpose, and are very tough, and hard to wear out.

 

[ttr13r]

Although I agree with "dudester" about the laminate flooring, I have heard big, very big, dogs may not enjoy walking on the laminate, it's slippery for them, especially if they run on it. As for tile, you can put the heating underlayment under the tile, makes it all warm and toasty when its cold. Back to laminate...it's virtually scratch resistant. Yes, it is possible to scratch, but you really have to be determined to do it. If your dogs pee or any water gets spilled on the laminate, make certain it gets wiped up immediately, otherwise the flooring will buckle, peel, bubble, and so on. All in all, I believe those two choices are the best for your situation.

 

[IleneA]

I started out thinking laminate am and not too concerned about slipping but am too concerned about possible water (I live in Washington and the dogs would enter the house on the laminate. I have wood now...no good. So tile it will be so now I'm worried about the drool and the grout. Epoxy has been suggested. Any suggestions there any one?

 

[Blondesense]

Not an expert here, but from what I've read and experienced I would suggest a porcelain floor tile. I considered epoxy grout when I did my shower. While it is much more stain resistant, apparently is it also much more of a challenge to work with. I ended up going with traditional sanded grout and a good sealer. If you have it done by someone, it is a good idea to make sure they have experience with epoxy grout.