I’ve read some older threads but didn’t see anything recent so, what flooring do you suggest for a house with dogs and cats and on a farm? I don’t want to spend a fortune for flooring but would really like to get rid of my carpet and older, cheap vinyl. I’ve been thinking vinyl planks. I don’t plan to do it myself as I’d actually like it to be done in a reasonable amount of time and done well. Thanks!
I don’t know what your subfloor is where you are at, but mine was concrete. I stripped it all of carpet and old vinyl, stained, sealed and waxed it. Best thing I ever did. I think they look phenomenal but they also go with the midcentury mod architecture of my house. In the kitchen (where my dogs stay during the day), I did floating vinyl planks. They look like expensive-ish hardwood and hold up to crazy dog activity.
My friends have wide plank tile that looks just like hardwood complete with knots and ridges, set with no grout lines. It looks amazing.
All flooring in my house has three requirements:easy to clean, can survive dog zoomies and accidents, and has to look quality (even if it didn’t cost the big bucks). I was really happy with the end results with both. I don’t think you can go wrong with any type of solid surface.
I just put this Stainmaster wood-look sheet vinyl down in my bathroom.
It’s nice and soft to walk on, doesn’t show dirt or paw prints, and stands up to the occasional wet accident.
I did laminate vinyl planks in the rest of the house. It’s held up to toenails really well but sadly the laminate sheets will separate if they get wet. I’m probably replacing all my laminate with the product linked above.
My parents did the laminate planks and it looks great and has worn well. The only downside is that it can be a bit slippery for older dogs-- they ended up having to put down throw rugs to give them some grip to get up and down.
There is a new line of Pergo, called Outlast, it’s supposed to resist water for at least 24 hours. I only see it at Home Depot right now, but if it’s good it will probably be at the other retailers soon.
My laminate (Pergo Meadowbrook Oak, matte finish) was too slick for my boy, and I had some throw rugs, some carpet reminents , and some sheet vinyl reminants. You get the cheap (but very ugly ones) at the back of the flooring department at the big box stores. Even though the vinyl reminants were slick, he would walk on them, but couldn’t walk on the Pergo.
I wonder if paw wax would help… Would be a pain to apply daily though.
I really like the luxury vinyl plank. I currently have laminate and it’s awful. Super cold to walk on in winter and god forbid it gets damp. LVP is warm and a tiny bit cushiony, plus easy clean up. I can’t wait to replace my flooring, but I need to win the lottery first. 
I’m a fan of the vinyl flooring. We have it in the dance studio, and it looks great and takes a beating. It even has handled Stella chasing her tail and being ridiculous. The dance instructor likes it because he can write on it like a white board. It’s really pretty good looking, and it doesn’t look like fake wood.
I have hardwood in my living room and tile everywhere else. I have a love/hate relationship with both. The tile is definitely hard wearing and cleans up well. I like the look of hardwood, but it needs to be babied.
This is my dream flooring. With heat under it. Swoon.
I have Armstrong top-of-their-line laminate flooring. It’s around ten years old and still looks like new.
At one point I had four dogs in the house with three of them weighing 75 - 135 pounds.
I still have two dogs over 80 lbs.
The cats go sliding when they play, the kitchen area gets abused with barn shoes and boots.
There may be other products in today’s market that are better. As long as this laminate continues to look like new, I have no intention of tearing it up and writing another big check.
I tore carpet out of a master bedroom, living room, great room, kitchen/dining area; while costly it was worth every penny. Especially now that pushing a vacuum on carpet is not as easy as it used to be.
I love the wood look plank tiles, and the hand scraped look laminate. However, remember if you’re tempted to get very dark tile, or laminate it will need cleaning constantly. The very dark colors show footprints very badly.
Thanks everyone! I will need to get fairly light colored as the house needs all the light it can get. I actually need to refloor the entire house if I can figure out how to afford it.
We have engineered hardwood at the front of our house that has withstood the dogs very well - there are surface scratches that you can see in the right light, but no pits or grooves at all. It’s pricey though (it was installed before we moved in!).
I have heard great things about the vinyl planks and tile but don’t have experience with it myself. We are saving to redo our kitchen and I think this is what I will use as it’s warmer than traditional tiles.
Porcelain Tile - pricey but very easy clean-up / maintenance - IMHO
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Porcelain Tile - pricey but very easy clean-up / maintenance - IMHO[/QUOTE]
I have tile in my kitchen and had it in my bathroom. Wouldn’t do it again. It is easy to clean, but it’s cold in the winter and if you drop anything (which my husband does with saddening regularity) it shatters into a million bits which fly everywhere.
My porcelain tile was installed in the cat condo = rooms - works there nicely !
I had carpet removed for a specialized cat condo /grand room
… porcelain tile installed - it works great in this area.
Carpet runners ‘warm’ it and are easily replaced when need be.
It’s a specialized cat area - easily kept clean and warm as described.
I do not rec porcelain tile in other areas. I was posting in regards to pet areas.
I would like the fancy ‘heated porcelain tile’ system in the bathroom / shower but it was too expensive !
I prefer hardwood floors in kitchen area.
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I have tile in my kitchen and had it in my bathroom. Wouldn’t do it again. It is easy to clean, but it’s cold in the winter and if you drop anything (which my husband does with saddening regularity) it shatters into a million bits which fly everywhere.[/QUOTE]
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I just put this Stainmaster wood-look sheet vinyl down in my bathroom.
It’s nice and soft to walk on, doesn’t show dirt or paw prints, and stands up to the occasional wet accident.
I did laminate vinyl planks in the rest of the house. It’s held up to toenails really well but sadly the laminate sheets will separate if they get wet. I’m probably replacing all my laminate with the product linked above.[/QUOTE]
I like that! We vinyl thru out the house it’s pet proof which is why we choose it.
I recently pulled the carpet out of my home (best thing I ever did). I wanted real oak flooring because in my mind there just isn’t a good substitute. The problem is I have 5 dogs and needed a finish that would withstand the traffic. I purchased unfinished 3 1/4 " oak flooring, had it professionally installed and sanded but I finished it myself. I stained it with Minwax’s Special Walnut stain and then used a product called Waterlox. Waterlox is a natural tung oil/resin product. It has a very nice satin finish and is just gorgeous. The BEST thing about it is when the scratches get to be too much you just clean the floor thoroughly with TSP and add another coat of Waterlox on top. Voila! Brand new floor! OK…it’s not the cheapest option and the initial installation and finishing process was a major pain but to me nothing compares to the beauty of natural wood.
We have 2 indoor cats and 2 dogs in a farmhouse. The previous owner decided that white carpet was a great idea (BLECH!). I can’t wait to tear it out and put in laminate. We’re planning on hallway runners and some throw rugs to cut down on the slippery-ness for the dogs.
Dani-Look at the Home Depot laminate. They have some types that are hand scraped, and have a more natural wood finish. I’m not talking about the Pergo matte finish, mine was Meadowbrook Oak, and matte finish, and it was still slick. Some of the 10 - 12 mm is very thick, has attached underlayment, and even on a slab should be very quiet.
If you watch Flip or Flop on HGTV you can see the laminate they use is very similar to wood floor, without the shiny look that makes the animals slip on it.
