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Posted by TaraG on August 31, 2006, 9:40 am
> Thank you for all the responses, suggestions, etc. so far.
> I know laminate stands up to dogs claws very well but generally not
> water. However, I came across a really good article yesterday that
> compares all the different brands of laminate flooring, including how
> they stand up to water
> (http://www.ifloor.com/articles/lam/lamwars2.html). So I'm leaning
> towards getting laminate, one of the brands that scores a 4 out of 5 in
> water resistance. It would be almost impossible for the dog to scratch
> it, most water spills should be fine, and if I do get water damage it
> would be possible to fix since the floors click together (ie: no glue).
> Plus the one I'm eying seems to be cheaper than the vinyl stuff which
> was my other possible choice.
Keep in mind that how the flooring is installed is as important as which
laminate you get. A friend spent a few grand on Laminate flooring. It was
almost 1500 more than I had been quoted for a similar space (I ended up not
getting it done until recently, though). There was a fire in the apartment
directly across the hall from hers, and in the process of putting it out,
her apartment was completely flooded.An inch of water completely covered her
brand new flooring. She was crushed thinking she'd have to replace it. Her
next door neighbors had gotten very expensive engineered flooring installed,
but had skimped on the installation costs. They ended up having to replace
*all* of their flooring as it was buckling within a month. My friends floor
is, surprisingly, still fine....and its now almost 2 years later! Her
flooring guy was amazing though. He did a great job insuring that everything
was installed as tightly as possible. When her neighbors had their floors
replaced, they went with this same guy....and can't believe the difference
it makes.
Also, laminate flooring, while it *will* stand up to pet claws a lot better,
will also echo those same claws in ways you just wont believe. I just had my
floors done a few months ago, and while I love the my new floors (wanted
hardwood, but my subfloor is concrete), it definitely took me a while to get
used to hearing even my 7 pound cat walk across the floor. Now that I'm used
to it, it doesn't bother me so much, but it was a side effect I hadn't
banked on.
Tara
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> I know laminate stands up to dogs claws very well but generally not
> water. However, I came across a really good article yesterday that
> compares all the different brands of laminate flooring, including how
> they stand up to water
> (http://www.ifloor.com/articles/lam/lamwars2.html). So I'm leaning
> towards getting laminate, one of the brands that scores a 4 out of 5 in
> water resistance. It would be almost impossible for the dog to scratch
> it, most water spills should be fine, and if I do get water damage it
> would be possible to fix since the floors click together (ie: no glue).
> Plus the one I'm eying seems to be cheaper than the vinyl stuff which
> was my other possible choice.